Dog Park Observations

So I've been to the same dog park both days this weekend and I've made some interesting observations about dogs, but most importantly... the dog owners.

If you've ever been to a dog park, then you know what I'm talking about. I started taking Suki to the Starr Farm Dog Park when she was about 12 weeks old. (This gives me a good rason to post up on of Suki's baby pics... this was before her ears started sticking up fruit bat style)

Anyhoo- I started taking her there when she was little for the sole purpose of making sure I wasn't one of "those" dog owners whose dog was socially inept with its own kind. We had a good start- a few run ins with bigger dogs who were slightly bullyish.. but I sucked it up and looked the other way. After all, I wasn't keen on the idea of having a wussy dog either. We spent alot of time at Starr Farm and met alot of interesting people. As a newbie dog owner (and no it doesn't count when your family had a dog. Let's face it people- more than likely your mother is the one who raised the family dog. You just played with it.) I became familiar with carrying little plastic bags for poop retrieval and treats, for "training". I use quotes for a reason.. more discussion on that to follow.

The park was great for both of us- gave me a chance to get free dog advice and training and let Suki run and play until she was pooped. This is where I learned valuable bits of advice such as using a squirt bottle to stop unwanted beahvior (ours is lovingly termed "The Enforcer" and taught Suki how to play catch, which to this day is STILL her favorite thing to do. But I digress.

The best part of going to the dog park is people watching. Today we went to our local favorite park. It's located close to some busy roads and can be a little noisy, but we like it mostly because it's got more low maintenance dog owners. We have tried going to Chimney Rock Park several times since we've been here, but it tends to have too many freaky dog owners. Here are some "grave generalizations" (Vin's favorite term lately)

1. Men typically are the ones who get the most upset when their dogs get humped by other dogs. Of course when their dog is the one doing the humping, they are oblivlous. But once someone else's dog gets going on their dog-- hold the phone. The best is when it's a male dog humping another male dog.

2. People who bring their 3 year old to a dog park which is filled with dogs you don't know really shouldn't complain when their kid, who isn't supposed to be there in the first place, gets knocked over or just scared because they get barked at.

3. Also on the 'kids at the dog park' topic. Watch your kid while you are there- it's pretty gross to let your little kid run around barefoot- or better yet- roll around - on the ground at a park where it's a concentrated dumping ground. Pun intended.

4. Little old ladies who can't manage to stand or run after their dog probably shouldn't own an 80 lb dog.

5. There are a lot of weird old ladies with little dogs in Portland.

6. Why bring your dog to the dog park when you are going to keep it on a leash?


This is just a starter list. I'll be adding on to it as time progresses... In the meantime, I'm in a bubs sandwhich and my battery is about to die. More on this topic later.