Hi, my name is Missi Hamilton and I am the founder of bark til dark dog park. 

I guess I’ve always had an unusual love of animals but my love of DOGS started back in 1979 (I was 12) when my mom, Fran, was working for the Census Bureau.  She stopped into the Belmont County Animal Shelter to ask for directions…and she spotted Greta.  Greta was your typical gray shaggy mutt that you could find in any shelter in the country on any given day.  Then they made eye contact and rest was history.  My mom brought this big furry beastie home to the family.  We all fell in love ~even our pure-bred poodle, Aggie loved Greta!  My little sister, Shayne, and I would stand in front of the local A&P food store with our darling mutt (who had a BB lodged in her head) and a coffee can to raise money for the shelter.  Wow, we must have looked pathetic!!  My dad, Jeff, was especially devastated when he had to take Greta to be put to sleep at age 11.  A pretty good long life for an adorable, goofy dog who was discovered at the shelter by accident!!

Then, I was dogless for a few years when I was busy living the OSU campus life.

In 1993, I adopted a beautiful Border collie lab mix, Jessie, from Capital Area Humane Society through Animal Fair.  Soon after, I received a CAHS newsletter that said they needed help with Santa pictures.  I went to the event not knowing what to expect.  I walked in to find other volunteers trying to get 8 golden retrievers wearing Santa hats to sit still for a picture.  And they accomplished the impossible –the picture was perfect!  I knew this was where I belonged.  I spoke with a long time volunteer who assured me that “I didn’t have to do anything I didn’t want to do” as a volunteer.  I signed up on the spot!  I went on to be the grooming coordinator for 5 years at Capital Area Humane Society.  I also fostered animals, helped with dispatching Humane Officers, worked as a MatchMaker on the adoption floor, trained new volunteers, helped organize orientations, and participated in more fundraisers that I can count, including Bingo and the Petelethon.  I am proud to say that I was awarded the CAHS Good People Award in 1998. 

My long-legged mixed breed beauty Maggie came along in 1994 to keep Jessie company.  Then in 1998, I spotted a white fluffy sweetheart named “Powder” who was scheduled to be euthanized due to her poor condition.  My advice to any shelter volunteer ~never make eye contact with a dog on the euth list!  I called my wonderful (then) boyfriend, Keith and asked him if he would mind if I brought her home as a foster dog (it was Superbowl Sunday so he was in a good mood!).  Well, as anyone who has ever fostered an animal, you know that you always keep at least one, soooo….Powder is now known as Snappy (Ginger Snap) and was a wonderful addition to our family.  She is a cancer survivor, having gone through many radiation treatments at Med Vet last year. 

Our growing family of 6 (me, Keith, Maggie, Jessie, Snappy and The Mystery Cat) moved out of our tiny duplex in Dublin to the north end of Columbus (we have since added two more kitties, Abby and Blaze, to the madness!).  I started volunteering at Citizens for Humane Action animal shelter in Westerville.  Going from Capital Area, a beautiful million dollar building which houses hundreds of animals to CHA, a falling down old farm house (I’m not kidding!) which houses fewer than 100 animals was quite a culture shock!  But with great teachers like Yvonne Rose and the late (and much missed) Mary Poliseno, I learned the art of “doing adoptions” at the shelter.  We have since moved into a beautiful new shelter in Westerville.  I’ll continue my volunteer work at CHA ~ I couldn’t imagine life without volunteering!!

My story is like anyone else’s who loves animals.  My furniture is covered with hair, my windows have dog nose tracks, my car has paw prints all over it, and there is always cat litter on the floor.  Abby the cat sleeps between me and my husband (he’s a saint, by the way), and Snappy snores like a lumberjack on a mission.  Once, a lady in line at Petsmart looked at my cart full of 40 pound bags of dog and cat food, litter, treats, bird seed and squirrel food, handed me a coupon and said “Here, honey, you need this more than I do.”  I wouldn’t have it any other way!

Ellie, A.K.A. The Cow Dog, was a totally unexpected addtion to our family in 2006.  I took this quiet, shy, black and white Canaan Dog to an adoption event and she stayed at our house for a few days.  She fit in with the old dogs and the cats like she had lived with us her whole life!  I asked my husband (did I mention he's a SAINT??) what he thought about getting a 4th dog.  You can just imagine the look he gave me!  In 12 years of volunteering, I've never "connected" with a dog like I did with Ellie.  I think she reminds me of when my old dogs were young.  Her real name is Eliana Isabelle (Ellie Belly for short!).  She is quite the athlete..even if she does look like a holstein cow. 

