Beautiful Joe Park - A Beautiful Tribute to Dogs

When we were kids, we made several family trips to Big Head River in Meaford, Ontario.  Across the river there was a little park called Beautiful Joe.  At the time, I didn't know the story behind it, I only remembered it for having great swings and a really neat playground.

(Many, many, many) years later, I find that I am reacquainted with Meaford through volunteer work and on this last visit, I headed out to the river and Beautiful Joe Park.  The river was as beautiful as I remembered it, and what I discovered is that Beautiful Joe Park is an incredible tribute to not only a dog named Beautiful Joe (this is his final resting place), but to amazing dogs everywhere.

Beautiful Joe was a horribly abused dog who was rescued by a local Meaford family.  The park is next to the home of the family who at the time rescued and rehabilitated Joe.   An award-winning book was written about his story, and it is autobiographical (from Beautiful Joe's viewpoint):  
http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/saunders/joe/joe.html. 

I can't explain the feeling when you are in the park.  You can actually feel the amazing spirit of these great animals - it is impossible to describe.  Oddly enough, the park had absolutely no wildlife at the time I went, yet somehow it seemed full of life.  There is a great blog post here that tells the story much better than I could:  http://robandtheanimals.blogspot.com/2009/09/beautiful-joe-park-meaford-ontario.html

Here are a only a few of the plaques and statues that are placed throughout the park.  Beautiful Joe, below, welcomes visitors as they enter the park.

If you are ever in Meaford, Ontario, and are a dog lover, Beautiful Joe Park is a must-visit!