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Dog Days at the Park
By Melissa Miller of LissMiller Enterprises
Dog Days at the Park Since my kids are grown-ups, the most fun I have at the park is when I take my Border Collie, Rocky, to Lakeview Park in Sarasota, Fl. My younger son Steven’s Hungarian Vizsla Finn, often comes along to play, also. Lakeview is a bit off the beaten path, so it’s not too crowded even at popular times like Saturday morning. Yet there are enough dogs to make it fun for the animals, and enough owners to make it fun for the people! Some of the basic rules about dog parks are:
• all dogs must come and leave leashed, but are free
to run within the park gates
• pay attention to your dog – he’s having fun but
still must be supervised
• clean up after your dog
• no aggressive dogs allowed
• picnic table legs are not bathrooms
• byob (bring your own balls) or other toys to play
with
• only bring toys you’re willing to share, and maybe
lose
• only bring owners who are friendly When everyone sticks to the basic rules, the dogs get good, safe exercise and socialization, and the owners get a time to relax and chat with other dog owners. We had to stop going to a different park, which was closer to home, because the rule “no aggressive dogs allowed” was not being followed. Don’t expose your dog or yourself to unnecessary danger – if someone is bringing an unruly or mean dog, get away. And stay away, at least for awhile. Some dog owners don’t understand that their dog is being nasty because they have allowed it, haven’t adequately trained the dog, or need help getting the dog socialized in ways that are safe for others. Lakeview is truly basic – no agility elements, for example – but what it has is great! Trees – in Florida having shade is wonderful! BIG mounds of wood chips for the dogs to climb on, run over, chase each other around! Picnic tables for relaxing after all the running and ball throwing. A walking path around the perimeter – convenient for marking off an exercise walk and for watching your dog “from all angles” as he plays with the others. Water from a spigot, so it can always be fresh; and a plastic pool for dogs to stand in to cool down. Everybody cooperates in keeping the park in order, so a bond develops between the owners as well as between the dogs. The pleasure of having a dog able to run free and still respond to “come;” to be around other dogs without fear; to relate to strangers in a friendly way – is boundless. And those strangers quickly become friends as we see each other over and over at the park! You can usually find a dog park near you, or in a town you’re traveling through, by searching the Internet for “dog parks” and the city you’re in. Try it – it’s lots of fun! |
Meet Rocky!
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Thank you for sharing. The info about aggressive dogs and their owners will prove valuable to anyone who reads this.
Great intel Liss I would love to take my dog to a dog park, But here in the UK we don't have any, my dog is a Rottweiler crossed with a Staffordshire Bull Terrier and he's a big softy
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This content may be copied and distributed (but not modified), as long as a) it's for non-commercial use and b) the original author is acknowledged with a link back to the content page.
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http://liss.qondio.com/
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