The Hidden Danger at the Dog Park

This morning, Lucy, I, and four of the grandkids, loaded into the car, for an adventure to our new neighborhood dog park.  

We had a great time. Lucy even met a new friend, and actually engaged in reciprical play, with a mixed breed dog who out-weighed her by thirty pounds. I watched in anguish, like a young mom, watching her toddler son, on the playground with an older, heavier, more rambunctious child.

Don’t get me wrong, Lucy has played with other dogs before. But, it is usually the ‘I chase you for a minute’, and then later, you chase me.  Today, she chose to play with this other dog, and simultaneously, the other dog, chose to play with Lucy. They were doing the full-out, front paws splayed, little-barky thing, that signals game on. They played together, for about five minutes, running on, over, and around, the little man-made hills…and then it happened. 

This thing that happened… was…even worse…than your dog having a little accident, when you forgot to bring a bag. It was a dog park tragedy! 

The designers, of our new dog park, had failed to consider what would happen to a low spot, in the field, below one of the little man-made hills, after a soaking rain.  If you haven’t already guessed our dilemma, or figured out the tragedy that was about to unfold, let me set the scene. There was an inch or two of muddy water nettled at the bottom of one of those little hills, emitting the stench of poo.  I was so pleased that Lucy ignored the wet temptation. Ah… well… she ignored it until a little dash hound, skirted the edge of the muddy mess, to investigate it. Then, Lucy, not to be out done, breaks from her play with her new friend, and  bounds toward, and into the muddy mess. She totally ignored my urgent plea for her to stop and return to me. As disgust and horror, moved across my face, I glanced around at the other dog owners, and I noticed the slight, little, hidden grins, on the faces of my counter parts. That was until, there dogs wanted in on the fun too! Ha!!

My eleven year old grand daughter wrote about the incident from Lucy’s perspective-

 The Lucy Diaries: 9/15/18

Today I went with Mommy and the kids to Sea Isle Dog Park.

I met tons of new dogs, and my family did too! There were two Husky dogs that I enjoyed, and my new playmate which was an eighty-pound mutt. We enjoyed playing together, and soon, we discovered a mini pond full of mud and duck poop.

I went in first, and my playmates,  the other dogs,  looked at me. But later, they also ran in.  It was fun!         

Of course, this earned me a- “Lucy,get out of there!”, from my Mommy. I went out, obediently, (after more tosses and turns in the mud! I couldn’t help it!) and we went to a dog fountain, and mommy poured water all over me, as she continued to say, “Ewwwwwww, Lucy, you stink!!”

After we finished, we got in the car. The kids complained too. “It smells like barf. Jeez ,Lucy.” I though, hummmmm, Barf? I don’t  think anyone barfed, did they?  I didn’t care about the stink. When we got home, I got locked in the kennel, while the kids played something called a computer. Then I took a shower.

Now I’m ready to play!!!

Sincerely,

Lucy