Go to Penny’s Adventures: Niagara-on-the-Lake – Part One

After Nancy and Derek had a little chuckle at Penny’s reaction to new sounds, they walked on to explore the rest of the park.

Derek & Penny posing in front of a fountain into which Penny belly flopped & then swam, much to Derek & Nancy’s surprise!

Nancy took a photo of Derek and Penny by an in-ground fountain, after which she and Derek started to discuss where to explore next.

While they spoke standing next to the still water of the cool fountain’s pond in the sun, Penny must’ve gotten bored because she leaped into the pond and swam.

Derek and Nancy were not expecting this and they both got splashed. Tsk tsk Penny!

Penny, Derek & Nancy walked along the shore.

After they finished exploring the main park by the Niagara-on-the-Lake strip, they walked on to a small beach area with a pebble shore where Penny enjoyed sniffing all the new smells and drying her fur in the warm sun.

Penny, Derek & Nancy watched sailboats go by. This is one of them.

As Penny dried, the three of them walked along the shore jumping over drift wood pulled out of the water and onto land by others, stepping around the occasional puddle, and climbing up onto a long strip of very green grass running along the shore at a higher elevation where they found a park bench to sit and watch some sailboats.

After a short rest, the three returned to the Niagara-on-the-Lake strip and saw some parked horse carriages on a road shared by cars.

There were a few horses & carriages parked by the Prince of Wales Hotel waiting for a fare.

As Nancy stood on the sidewalk focused on taking this photograph before the light changed and cars got between her and her subject, there was a car stopped at the edge of the road to her right with a young man in it changing into his band uniform smiling and waving at her because he thought she was taking a photograph of him.

Derek waited on the sidewalk with Penny and laughed a lot because Nancy didn’t notice the young man at all and he looked like he was in quite a state of undress at the time.

Penny stuck her tongue out at the horse trotting passed.

After visiting a couple more shops and consuming a couple more treats, they crossed the street to the horse carriage parking area where they saw a few carriages go by with their fares.

Penny was very interested in watching the horses and listening to their loud trotting shoed hooves as they passed.  She even perked up one of her ears to hear each click clack sound as clearly as possible.

All these new experiences and all this excitement proved to make for a long day for little Penny.

Our visit to Niagara On The Lake tired out Little Miss. Penny & she slept most of the way home.

We walked back to the car and though Penny loves car rides and looking out the window to see what is going during the drive, she was too tired to sit in her seat on the way home so she lay down and fell asleep.

Once upon a time there was a little not quite entirely black dog getting ready for a day trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake.  Her name is Penny.

Maia likes to explore the outdoors, but only when close to home; otherwise she is scared she might get lost.

Before going for a car ride Penny went to the yard with her foster sister Maia.

Penny likes to explore and so does Maia, but they do this in very different ways, because Maia is a cat and Penny is a dog.

When Penny was ready she got into the car with her foster parents, Nancy and Derek.

Maia stayed home being lazy in a sunbeam.

When they arrived at Niagara-on-the-Lake, everyone got out of the car and went for a walk.  Penny saw and sniffed many things along the way.

Nancy thought this small model car was the perfect size for pint-sized Penny to drive. If little black dogs could drive little toy cars that is.

Penny saw

a little red

car parked

on the road.

Penny liked the colourful moving parts of the whirligigs in the sun, but was not so keen on the sounds of the chimes.

She sniffed the

bright, colourful

whirligigs and

chimes while

Derek waited

in the sun with

no hat on.

Tsk tsk Derek!

Nancy was in a hurry because others wanted to take their photos in front of this monument too. This is what happens when you rush.

She saw and sniffed the Queen Street cenotaph that honours the people of Niagara-on-the-Lake who died in war serving Canada; and learned a cenotaph is a monument in memory of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere.

Nancy took this photograph and it turned out askew; so the cenotaph looks like it’s leaning in the picture.  Tsk tsk Nancy!

Nancy likes the bronze top hat above the Beau Chapeau hat shop entrance.

Next, the three of them walked along the Niagara-on-the-Lake strip window shopping.  Nancy tried to get Derek to buy a hat to protect his head from the sun, but he thought the Beau Chapeau hat shop looked too dressy for him.  Nancy really liked the Glasgow ivy cap in taupe for Derek.

Though Penny is still very much a puppy in her exuberance, she does wait patiently with a foster parent whenever it’s needed.

Before lunch Nancy decided to pop into a couple shops to see their wears, but nothing more struck her fancy so she didn’t buy anything.

Penny was very interested in the large yellow labrador retriever that arrived on the patio, but she was also very good & didn’t bark or pull so Nancy & Derek were able to enjoy their lunch.

Derek, Nancy and Penny found a nice, pet friendly patio in the shade to have lunch at The Epicurean.  Moments after sitting down, while Nancy and Penny waited for Derek to return with mushroom and leek quiche and a side of gazpacho, Penny investigated the patio area around our table and lay down to relax.

Shortly after Derek returned, Penny stood up to watch a large yellow Labrador Retriever dog arrive on the patio.  Though she was curious to meet him, she behaved very well and allowed Nancy and Derek to enjoy their lunch without a fuss.

Penny standing up with Derek’s help to show off how big she is (though she is actually little).

Once Nancy and Derek were done eating, Penny was offered a snack.  She ate it and was also rewarded for her good behaviour with a little extra attention from Derek before we moved on.

Penny & Derek by Cow’s ice cream shop. Nancy wanted a photo of the big dairy cow statue.

After lunch Nancy wanted dessert.  Derek suggested ice cream and off they went looking for an ice cream shop.  There were a couple places on the main strip, even one for gelato.

In the end Nancy and Derek shared one large scoop of Cow’s mint chocolate ice cream; Penny had none.  Poor Penny, dogs shoudn’t eat ice cream.

Tummies content, the three of them walked on towards the sound of music, which led them to the park where a band was playing fife and drums.  Penny had never heard such sounds before and didn’t quite know what to make of it.

Go to Penny’s Adventures: Niagara-on-the-Lake – Part Two

Once upon a time there was a little not quite entirely black dog in a big colourful land with many people and other creatures.

She started life in a small town with a family who left her at the local pound.  Abandoned at about one year old, she was rescued by Barlee’s Angels Rescue Network and placed in foster care.  Her name is Penny, and while she waits for her forever family to find her and take her home, she is working hard to be the best Penny she can be.  Her foster family is doing their best to teach her what it means to be a good member of the household as well as expose her to as many situations as she can participate in so she can learn how to be safe and listen to her people in different environments.

As Penny grows up her foster family take photos and videos of her adventures along the way.  Though Penny is a real dog in need of a good home, the materials we’ve collected from her experiences are being used as part of a series of fictional stories for children on this web site… and so “Penny’s Adventures” is born.

Penny: Named for her bright brown eyes, despite being mostly black, has brown eyeliner + a tiny white patch in the centre of her chest.