The Morphing of the Last Assignment

My original idea was:


1. Go to a neighborhood.
2. Have a resident describe one of their favorite walks through the neighborhood, including their favorite spots along the way.
3. Ask them to draw out the walk in map or list form.
4. Take at least one other person on the walk (not the person who described the walk to you). See if you can follow the directions or find some of the favorite spots along the walk.
5. Take a picture or do a drawing and send it to the resident who told you about the walk.

I went to the Richmond neighborhood and asked three people where their usual walks were. I had a map of the neighborhood, but no one had a specific route. They had general directions to walk in.


The class had suggested that maybe I should be more specific about my request, so I decided to go to a local dog park to find out what the usual walks were for dogs and owners using the park. When I got to the park, I was greeted with suspicion because I was carrying a clipboard and asking questions.


So I decided to change my approach, ditched the clipboard, and talked to dog owners on the street. Also, I asked a local pet supply store ahead of time if they would consider posting pictures of the dogs. They said they would consider it.


Here are the dogs that I met:


Here is Bebo at the dog park. Bebo is not from the surrounding neighborhood, and usually goes to the Mt. Tabor dog park:

I next met Lady Isis, who's owner is a dog trainer! Lady Isis is also not from the neighborhood - she was on a trip to visit one of her owner's friends:

I then met Phoebe, who is only 5 months old and very rambunctious:

Next were Angel and Sam hanging out together. Neither of them visit the Richmond dog park (even though we were only a block away from it):

Sam:

Angel:

I went back to the dog park and met up with Lily and Diane who were playing together. They both live in the neighborhood:


Lily:


Diane:


Lastly, I met Baxter, who was headed to the bus stop after shopping as For Paws, a local pet supply store. Baxter lives in the Lloyd Center area:

Everyone I approached allowed me to take a picture of their dog, and to ask a few questions. I had told everyone to check the pet supply store later to see if the pictures were posted, but I was afraid I sounded like I was trying to drum up business for the pet supply store! I still have to check with the store to see if they will post the pictures.

So the assignment morphed into:

1. Go to a neighborhood.

2. Find people who are with their dogs on the street or in a dog park.

3. Ask if you can take the dog's picture, and ask them a few questions.

4. Print out the pictures and write the dogs' names on them.

5. Find a place to post the pictures somewhere in the neighborhood (maybe a pet supply store), and let the owners know where the pictures are.