The Wandering Oddball Presents: The Wandering 5 Pound Pooch

To help out with Dog Month, I thought I would get a dog’s input on some weird locations. I turned to the most reliable consultant: my dog Roxie. Roxie is a tiny Toy Fox Terrier with a curiosity as big as her stomach. This five-pound squirt will show us some interesting places around Northeast Ohio. 

Tim Willis Junkyard Playground

Roxie and I decided to wander into the Fairfax neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio. Through the fence, she spotted a sizable metallic dog with its owner. Well, the dog and its owner were not the only ones in the yard, but to her amazement, there were monster trucks and a dragon! The artist who made them is Tim Willis. He would collect car scraps and monster trucks and transform them into urban marvels. Tim also has an Instagram and TikTok account. Links will be below.

Instagram: @_timwillis

TikTok: www.tiktok.com/discover/Tim-Willis?lang=en

Charlie Dog House Diner

Feeling hungry, Roxie went to a quaint little diner called Charlie's Dog House Diner. The restaurant opened in 1952 and has stayed open since. They serve delicious hotdogs and burgers! It opened many chains then, and hotdog stands were often themed around this. While she was more interested in the food, I was more interested in the place's exterior, as it was shaped like a house with two dogs painted on it. 

Mount Vernon Dog Fountain

Feeling fueled, Roxie was ready for a long walk. About an hour and a half away from Cleveland, there is a cute outdoor fountain. The fountain was installed in 2019, and 18 aluminum dogs circled it. This was a restoration effort to restore the historic downtown district and maintain a family-friendly environment. Aside from Roxie’s canine friends, the fountain also had a cat, a pony, and birds. 

After a long day, Roxie and I returned home tired. She went to sleep and dreamed of the ventures she had just gone on. Roxie hopes someday to find more weird dog-related oddities to tell.