A good day's job...

Arf! One of our favorite weekend activities is going to a dog park. There are a few not too far from where we live. Today we went to the dog run -- our City fences in a big area where the golf course driving range is – and there is a lot of room to run around with hills and everything. This is good because I had a big job to do today.

My job at the dog park is to pick up after Debs. We went in with three tennis balls, and at one time, we were up to four! She likes to throw them around, and my job is to get ‘em! I take a lot of pride in my work and no matter which way the balls go, no matter how far, I’ll find them and bring them back to Debs. It’s hard work but much nicer at this time of the year when I can get my own drink of water from the snow.

We can have a good day at the dog park or a bad day. Today, I liked all the dogs and people but, sometimes, I don’t. My vet says dog parks are places that keep her in business from all the dog fights. I don’t like to fight, and I won’t pick one. Still, I’m no weenie and if a dog gets in my face and acts wrong, if he picks a fight with me, I’ll defend myself. If necessary, I’ll also defend Debs. That’s why a good dog park will have rules and regulations.

One of the parks in our area publishes its rules and one of the rules is that the humans need to be in control of their dogs. It upsets me that some dogs go up to Debs and jump all over her. They haven’t been taught their manners. They don’t pay attention to their humans or, even worse, the humans don’t even care what their dogs do. Some of these dogs are real “in your face” kinda guys and I don’t like that at all. In any event, I hope you know the rules of having fun at the dog park. If you bring your small children, make sure that they don’t run around screaming. I wouldn’t chase them, but some of my friends think that all that screaming is just a small human’s way of begging to be herded. Herding dogs don't just run around in circles. A lot of herding dogs use their teeth to deliver "special instructions" and, trust me, you don't want your children to be herded. And, you don't want to even think about dogs that were bred to search for prey.

Also, don’t reach down for a ball unless you know where all the doggies are – especially me. We can get to that ball a lot sooner than you think, and we don’t want your hand in the way of our ball.

And, don’t pet a dog you don’t know. I just think that is rude! Ask its human first if it's OK. Really, a dog park isn't just a stroll in the park. Read up on dog park safety and etiquette. What do I know? My sense of etiquette seems to get some people upset...particularly when I'm doing the check on "is it a boy or a girl." Time to nap…all that exercise is just so relaxing. I’ll sleep like a puppy tonight.

Arf, arf!