Although it’s been officially spring for some time now, the weather has been playing its usual “let’s make his life a misery” prank by being beautiful, sunny and warm while I’m in the office, then turning cold and wet on the weekends. The weather Gods must have let their timing slip slightly this week however, because the weekend was both sunny and warm. Not only that, I wasn’t working, or out of town, or trapped doing household chores; this was too good to be true. So, I decided to treat the dogs with a visit to the dog park in Evergreen.
In case you’re unfamiliar with the concept, dog parks are becoming popular in locations where leash laws make it challenging to provide the exercise and socialization a dog needs. Many cities are setting aside areas, often as part of existing parks, where dog owners can let their furry friends blow off steam without having to worry about them chasing wildlife, running into traffic or falling foul of the dog catchers. Each one has its rules of course. There are usually limits on the number of dogs you can bring, the animals are expected to behave within acceptable social norms and of course, you’re supposed to pick up after your pup.
Our dogs can’t run free at home because we don’t have a fenced yard. Even if we did, our youngest, Sasha was given to the Humane Society after repeatedly leaping a six foot fence. She’s a husky mix with bags of energy so it’s a challenge providing her with enough exercise which means dog parks are ideal for her. Not only can she run until she drops, but she also gets to interact with other dogs; a feature I suspect was missing in her life before we adopted her. Wiley is our 10 year old, a little gray around the muzzle but in pretty good shape and she can still do a reasonable job of keeping up with the youngsters, even if she tires quicker than she once did. Cleo, our geriatric considers a slow stroll to the mailbox to be strenuous exercise these days, so she got to stay home and guard the armchair.
Our closest park is in Evergreen, a good 45 minutes in the car. Not really a problem as it’s a very pleasant drive, even with two over excited canines breathing hot fetid breath into your face. The books tell us not to allow dogs to lean out of the window due to the danger from airborne missiles such as bugs and the like, but under the circumstances, I'm happy to ignore this rule. The side windows were both open and my mirrors showed two happy dog faces grinning back at me.
Evergreen’s dog park is located not too far from the highway on a couple of acres of sloping ground. The slope has its advantages if your goal is the tiring out of a young husky in that by the time she’s raced up and down it a couple of hundred times, even Sasha starts to blow a little hard. Unfortunately, there have been times when I’ve cursed it. Usually when one or both of the dogs choose to take a dump somewhere near the bottom of the hill and I have to traipse all the way down in order to clean it up, then all the way back up to drop it in the trash. It’s amazing how much a dog can shift when they know it’s inconvenient for the poop patrol.
Many dogs like to chase sticks, tennis balls and Frisbees so there are usually a few gnarly looking ones lying around. Although our two Aussies used to love chasing tennis balls in their younger days, none of our dogs have ever shown any interest in sticks. It appears they like their prey to be moving and once a stick has landed, it’s of no more use to them. Fortunately, they do seem to enjoy chasing each other and this game alone can keep them occupied for longer than their muscles can last. It tires me out just watching them.
Since our last visit to the dog park I see they’ve made a fairly major structural change. One of which I heartily approve although Sasha was less enthusiastic. At the very bottom of the hill, there runs a small creek and it used to be just inside the fenced enclosure. Sasha, like many of the dogs used to enjoy wallowing in it, no matter the weather. Now this was all well and good, and I never wanted to spoil her fun, but there’s something particularly unpleasant about sharing a car with a wet, muddy dog. Not that my car is immaculately clean or anything, but there’s a certain pungency to the aroma of a sopping pooch that just takes some of the edge off driving, even amongst Colorado’s spectacular scenery.
So I was pleased to see that the lower boundary of the park has been reconfigured to place the creek outside the fence. You could literally see the wheels turning in her mind as she tried to figure out a way under, through, or around this obstacle. The mesh was too close for her to squeeze through, the builders had cleverly created an L shaped flap at ground level, making it impossible for her to squeeze under the wire and the posts were all sturdily set into their bases, so pushing the fence over wasn’t an option. After watching her for a few minutes, I suddenly realized it was only a matter of time before she figured out the obvious. Remember I said she’d been given up for adoption after repeatedly leaping a six foot fence? The one at the dog park is four feet max. Time to go home.
Back to the car we went and while the pair of them still dragged me up the path, by the time we were locked and loaded, fatigue was beginning to take effect. The drive home was much calmer without them bouncing around like Mexican jumping beans on acid and by the time we arrived home, they were both ready for a close inspection of the carpet. They say a tired dog is a well behaved dog, and true enough, that was one of the most peaceful evenings we’ve had in a long while.
