After doing some yard work this morning, Gracie and I headed to the dog park to catch up on the Sunday action. Since it wasn't raining, I was expecting there to be a lot of people. There were. Cars once again lined up along the road and in the field. Happily a few cars were pulling out of the lot as I arrived so Gracie and I had a good spot.
Gracie's pal (and erstwhile boyfriend) Quinn was trying to get someone, anyone, to play tug with him and his rope toy. Meanwhile, Quinn's human companion Robirda was collecting signatures to present to the city requesting a larger parking area. After signing the petition, Gracie and I wandered toward the trail loop.
While the dogs were busy playing in the field, a group of humans were busy spreading barkdust on the trail loop. Gracie dashed over to her favorite mound of barkdust to supervise the action. She checked in with each laborer and expressed her own form of appreciation for their efforts. As I walked by, I also thanked them for making park nice.
In the three years since I've been regularly attending the dog park, I've noticed a growing sense of community among the dog owners. People are taking a more active interest in caring for and improving the park area. As far as I know there is no formal leader, no hired figure directing the action, no one person calling the shots. Instead, it seems like each person is looking into his or her own heart and offering a piece of him/herself for the betterment of the community.
Once again, I've learned another valuable lesson at the dog park.
to bee -- or not to bee
1 year ago
3 comments:
Thank you for creating this blog! My wife runs our dogs at the park daily and I join her when I can. We love dogs, share most of your observations and appreciate most of your advice. But...
We also bike in the park. You expressed your annoyance about people without dogs using the dog park lot (which, incidentally, is not reserved exclusivlely for any particular 'type' of park user). Have you done much parking in the other two much larger lots?
Those lots are gift shops for car burglars. The break-ins are incessant. After tiring of returning from our bike ride to try and comfort upset people standing in the parking lot on their cell phones with their car windows broken and finding our car broken into with the back seat ripped out (so the thieves could access our trunk) we began parking in the dog park lot.
The dog park lot is far less susceptible to burglaries because people are generally within sight of the much busier lot (although we have seen the aftermath of a couple of burglaries there too). It's a shame that it takes a petition to try and prod the City of Salem into increasing the size of the parking lot but we applaud those circulating it.
The City is quite inefficient when it comes to resolving obvious issues, i.e., the whole dog park loop could be covered with bark in two hours if they simply drove around it in a dump truck with a couple of workers shoveling the bark out, also if the parking lots were video surveilled the way convenience store lots are the burglaries would became rare. When the City attempted a bond measure there was nothing in its plans to enlarge and/or maintain the inadequate lots or trails -- instead, it wanted to build a boat ramp through the picnic grounds...
Perhaps more petitions and increased public participation in City Council meetings would help to bring the City of Salem to its senses.
On a more positive note; the parks department does do a good job of cleaning up broken car window glass and marking damaged areas with tape.
3 Dog Mom - you're absolutely right about the parking lot not being exclusively for dog park users. In fact, I believe that whole section is referred to as multi-use meaning that park users are welcome to picnicking, flying kites, etc in that field area.
I also recognize the problem with auto thefts. I've been lucky to avoid this. When the gravel lot is full, I usually park in the far lot by the river. I'm too chicken to risk a ticket parking on the road or in the field.
I've also noticed more police on the weekends patroling the area.
I'm optimistic about the blossoming grass roots movement occuring at the dog park. Thanks for commenting on the blog. I'd love to hear any other stories or observations you might have.
Hi Beth -- We always park in the picnic area lot on the weekends, whether we're biking or running the dogs (its just a short walk on the leashes to 'open country'). One of those $40. tickets cured us of parking in any unofficial spots.
To put all of this not so positive sounding stuff in perspective; one car burglary and a parking ticket in 15 years of nearly daily park visits has been a very worthwhile tradeoff. It is a beautiful park!
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