Walks with Rudy: a photo essay

When COVID hit in 2020, I had to look for a new place to walk my dog Rudy.
One of our regular walks had been at the Ohio Veterans Home, but with COVID, the grounds were closed to pedestrians.

I found that Oakland Cemetery was perfect for our walks.

I had taken photos on our walks, but almost always with my phone. 

One day while walking at Oakland, I saw a red fox. He was too far away to get a pic with my phone, so I thought I would start to carry a camera and telephoto lens to try and get a picture of the fox.

That started what became an almost daily nature walk with Rudy and getting photos of wildlife; mostly birds, and what would become “Walks with Rudy.” 

Sometimes we see some amazing things and sometimes we don’t, but it’s always a great walk and exciting when we see something new. We’re blessed to be living in such a great area for bird watching.

An extra benefit: After carrying a camera for 3 years, this summer I finally got a pic of a red fox at Oakland. 

Tim Fleck is a retired news photographer and high school teacher. Rudy is a shepherd-mix rescue dog from the Erie County Humane Society. He adopted the Flecks at the beginning of summer 2019.