A Star Runs Free II

Video from Star's fence build. Thanks again to The Coalition to Unchain Dogs.

A Star Runs Free

A HUGE thank you to everyone who came out last weekend to help unchain Star; whether you gave funds towards her shots and fence materials, came out and sweated laying ground wire or twisting fence ties, or otherwise showed your support, Star and her owners are incredibly grateful. Here are some photos:

Eleni tamps down a post...


Dante gets a kiss of thanks...



Robert has a pensive moment...


Morgan shows off what a big baby Star is...


Dante, Matt, andee and Dylan learn about reinforcing corners (correction: Matt tells me they were learning about hog-tying the ground wire, which keeps Star from digging out)...


Mike works on the gate...


andee and Dylan twist the metal ties...



The crew lays straw for dry flooring...


...and she's FREE!


Playing with Syba of Queen Street...


...and with Cleveland of Mallard Ave.


Sorry for the delay on the video... as soon as we locate Jennifer's Flip, we'll get it online! That's the trouble with moving, even just across the street... things go missing for a while.

Most of all.... thanks to the Coalition to Unchain Dogs, whose work decreases the physical and emotional pain of hundreds of innocent dogs. Renee did a great job leading the build, and everyone who came out was cheery and hard-working. Cleveland-Holloway and Star thank you!

(Do) Fence Me In - UPDATED

Meet Star. Next Saturday - January 23rd (update: at 10am) - is going to be a big day for her.


Star lives on Oakwood Ave., and is one of the sweetest dogs you'll ever hope to meet. Unfortunately, the chain link on her small pen is pretty messed up, so in order to keep her from escaping, her owners have had her on a chain, which often gets tangled up, restricting her movement, or winds up wrapped painfully around her legs.

Just this month, Durham has put an ordinance into effect that bans dog owners from chaining their dogs unless they are outside with them. This means fewer isolated, depressed, and dangerous chained dogs. But the law can be tough for people who have dogs but not enough money to build them a proper fence to run around in.

Fortunately, there is an incredible group that acts in response to this issue: Coalition to Unchain Dogs. Their goals:

1. Lobbying for legislation which disallows or severely restricts tethering of dogs.
2. Building free fences for people who chain their dogs.
3. Educating the community about the detrimental effects of chaining on both the dog and the community.
4. Helping groups around the country to start free-fencing programs and to lobby for legislation to help chained dogs.

The Coalition has already helped one family in our neighborhood unchain their three dogs (if you're on Facebook, check out the photos to see the incredible transition in their behavior when they were finally freed from their chains).

But back to Star.


When the Coalition to Unchain Dogs met Star, they got right to work, and today several volunteers came out to set the posts for her fence, which will be built next Saturday, January 23, at 10am. Mike, Renee, Jessica, and Robin knocked the post-setting right out, with some help from James and Matt.









Come and join us next weekend, Saturday 1/23, at 10am, to participate in the fence-build!


She is going to be one happy dog. Thanks so much to the Coalition to Unchain Dogs for the wonderful work that you do. Please visit their website to see some of the videos of recently unchained dogs... and, if you can, make a donation to support the cause.

Belated Boo!!

Video from the Halloween Parade!

Thanks for Making Cleveland Hollow'een A Big Spooky Success

More photos and some video from the parade will be coming soon, and many thank-yous are in order (the Durham bicycle police, to name a big one) but in the meantime, a humongous THANK YOU goes out to the planning committee, who got the ball rolling and put in a ton of work to make 2009 a great Halloween here in Cleveland-Holloway.

Thank you, everyone! It was a completely awesome Halloween.

Look for more photos and video soon!

Good Walls make for Good.... Leg Muscles?

Elaine and Doug, who recently bought 407 Ottawa Ave., have something interesting going on in their backyard. It involves lots of stomping, and a good, healthy amount of messiness.



Cob walls, (cob is an English term for mud building, originated in Britain in the fourteenth century), are eco-friendly as well as incredibly durable and safe. Greg, Elaine's brother, probably describes the process best:

Stop by and meet our new neighbors, and check out an awesome green building project right here in our own neighborhood. Welcome, Elaine and Doug!

Trick or Treat! It's Cleveland-Hollow'een!

The countdown to Halloween has begun! Here are some details you should know for Saturday events.

Hand out candy! - If you plan to hand out candy, please come by the purple house on Oakwood on Saturday to pick up a balloon and some string. We are asking that people tie balloons to their porches or fence so that the kids know which houses are handing out candy. A group of us will also be going around door to door, but if you're on the listserv (and I know who you are...) we are going to skip your house so that we can move more quickly through the hood.

Get dressed! - The Halloween costume parade will start at the corner of Oakwood and Carlton at 5:30pm. Come march down Oakwood or provide cheers for the brave souls all decked out in their Halloween finest. Old timers recount tales of the costume parade of yore and the planning group thought it would be fun to revive the tradition this year. We are also seeking musicians (talent optional) to lead the parade. If you have an instrument - voice included - come on and use it!

Trick or Treat! - from 6:00-8:00 pm children should be swarming the streets begging candy of you. There may be eight kids, there may be eighty kids. Keep an eye on the streets and make Halloween safe and fun for everybody!

Movies! - At 8:00pm we will show "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" on the front of the purple house. We have a projector and sound all ready. We even have scary mugs for drinking cider and hot cocoa. Depending on interest, we will then play The Corpse Bride for neighbors who want to sit on the lawn and watch a longer movie.

That's it! Spread the word! If you know of children who still need costumes, send them to the purple house. Through the generosity of neighbors and co-workers we still have a ton of costumes and costume making supplies.