Introducing Rooney, an almost three year old brown and white Portuguese Water Dog. Rooney’s Mad. Friend mom gave us the low down on this playful canine:

How did Rooney get his name?
There were 11 puppies in Rooney’s litter, and in order to tell them apart when they were small, each wore a different color collar. Rooney’s collar was maroon, hence the name Rooney! Also, Rooney’s dad is a Steelers fan and the Rooney family owns that team.

How often does Rooney come to the Park, and what does he like to do there?
Rooney comes to the Park about four times a day, every day, all year round (and has been doing so since he was 3 months old) – he loves it!  His favorite mornings in the Park are those when there is fresh snow on the ground to play in. He loves Shake Shack – the Pooch-ini is his treat of choice. On his birthday, we treat Rooney to pieces of a Shack Burger…..and then he tries to pull us to Shake Shack every time we walk by for the rest of the year.

Rooney loves to swim – when the reflecting pool at the north end of the Park is filled with water, we have to work hard to keep him out of it! He also enjoys concerts in the Park – we attended the harpist this year and he sat there intently listening. He is always sniffing the new plants, flowers and even some art installations. Rooney loves the attention he gets from nice people in the Park!

Does Rooney have any particular dog buddies or places to play in the Dog Run?
Rooney loves to play in the Dog Run with all of his friends, but in particular Thisbe the Shiba, Vesper, Louie the Puggle, and Mochi the Huskie. He loves to stand on top of the wooden benches around the trees and survey all the dogs in the Park.