Yorkie Afraid of Local Dog Park

Dear Ollie,

 

Well, I finally made it to a dog park last week. While other dogs were running and jumping and chasing things in the park, I sat in the car with my nose pressed to the window. On the drive over to the park, my owners talked up the dog park as a place that I could exercise and they could spend a couple of hours with other people. Usually, people who go to dog parks are the very same people who like their dogs and they like other people who like their dogs too. Most regional dog parks are established, funded and cared for by dog owners. However, the one that I visited, Canine Country Club on Sturdy Road in Valparaiso, is owned and managed by Valparaiso residents Teri and Bob Gray. Bob is a teacher at Wheeler High School in Union Township and Teri works part time but with her degree in psychology, she is practicing what she knows in the dog park environment and admits that, “People are harder to deal with than dogs.” My owners bought a membership in the park and I was elated. Ollie, you must wonder how I know all these things. Well, I know what I know because I listen to everything that goes on in my house. That is how I learn.  The park is open from 7 a.m. to dark and Bob told my owners that it is a quality place for exercise and socialization. But so what? I didn’t get to exercise because I was in the car and never got out.  Well, maybe that is not entirely true. I was out once but I barked and scooted backwards and I wouldn’t stop barking or scooting no matter what my owner did.  Then, I was put back in the car for what seems like forever. 

Signed,

Twinkie, a very small Yorkshire terrier

 

Dear Twinkie,

In a perfect world, you still would not be perfect. If you were perfect, you would be so well mannered that you would play off leash and return to your owner at the first summons. It’s not a perfect world, and we already know that you are not perfect. So, we have fenced in dog parks and hope that the dogs attending are well mannered. Some dogs will never fit into a dog park environment like my brother Oscar because he barks at everything that moves. Or, my friend Rosie who hates dog parks because she finds the parks to be overwhelming and frightening. Dogs should already be well socialized before they are turned loose in a dog park, Terry said.

Writer Cheryl S. Smith wrote in a book titled, “Visiting the Dog Park,” that every dog owner should know their own dog.  Teri agrees. She has a special fenced in run on her 4.5 acres for very small dogs like you Twinkie, but many dog parks don’t encourage tiny dogs. The risks are many such as; being viewed as prey by a larger dog, being run over by large dogs playing or being tripped or kicked by dog owners who are not looking down at the grass. To enjoy the park experience both dogs and owners need to know the rules and follow them.



 

Remember, rescuing one pet can’t change the world…but the world will change for that one pet

 

All Dogs Swim. Some just look better doing it.

Dear Ollie,

I am a pitch black Skye terrier who has the good fortune to live with a family in a beautiful lake side home. Every summer Sunday, my owners attend church in the morning and in the afternoon we pile into the boat and take a ride on the lake. On one such Sunday, my eye caught the action of Cooper; our next door neighbor’s Golden Retriever as he leapt from the dock and swam effortlessly into the lake. Everyone adores Cooper for his generous loving nature. Personally, I don’t love Cooper. Now, I’ll tell you why.

This particular Sunday, there were children on the dock squealing with delight as they threw red and blue plastic Frisbees into the lake for Cooper to fetch. Cooper retrieved the treasured discs in this mouth, his head remained high above the water while his long legs cut and glided through the water.

I was transfixed. Then it happened. I jumped out of the boat while my owners were docking the boat. My head immediately disappeared from view. There were screams coming from the boat, “Duffy’s head is under water, oh my God, he’s going to die.”  Well, I didn’t die; I headed straight towards land, my short legs paddling as fast as they could. Needless to say, I did not look anything like Cooper. If sputtering in a fresh water lake weren’t embarrassing enough, I missed the land entirely and attached myself to the cross hatch fence underneath the dock. There I was, half under water and stuck on the fence like an ugly black barnacle. Members of my family swooped down to try and pull me off the fence. As they tried to pry me loose, there were desperate cries of, “Let’s call the fire department.” Well, the more they pulled, the harder I hung on. I looked ridiculous.  Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Cooper, head high, slicing through the water. I definitely did not want to cause a rescue scene starring Cooper or the fire department’s hook and ladder team so I let loose. I was immediately scooped up by my owner and wrapped in a blue towel. “Poor Duffy,” she said.

 

Ollie, what happened to me?

Duffy

 

Dear Duffy,

Dogs swim, cats swim and even squirrels can swim. You are a dog, so you are able to swim too. However, a Golden Retriever can swim a lot better. Because he is a perfectly designed swimming machine standing 24 inches at his tallest. His long legs and floppy protective ears make him an excellent swimmer and retriever. You are not designed to swim because of your short legs and long body. That shape and pointed ears make you an excellent rodent hunter. True, hunting rodents is not a very exciting or glamorous job, but someone has to do it. Duffy, all dogs are unique so learn to be happy with what you are and who you are and, in the future, stay out of the water.  

 

 

Remember, Rescuing one pet can’t change the world…but the world will change for that one pet