The Dog Park

As I mentioned in my last post, I have a beagle named Bayley. Bayley loves to play. Bayley also loves to track, sniff, and run. Sometimes, Bayley catches a scent when we open our front door and we have to chase her through the neighborhood. In fact, in our first month with Bayley, we did this no less than 4 times. One thing we have learned over the past 10 months with our sweet girl is that if we take her to the dog park once or twice a week, she does a great deal of tracking there and comes home relaxed and content, so we have made it a habit to visit the dog park at least weekly.

Now, for those of you who do not own dogs, let me explain the wonders of the dog park. The dog park is a magical place where dog owners can take their dogs to socialize with other dogs that are similar in size to their pup. The park is a large, fenced in area where owners can let dogs run and play off leash. The particular dog park which I frequent has 3 different fenced in areas: the large dog park, the medium/ small dog park, and the aggressive/ fearful dog park (for those dogs that need time to acclimate to other dogs before being placed with said dogs). The dog park I visit also has an area in the back of the park that is not fenced in. It is full of hiking trails as well as a pond for dogs to hike and swim. Imagine a child in Chuck E. Cheese's and you can picture the thrill that most dogs receive from going to the dog park. Now, the dog park also has rules. These rules include that you must have your dog off leash when inside the fence, you must pick up after your dog, and you may not bring food of any kind into the dog park. To me, all of these rules make logical sense. Throughout my many visits to the dog park, I have determined, however, that I am in the minority in assuming that these things are logical. This brings me to my next (and primary) topic of conversation: the people who visit the dog park.

There are many types of dog owners that visit the dog park with their dogs.
1) The Naive: This person brings his/ her dog to the dog park for a picnic. They come waltzing in with their dog(s) and let their animals loose while they eat the lunch they brought. When the other dogs in the park run over in hopes of obtaining some of the sweet morsels of human food, these humans giggle and laugh. Silly dogs, wanting our food! Naive.
2) The Expert: This person will come in with his or her dogs and immediately begin observing everyone else's animals saying things like, "Oh, your dog is shy. She really needs to get over that. How old is she? Oh, just two. Well, it takes time. She'll be fine in time." Or, "You know, [insert dog breed] are just like that. They love to chew (or growl, or jump...)". This person thinks she knows everything about every dog in the park, despite not having any experience with the vast majority of these dogs. The ironic thing is that these owners usually have some of the worst dogs in the park!
3) The Excuser: This person refuses to accept responsibility for his/her dog or the dog's behavior. When his dog growls at your dog, these people will say, "oh, my dog really doesn't mean any harm." When her dog attacks your dog, this owner will laugh. When his dog pees on you, this owner will say, "Oh my, he's never done that before." When his dog knocks you over, he will say, "Oops. He's just playing." Lastly, when her dog comes in from the pond, runs between your legs, refuses to move, and then steals your water and runs around the park with it, this owner will say, "Yeah, he just loves to do that stuff." In case you were curious, I have never had any of the above happen to me...
4) The Child: While this person is not an actual child, this individual acts like a child. This is the person who sits on the ground and allows your dog to jump on them, lick them, and generally do everything you have taught your dog not to do. When you try to correct your dog against the misbehavior, this person will pet your dog while saying in baby speak, "It's okaaay. Hewo wittle won. Oh, so cuuuttteee!" This is also the person who might call your dog over to continue the misbehavior, "Baywee, come here Baywee...." Ridiculous.
5) The Irresponsible: This person thinks that coming to the dog park is a chance to zone out on the responsibilities of being a dog owner. He or she talks on the phone, texts, chats with friends, and sometimes straight up leaves for a bit. He/ She does not correct his/ her dogs, pick up after his/ her dogs, leash his/ her dogs outside of the fence, or notice his/ her dogs. I don't know why people think they don't need to pay attention to their dogs at the dog park. It's not like you would bring your child to Chuck E. Cheese and then zone out and let them do whatever they want... oh wait...
6) The Responsible Dog Owner: By far the smallest category of human in the dog park, these individuals are welcome sights to see. These are the people who engage their dogs at the park, correct their dogs when their dog either begins to become aggressive or fearful, protects their dog from other aggressive or fearful dogs, picks up after their dog, and generally keeps their dog under control. 

One of my favorite activities to do with Bayley is visit the dog park. I love the dog park. I love the way that Bayley can release so much of her dog energy at the dog park and come home content and peaceful. I love seeing the other dogs romp and play. I love seeing responsible owners play with their dogs. I sure could do without most of the humans at the dog park. Being a natural introvert, I guess that fits with the rest of my life, though.