A Trip to the Dog Park
There is a neighborhood near my house where just about every household has at least one dog. Many households even have two and three dogs. As a result, not only is the neighborhood very noisy, but it is also very dog friendly.
Most of my neighbors are getting on in age. The dogs around here seem to fall into two categories – lap dogs or barely old enough to climb up and down their front steps. I know my dog is rather lonely and bored.
Awhile ago, as I was walking my dog through the next neighborhood, I started thinking, “wouldn’t it be nice if I could introduce my dog to some of these dogs?” I turned a corner and right before me was this brand new dog park roped off in the middle of a popular park.
On the inside of the fence surrounding this dog park, there were about a dozen dogs running free from their dog leashes with one another. The dogs were jumping and playing and having a good old time.
I took my dog to the gate and he just couldn’t contain his excitement. As soon as I let him run free inside the gate, he ran straight for the center of attention. I huddled around the fence with the other doggy parents as we watched our pups play with their dog toys.
I started making friends with the other “regular” dog owners after about a week of taking my dog to the dog park. Friendships were struck, and we started planning “people activities”, like coffee and shopping, where we could include our dog pals..
Now, several months later, we all gather together in the park to take our dogs for walks with us to the local coffee shop. We take outings with the dogs, like to the river, and spend time with other dogs in the park. Dog walking in my neighborhood has truly helped me form a network of close friends that I feel comfortable spending a solid 1-2 hours with several times a week.
When I go dog walking without the other dogs, I can tell my dog wonders where they are and looks for them. Whenever I take him off the leash he always runs as quick as he can to the doggy park! We are lucky to have so many dog friends and like-minded families living near us.