Maiden Voyage

Milly had her maiden voyage at the dog park yesterday. Her person was really nervous about it, as Milly gets reactive on the leash when she sees other dogs. I’ve gotten to know Milly pretty well over the past two months, and I wasn’t worried at all. I was confident that her “leash goofiness” around other dogs was just that – goofiness -- and not true aggression. I gave Milly’s person an overview of what I thought was going to happen once we walked into the park, we took a deep breath and in we went. Unfortunately, Milly didn’t get a warm welcome. Three yellow labs immediately zeroed in on her and bullied her mercilessly, nipping her neck and barking at her. (Reason #1 why I don’t love dog parks: inappropriate dogs.) The poor girl showed tons of appeasement gestures – lowering herself to the ground, lifting a paw, staying very still – but the three baddies wouldn’t back off. Finally, their owners intervened. Milly shook herself off and gave us a look that said, “Well. That was interesting.” I watched to see if Milly was suffering any ill effects from the inhospitable greeting, but she was still rarin’ to go. This charmer came into the park and lightened the mood considerably: Even though Milly was new to the dog park – and new to dog play – she was 100% appropriate with the other dogs. (I was actually amazed by her dog-dog skills. She was a natural!) I gave her person a play-by-play as Milly exhibited play bows and engaged in some chase with Mr. Handsome: More dogs showed up. The play continued. Milly’s play style ranged from “C’mon everybody, see if you can catch me!” to some light boxing and wrestling. I was happy to see her having such a great time, and I loved the perma-grin on her person’s face too. Milly’s successful visit at the dog park doesn’t necessarily mean that she’s going to be a regular, though. I tell all of my clients that I’m ambivalent about dog parks … they’re great in theory, but not always in execution. I’ve seen too many rude, poorly trained dogs running roughshod on the dogs that are just there to play, and I’ve seen plenty of nutty, uninformed dog owners making matters worse for all parties. I wish dog parks could be the canine nirvana our pooches so desperately need, but the sad fact is they’re not. How about you? Are you a dog park devotee? Or did you hear the one about the wolf hybrid who killed a Bichon at a dog park and decide to keep away? Tell me about your dog park stories by writing me at Stories@petside.com