What the hail?!

Saturday - April 12 - Salem, Oregon 75 degrees.

Saturday - April 19 - Salem, Oregon 43 degrees, snow and hail.

What a difference a week makes. During the winter months, I got pretty good at judging the rain the clouds on the horizon. I could look out my west facing window at home and determine if Gracie and I had time to get to the dog park and back without getting soaked. I was pretty darn accurate in my assessments. This April has been completely different though. Yesterday, a patch of blue sky finally burst through the gray clouds. I scanned the horizon and it looked like the next ban of rain/snow was stuck on the coast range. So Gracie and I headed for the park. As soon as I pulled into the lot. The dark clouds descended. Uh oh...I said to Gracie. But being the dog park troopers that we are, we went forth. About half way around the path, the hail started. Gracie didn't seem to mind though. She had her ball and plenty of P-Mail to check. I wouldn't have minded as much if the wind hadn't been blowing those tiny missles into my face. On the back side of the loop, the sun once again emerged and shone with so fierceness that steam began to float up from the bark trail. Suddenly my black parka that had been so toasty warm a few minutes ago was unbearably hot. By the time we got back to the car, another ban of ominous clouds was covering the park. New arrivals were trying to guage their chances. But for the most part, I think we dog park goers are a hardy bunch. What's a little hail when your best pal is romping with joy through the spring grass!

R.O.U.S.

Buttercup: Westley, what about the R.O.U.S.'s?

Westley: Rodents Of Unusual Size? I don't think they exist.

-- from The Princess Bride

Tails of neglect?

Gracie and I were at the park a few days ago enjoying the dry spell between spring showers. I was lost in thought as I ambled along the bark dust trail. It finally occurred to me to check on Gracie and when I turned around she was no where to be seen. I brief moment of panic swept through me, but then I saw her, nearly half a field length away sitting in front of someone who was giving her treats. I called to her. "Gracie! Come!" She looked around the person's legs at me, ears up, acknowledging my call. But she turned her attention back to her benefactor. "Gracie! Come!" I shouted. Torn between the desire for food and the desire to obey, she finally opted to obey and came running toward me at top speed. But the rest of our walk was punctuated with her dashing off to get pats, words of affirmation and an occasional treat from other park-goers. At one point I joked with another person about how Gracie gets no attention or love at home.

I've probably said this before, but Gracie knows no stranger at the park. She is willing to see the good - or at least the potential for good - in each person there. She makes no predetermined judgments based on clothing, skin color or gender. Sometimes I worry that her friendly disposition will cause her to go off with just anyone. But them I'm reminded of our close connection. I see evidence of it when she runs at top speed to catch up with me, when she leans into my legs, and when she snuffles my neck after I load her in the back of the truck. I think she knows we have a pretty good life together.

After a hard play at the dog park.

Daylight Savings Time

The loss of one hour last Saturday has provided Gracie and me with extra daylight in the evenings and we have resumed our weekday trips to Minto. The parking lot on Wednesday was almost full and I expect more and more dogs and people will start returning to the park in the evenings, especially as the weather improves.

Whippet Wednesday seems to be back in action again. When Gracie was still young, she fancied herself a Whippet. She would hang out with that pack. It was a silly sight - several thin-legged, almost frail looking Whippets and then thick-bodied, block-headed Gracie in their midst. She would chase one of them and just as she was about to over take him, the Whippet would kick in his jet engine and disappear in a puff of smoke. Gracie would stagger to a stop and look back at me as if to say: "no fair!" As she got older, she realized she was not a Whippet and that they did not enjoy the same games she did (wrestling in the mud). Happily, there are plenty of labs at the park to accommodate her type of play!

While it always takes me a week or so to adjust to the switch in time, I am grateful for the extra daylight (and happily this week the lack of rain in the evening) to spend time with Grace at the dog park.

A Tail of Two Dog Parks

Gracie and I hit the road yesterday for an overnight trip to Roseburg. Before I left, I checked Google for off leash dog parks in the area. Oregon Dog Fun has a great listing of dog parks from Portland to Ashland.

After checking into our dog friendly hotel (Holiday Inn Express) in Roseburg, Gracie and I headed for their dog park. Happy Tails Dog park is a fenced park - probably an acre or two. It has trees, several benches, a covered seating area for humans and two watering stations complete with those plastic kiddy pools - I bet those are well used in the summer months! When we arrived, Gracie and her pal, Hanna, were the only dogs there. Then bit by bit more dogs arrived including a 2 year old great dane who though Hanna (a pint size rat terrier) was a great playmate. Hanna didn't agree, so she headed straight for Gracie and stood underneath her until the great dane was distracted by other new arrivals. Gracie had a brief tussle with a golden retriever who didn't quite understand how Gracie wanted to play wrestle. Gracie has taught her pals at Minto that she can knock them down and then they can knock her down. This golden knocked her down, but wouldn't let her back up. As dogs often do though, there were no hard feelings and the two went on their separate ways to play other games.

On our way back to Salem today, I stopped off in Eugene to visit Trader Joes (will we ever get one in Salem?!). In my prior visits to Eugene, Gracie and I had visited the off leash dog park at Alton Baker Park. We stopped by there again today. This off leash park is also fenced. It is bigger than Happy Tails, but not as big as Minto. It also had two watering stations along with a covered seating area. Lots of dogs were already there. Gracie was pretty warn out from our other adventures, so we did a quick loop around the dog park and headed home.

I really appreciate the wide open space we have at Minto. The fenced parks are nice when the area is smaller, though. The fencing also is helpful for dogs and humans new to off leash areas. I guess if I was envious about anything, it was the watering stations and the covered seating areas. It sure would be nice to have potable water available at Minto - in the summer for hydration and in the winter for washing away the mud.

I think it is wonderful that Oregon has so many off leash areas for the dogs. Gracie and I are going to plan more trips to check these other park areas. Maybe we can bring some ideas back to make Minto even more special.

This I believe

This I Believe is a national media project engaging people in writing, sharing, and discussing the core values and beliefs that guide their daily lives. I recently read an essay by David Buetow, an attorney from Chicago. His essay begins: "I believe in my dog." (For more, here's the link to David's essay.)

I thought about his words today while I was at the dog park. It was another sunny day in Salem and the park was full. Despite my previous gripes, I do enjoy seeing the park well used and well enjoyed. Gracie and I met two other Gracies. One was a yellow lab teasing the dogs in her area with a Wubba. The other Gracie was just 4 months old and it was her first visit to the park. You could tell by the way she stood close to her companion that she thought the park was big and loud and she didn't understand why these other Gracies liked to tug on the Wubba. When my Gracie and the yellow lab Gracie collapsed on the ground exhausted from the game, puppy Gracie inched over to the Wubba to check it out. What was this mysterious thing that was so captivating? At the last second my Gracie's big brown paw shot forward to grab the toy. Puppy Gracie scurried back to her companion.

I believe in my dog. I believe in the way she plays - full tilt until she collapses. I admire her ability to make friends with both other dogs and humans. She never waits for an invitation, but just knows that she'll get a pat and a kind word (and maybe, just maybe, a treat) from whoever is close by. I marvel at how gentle she is with puppies (and kids) and then how rough and tumble she is when playing with the big dogs. This once incorrigible puppy, has turned into an amazing dog. My amazing Grace.

Sunday at the park

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.