Then there's Marty.  He is a big dopey yellow lab rescue who came to stay with us for "just a few days" in 2007.  I would find Marty and Keith taking a nap in the bed together, both heads on the pillow.  Marty is quite the handsome boy and really knows how to work you over with those big sad, lab eyes!  He just kind of "slid in" to our home and our hearts and is truly a daddy's boy! 

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IN MEMORY OF MAGGIE "MOO" HAMILTON, 1993-2008

With incredible sadness, we had to send Maggie to join her sisters at the Rainbow Bridge. Maggie was the first dog I actually "rescued". She was starting to go cage crazy at CAHS back in 1994 and I decided to adopt her to keep Jessie company. I knew I was in for a wild ride when I was filling out her adoption paperwork and she was pulling and tugging on leash and barking like crazy in the adoption office. Moo was bad from day one and that's what made her so much fun. You could sit in a room with her sleeping at your feet for 3 hours and the minute you walked out the door she would dig something out of the trash, like she was watching with one eye open waiting for you to leave. She was sassy, sensitive, bossy, smart, and had the most expressive face I've ever seen on a dog. We spent an hour of her last day on earth in the field at the dog park. She fell asleep on my leg and I could see that she was ready for eternal peace. I hugged her frail frame and she just seemed to melt into my arms. I still miss hugging her and kissing her nose. And like every bad dog, she would look away like she didn't like it...but I knew she did, but was just too ornery to admit it! I miss Moo's butterfly kisses, silly face, and how she barked at all the young dogs at the park when she thought they were playing too rough. We would all laugh and say she looked like an old lady on her porch waving a broom saying "It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye!" Now Moo can boss all the dogs around at the Rainbow Bridge. Sweet dreams Maggie...

IN MEMORY OF GINGER "SNAPPY" HAMILTON, 1996-2007

Snappy left this earth on January 22 to wait for Keith and me at the Rainbow Bridge.  She was diagnosed the week before with lymphoma which had spread to her lungs, spleen and liver.  She spent the last weekend of her life eating sausage, eggs, steak, potatoes and whatever else she wanted. 

Snappy was the greeter at the dog park and loved everyone!  She never knew a stranger and was a genuinely happy dog. She cheated death twice in her 11 years…once when we rescued her from a euthanasia list at a local shelter and again 4 years ago when she survived 19 radiation treatments for a tumor on her nose.   She was a joy to us for 8 years and we loved her so much.

It’s a strange thing to decide to put your dog to sleep, even though you know it’s the right thing to do.  We WOULD NOT let her suffer even a little bit just to keep her around a little longer.  Once that needle goes in, there are no do-overs, no takebacks, no undo button.  You just have to look at her there sleeping peacefully, knowing you did the right thing, no matter how much it hurts.  Coming home without her was like being in a daze.  The house seemed so empty even with 6 other animals milling around.  Dinner time is still painful without Snappy dancing around my feet.  Every meal was a party for Snappy!  She acted like her half cup of diet food was a dinner fit for a queen. 

Her ashes sit on the mantle next to a photo of her licking her chops (probably after sneaking a treat from her Daddy!).  She will always be in our hearts and we will never forget our “Little”.   Sweet dreams Snappy…

IN MEMORY OF JESSIE HAMILTON, 1993-2008

I lost a piece of my heart last Friday when my beloved Jessie passed away sweetly and quietly.  This beautiful dog changed my life forever.  It was Jessie who made me realize that there is more to life than going to work and hanging out on the weekends.  I started my volunteer life after I adopted her.  She went to many volunteer events with me and waited patiently at home while I volunteered hundreds of hours at the shelter.  She loved being at the dog park and was considered the “matriarch”.  Up until about 2 months ago, Jessie followed me at home from room to room, eyes always on me to make sure I was ok.  It feels like I’ve lost an appendage because she was at my side continuously for 14 years.  Now when I look down and she’s not there, it feels like a part of me is missing.  I miss her dearly and will never forget her because she changed me forever.  I know she’s running and playing with Snappy right now in that big dog park in the sky!  My sweet girl is now back to how she was as a young dog… with bright eyes, strong legs, and ears that are able to hear me from Earth telling her how much I love and miss her.   Sweet dreams Jessie Dog!