The last few weekends I haven't been the best dog mom in that most of the activities I've been doing were not dog friendly. So this weekend I wanted to make it up to Woody. Saturday we took him to Edgewater Beach to watch the sunset and get a little bit of ice cream. I try to take him for ice cream once a summer as a treat - just a little bit of plain vanilla is all he needs. Edgewater serves Honey Hut, one of Cleveland's local ice cream staples.

Sunday we checked out the Hingetown Sunday Market. I go to a lot of markets in Cleveland - Cleveland Flea and Night Market are a few of my other favorites - but I personally feel that this one is the best for a solid mix of vintage finds and handmade artisan goods. It is also really laid back and features some of the best food trucks and beverages for a nice Sunday Funday. This chill vibe is great for dogs because you aren't fighting the big crowds of other events so you don't have to worry about your pup getting trampled. The market takes place on the third Sunday of every month through October, so definitely check one out before 2015 is over. Woody not only got to eat the bacon off my breakfast sandwich from Off the Griddle, but also got a souvenir from Ohio City Dog Haven.

What are some of your favorite outdoor activities that you have to do with your dog before summer is over? Comment below!

In case you hadn't heard, WE ARE OFFICIALLY GETTING A DOG PARK IN DOWNTOWN CLEVELAND! I received an email about this earlier this week, though it doesn't look like anything has been made public yet. Thank you to everyone who donated and made it possible for Cleveland's downtown pups to have a safe place to play.

Get all the official details on the DCA website and bring your dog down to play before winter comes!

This is going to be my only post for the week, as I will be busy at a conference the next two days and spending the evenings catching up on work. But what I discovered this evening needed to be shared immediately. Remember a few weeks ago when I shared my excitement about Barrio opening in downtown? Well, today I noticed that they are doing Food Truck Fridays, as if the anticipation wasn't already mounting.

If you look close you can see Woody's tail. I tried to get more of his reflection but he wasn't having it. Apparently he does not care about tacos.

This is quite possibly one of my favorite billboards ever. Not only is it getting Cleveland completely PUMPED for the upcoming Cavs season but it's an ad for STARTER! When's the last time you saw one of those?

Woody had to get some shots today, and Curt was craving ice cream so we went out for some! I did not eat any (okay, I had a couple bites of Woody's before giving it to him because the girl gave him a HUGE portion). I'm currently in an online fitness challenge group, so this was basically attempted sabotage.

If you wander around Cleveland enough or attend any of the city's many summer markets and/or festivals, you may remember coming across one of these:

Yes, that is a bicycle covered in plants and surrounded by flowers. It's part of the Bikes, Bees and Butterflies project, a public art/urban sustainability project that encourages biking and the creation of green spaces filled with plants that support insect pollinators. I first learned of these at the Gordon Square Arts Festival, and it wasn't long after that this one appeared in my neighborhood.

I'm truly loving the creativity and passion shown in Cleveland's public art scene, especially when it promotes more than just a catchy structure. And, I am slightly (no, horribly) terrified of bees after being stung in the air when I was 10, but I know that they serve a true purpose and love seeing people taking charge to provide them an outlet where they can thrive doing what nature intended.

To learn more about the project, visit them on Facebook.

P.S. Because this is a dog blog, I want to try to get Woody in each of my walking observations photos. As you can see though, this is not always going to work.

In case you missed the news earlier this week, Downtown Cleveland Alliance is raising funds to "create nearly 4,500 square feet of fenced space at the base of West Superior Avenue for your furry friends to enjoy - complete with waste receptacles and seating for humans." This location is near Settler's Landing, across the river from Jacob's Pavilion at Nautica.

The goal is to raise $10,000 from the Downtown dog-loving community, which DCA will match, dollar-for-dollar, to make this project a reality.

If you love your dog, and you love downtown, please support the cause! There are over 1,000 dogs living in downtown Cleveland, and with all of the new green space for humans to enjoy, it's time they have somewhere safe to play, too.

If you'd like to contribute, click here. The more you donate, the more "prizes" you will receive.

This week's edition of Walking Observations took me over the Hope Memorial Bridge, one that conveniently connects downtown and Ohio City via Lorain and Carnegie Avenues and is famously protected by the Guardians of Transportation. For those who are unfamiliar, the bridge opened in 1932 and has recently undergone slight transformations to become even more pedestrian and bike-friendly. This was actually just my second time walking the bridge, the first with Woody. I've also run over the bridge during the Christmas Story 5K and the Cleveland Marathon 10K. My favorite thing about this bridge is undoubtedly the view. It's so awesome to just be able to sit back and take in the city. Many times, you will see photographers trying to capture the best shot from their perspective. Using my iPhone, I snapped a few photos from Woody's (sort of).

If you haven't taken the time to go over the bridge, I suggest you add it to your "Cleveland Bucket" list. If you have walked over, let me know what you like most about the bridge and why both locals and visitors should make the trek!

So, this is a post that I've been meaning to share since June 18. Better late than never! On June 17, the Cleveland Indians hosted their annual Puppypalooza event. They typically do this in June and September, but it looks like this year June was the only one. I have been meaning to take Woody to this since we moved downtown 2 years ago, but something has always come up. Finally, I secured tickets ahead of time and cleared my schedule. I'm so glad I did! This is now one of my favorite Indians promotions. They truly ensure dogs and humans have a good time. Plus, they have a multitude of volunteers from the Cleveland APL and Banfield Pet Hospital to make sure everything runs smoothly.

Curt, Woody and I arrived early because prior to the game there is a parade in which all the dogs and their owners get to walk the warning track. It's been unseasonably cool this summer, but I can say that this might have been one of the hottest days we've had thus far. The dogs were panting and the humans were sweating, and we waited about 30 min. before heading down to the field. Once we got out there, I could not believe how many dogs were actually in attendance. There had to have been at least 300.

As we got out of the gate we realized that walking onto the field is forbidden and monitored by volunteers, but I didn't see anyone trying to push their luck. After walking the field, humans and dogs were able to pick wherever they want to sit on the Budweiser Patio. I was slightly nervous about this, given that Woody can be a little territorial when he's on the leash. But, everyone's dogs were really well-behaved and people followed the leash rules and gave other owners/dogs some distance to avoid mass chaos. Woody did decide to single out a husky and another larger dog in front of us that he just felt like he didn't like and kept growling and barking at them when they would look at him as if he was offended by their presence. I would give him a B+ for behavior skills.

Another key thing that I think made a difference was that they did not do any fireworks during home runs like normal. This is a big deal since fireworks and thunder are sever anxiety inducers for dogs.

All in all, I highly recommend this to dog owners next year. Check out my slideshow below and comment to tell me if you were in attendance and what you liked most about the event!