About Us

Adrian

Hi, I'm the guy behind this project. I've lived in Ottawa all my life, mostly in either the Glebe or in Old Ottawa South. I'm a programmer by trade, but these days, I mostly just do the occasional freelance project.

In 2019, as part of planning to get my first dog, I decided to move to the Island Park neighbourhood. I already lived in the Wellington West area, so this kept me close to all the shops I normally visited, while also putting me next to one of Ottawa's biggest dog parks.

I'm not much of a web designer, but I figured I'd throw this site together to let people know what's going on with the water supply at the park. I hope you've found it helpful.

Benzene

This here goofball is Benzene. He's my eventual reason for moving to this neighbourhood, and the reason I visit Hampton Park almost every day.

I got Benzene back in August 2024 from the SPCA de l'Outaouais in Gatineau. At 1 ½ years, he came from a seemingly well-meaning family who presumably just couldn't deal with his energy — or his tendency to chase their cat.

Being a rescue, I don't really know what breed he is. I assume he's mostly Australian Shepherd, maybe with some Bernese Mountain Dog in there. Maybe someday I'll do a genetic test and see what comes back.

Benzene is what I call "friendly to a fault". With humans, that usually means running up to them and demanding to be pet — although it can also include sitting on their feet, drooling on them, or jumping into their car uninvited. (The running joke is that if you call your own dog, Benzene will show up first.)

For dogs, that means inspecting every newcomer to the park and seeing if they want to play. And if they do start playing, he won't take "no" for an answer — his signature move is to bark whenever he's not getting enough play, which typically has the unfortunate effect of scaring dogs and stopping play, rather than continuing it.

I do my best to manage (and train) him, but he's got a lot of energy to burn off — both physical and social — and Hampton Park is a good place to do it.