The Dog Park Rules!

I love the dog park!

Going to the dog park is the closest thing that I have come to being a kid again.  You simply roll out of bed, don’t worry about dressing well, and go out to play.  You are not judged on your appearance, your occupation or social status.  You are judged on your dog’s ability to get along with another dog.  It is a true melting pot.  Your dog will pick your friends.  If your dog likes another dog, you will get to know the owners of the dog. You will find yourself setting up “play dates” for your dog.  I’ve made great friends with people that I would not have otherwise met without the dog park. 

Although the dog park is great in most respects, they can also be dangerous for both the dogs and the people.  Most parks post rules that are to be followed, but there are also other common sense rules that are not written on a sign.

Any dog park involves elements of danger that must be considered.  Every dog is not a dog park dog, nor should every owner take their dog to the dog park.

I hope to share both the fun, some practical suggestions to improve your dog park experience, as well as  safety tips to help you enjoy dog park time with your dog.  I will also share dog park videos.  You can never go wrong watching videos of dogs having fun.

who we are

I'm Susan, the owner of Luna, the undisputed queen of our local dog park, Lloyd Avenue Dog Park.  Luna is a Neapolitan Mastiff, a very big girl.  Luna loves the dog park, and for some reason, all the dog park dogs love Luna.  Little dogs and pups flock to her.  She is a great protector, and is known to act as a "mediator" in all dog disputes.  She uses her size to separate dogs, and has even been known to remove a dog from a fight by grabbing it's tail and pulling it out backwards.  She also loves people, and any trip to the dog park is not complete unless Luna greets everyone, politely asking for a butt rub.

I'm lucky to have such an easy going dog park dog.  

When I'm not at the dog park, I'm an attorney, who enjoys being outside, playing with Luna,  riding my horse,  watching birds,  or just enjoying nature.  Before I was an attorney, I was a therapist in the Recreational Therapy Department at a State Psychiatric Hospital.  I have a B.S. and an M.Ed. in Therapeutic Recreation, Program Supervision.  Although I left the field of Therapeutic Recreation, I still believe that fun activities and social interaction are important to living a good life.

I do love the dog park, because it is the closest that I have come, as an adult, to experiencing the pure childhood joy of  just going outside to play in an unstructured way.  I get out of bed, don't worry about how I look, throw on old clothes, gather up the dog and go play.  I just go to the dog park, see who is there, and just have fun!  I have met many very nice people, that I would have never otherwise met.  It doesn't matter what they do for a living, how much money they make, whether they agree politically, or where they are from.  All that matters is that the dogs get along.