The Dog Park holds a special place in the social life of dogs and their owners. For the four-legged it is a lively place to meet, greet, play tag, and have fun with other dogs. And for owners, the Dog Park has social rewards of its own. You may have an off-leash opportunity to let your dogs loose, at least in certain areas. There’s usually some nice scenery and friendly folks who’ll learn your name soon after they learn your dog’s name and history.

    In fact, friendly, non-judgmental folks predominate. I’ve found that the Dog Park has a special, comfortable, “Third Place” quality for those of us on the other end of the leash. There could be the occasional anti-social person, just as there may be a dog that doesn’t get along, but they seem to be the exception. You may have an off-leash opportunity to let your dogs loose, at least in certain areas. It’s an excellent chance for your dog to practice the social skills and signals that keep the peace. There’s usually some nice scenery and friendly dog owners who’ll learn your name soon after they learn your dog’s name and history.

    Some folks at the Dog Park even meet daily, hanging out at the picnic tables, and generally catching up with the other regulars. My brother-in-law found a lovely park for the dog he acquired at retirement. The Dog Park people have replaced the office chat. They even take turns bringing the donuts and morning people treats!

    You can enjoy the outdoors without so much as nodding to passersby, but I’ve found that Dog Park people have a genial familiarity that makes taking your best friend for an outing even more enjoyable.

It’s been said that dogs can teach us how to age gracefully. Their unfortunately short life spans compared to ours definitely provide this lesson. My three dogs are enjoying their advanced old age. Brilliantly. The Aussie is completely blind, yet still makes a supervisory visit to the dog park daily to make sure everything is going well. He seems to have the floor plan of our home mapped mentally, and as long as we don’t move any furniture, he navigates perfectly. Snapping fingers or tapping the food bowl direct him to his dinner, with lots of help from his undiminished sense of smell. The poodles still find life endlessly exciting, and approach every morning with the same delirious delight. They wake up alert, and usually grab the first squeaky toy nearby, and run around making as much noise as possible. The older Poodle sister is partially blind and getting a bit distracted. She has gradually let me know that walking hills has become a bit too much. Nothing disappointing for her, mind you, it’s just that she’d prefer to stroll around the yard at her own speed, enjoying the rifts of squirrels gone by and whatever else she finds in that cornucopia of scents that dogs take in. No bitterness, no grouching, no looking back at what it was like five or ten years ago, practically a lifetime in dog years. Although I know that my friends will not be with me for many more years, and despite the pills and vet bills, some day they will not be here to share my days. Meanwhile, I’m taught that life has its joys at every age, and the important thing is to enjoy and share what time we have together. And so we do. 

It's dark and raining here in the Northwest. Maybe my weekend in California at the end of September made it seem more dramatic, but all of a sudden we're back in our overcast, drizzling, "who turned out the lights?" time of year. It's time to add some indoor cheer and get the fireplace going, place some pumpkins on the doorstep, and do some baking. We drink a lot of coffee here in the Northwest to keep us cheerful during the dark days. Wondering how you cozy up your place for fall? Do you decorate your yard for Halloween, put on some upbeat music, or just get out for a great walk in the woods?