Now, if only I could figure out a way to take them to the dog park every day.
In case you’re unfamiliar with the concept, dog parks are becoming popular in locations where leash laws make it challenging to provide the exercise and socialization a dog needs. Many cities are setting aside areas, often as part of existing parks, where dog owners can let their furry friends blow off steam without having to worry about them chasing wildlife, running into traffic or falling foul of the dog catchers. Each one has its rules of course. There are usually limits on the number of dogs you can bring, the animals are expected to behave within acceptable social norms and of course, you’re supposed to pick up after your pup.
Our dogs can’t run free at home because we don’t have a fenced yard. Even if we did, our youngest, Sasha was given to the Humane Society after repeatedly leaping a six foot fence. She’s a husky mix with bags of energy so it’s a challenge providing her with enough exercise which means dog parks are ideal for her. Not only can she run until she drops, but she also gets to interact with other dogs; a feature I suspect was missing in her life before we adopted her. Wiley is our 10 year old, a little gray around the muzzle but in pretty good shape and she can still do a reasonable job of keeping up with the youngsters, even if she tires quicker than she once did. Cleo, our geriatric considers a slow stroll to the mailbox to be strenuous exercise these days, so she got to stay home and guard the armchair.
Our closest park is in Evergreen, a good 45 minutes in the car. Not really a problem as it’s a very pleasant drive, even with two over excited canines breathing hot fetid breath into your face. The books tell us not to allow dogs to lean out of the window due to the danger from airborne missiles such as bugs and the like, but under the circumstances, I'm happy to ignore this rule. The side windows were both open and my mirrors showed two happy dog faces grinning back at me.
Evergreen’s dog park is located not too far from the highway on a couple of acres of sloping ground. The slope has its advantages if your goal is the tiring out of a young husky in that by the time she’s raced up and down it a couple of hundred times, even Sasha starts to blow a little hard. Unfortunately, there have been times when I’ve cursed it. Usually when one or both of the dogs choose to take a dump somewhere near the bottom of the hill and I have to traipse all the way down in order to clean it up, then all the way back up to drop it in the trash. It’s amazing how much a dog can shift when they know it’s inconvenient for the poop patrol.
Many dogs like to chase sticks, tennis balls and Frisbees so there are usually a few gnarly looking ones lying around. Although our two Aussies used to love chasing tennis balls in their younger days, none of our dogs have ever shown any interest in sticks. It appears they like their prey to be moving and once a stick has landed, it’s of no more use to them. Fortunately, they do seem to enjoy chasing each other and this game alone can keep them occupied for longer than their muscles can last. It tires me out just watching them.
Since our last visit to the dog park I see they’ve made a fairly major structural change. One of which I heartily approve although Sasha was less enthusiastic. At the very bottom of the hill, there runs a small creek and it used to be just inside the fenced enclosure. Sasha, like many of the dogs used to enjoy wallowing in it, no matter the weather. Now this was all well and good, and I never wanted to spoil her fun, but there’s something particularly unpleasant about sharing a car with a wet, muddy dog. Not that my car is immaculately clean or anything, but there’s a certain pungency to the aroma of a sopping pooch that just takes some of the edge off driving, even amongst Colorado’s spectacular scenery.
So I was pleased to see that the lower boundary of the park has been reconfigured to place the creek outside the fence. You could literally see the wheels turning in her mind as she tried to figure out a way under, through, or around this obstacle. The mesh was too close for her to squeeze through, the builders had cleverly created an L shaped flap at ground level, making it impossible for her to squeeze under the wire and the posts were all sturdily set into their bases, so pushing the fence over wasn’t an option. After watching her for a few minutes, I suddenly realized it was only a matter of time before she figured out the obvious. Remember I said she’d been given up for adoption after repeatedly leaping a six foot fence? The one at the dog park is four feet max. Time to go home.
Back to the car we went and while the pair of them still dragged me up the path, by the time we were locked and loaded, fatigue was beginning to take effect. The drive home was much calmer without them bouncing around like Mexican jumping beans on acid and by the time we arrived home, they were both ready for a close inspection of the carpet. They say a tired dog is a well behaved dog, and true enough, that was one of the most peaceful evenings we’ve had in a long while.
Now, if only I could figure out a way to take them to the dog park every day.
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