Riley likes to run.
I have mixed feelings about dog parks. Not sure if it’s because I have a dog that’s not perfectly behaved, or that people are simply annoying.
After Riley settled down some, I took him to an off-leash dog park close to my place. People were not happy to see him. He barked and ran after other dogs. One woman told me my dog was annoying her dog because her dog is not used to barking. Not used to barking?! She’s a dog! Another said my dog was barking because he wanted to impress me and that I should make him less needy. Less needy?!
I decided to venture out of the immediate Boston-area in search of another dog park. I found one on the South Shore. I let him off the leash and he barked and ran after other dogs. I freaked out and started to leash him and apologize. A group of pet owners nearby started laughing and said, “Honey, he’s a dog! Of course he’s going to bark!” I almost started crying they were so welcoming to my Psycho Pup. He immediately found a playmate and they ran and barked and played for almost an hour. He passed out during the ride home. Another time he ran laps with a group of huskies.
Riley’s behavior has since lost him the privilege of going off-leash at a park. But when (or if!) he’s able to do it again, I’ll be heading south.
OMG! What horrible dog owner neighbors you have. Complete strangers giving you unsolicited advice about all the things you’re doing wrong with your dog is even worse than complete strangers giving you unsolicited advice about all the things you’re doing wrong with your kids.
Thanks. I came to this blog because I’m really depressed and hoped I’d find something to make me feel better. I now at least feel a little better about all the people who tell me I’m an awful parent.
I’m glad you found some dog owners who know what it means to be a dog.
Those comments from the other dog owners at the park near your house would be hilarious if they weren’t so annoying! I would have loved to have seen your face when that person told you you should make Riley less needy…
You should bring Riley over to Brookline – there are seemingly many nice open spaces/parks for dogs to enjoy over here.
[...] feeling of community, and a sense that ‘we’re all in this together.’ I love my dog park companions. They come in all ages, though a lot of us are middle-aged (I think this could be [...]