Dog Park

So, I can hear you asking, How did you spend the long holiday weekend?...I didn’t do a damn thing. Not a damn thing. Well, I mowed the lawn, sucked down popsicles, went to the store to replenish my popsicles (Damn the office for reminding me about the cooling properties of popsicles) and did some laundry.

I spent the whole weekend doing exactly as I pleased and what pleased me was to do as little as possible. I was very pleased. I wasn’t entirely useless, I did take Dogger to Raleighs' Brand New Dog Park! Yes, local Raleigh readers, you now do not have to drive all the way up to Millbrook to take part in all the dog park goodness. For those of you who might not know what a dog park is : A Dog Park is a dog lovers paradise. Big dogs, little dogs, baby puppies, elderly puppies, fluffy dogs, smooth dogs all the dogs. It’s like stepping into a dog calender. A fully fenced place where your dog can run and play with other dogs while you chat with other dog people.

I never would have driven all that way to Millbrook just to let Dogger wander around off leash, not when she can wander off leash in our own backyard. Now she can experience all the dog park goodness almost literally in our own back yard as often as she (or I) wants. This winter the park is going to be a God send... Is it in your back yard too?

 

(click to enlarge) or if you prefer:

Take I-440 Beltline to the Capital Boulevard South exit.
Stay in your right lane and exit at Atlantic Avenue/Blount Street Exit. Turn left at the light onto Atlantic Avenue. Turn left at second signal onto Brookside Drive (after the Circus Restaurant) Follow through neighborhood and turn left at second light onto Glascock Street Turn right on Madison Avenue, Park is on your right
(Between the Krispy Kreme and Circus Restaurant)

910 Brookside Drive
Raleigh, NC 27604

The space is huge (think football field(s)) and is completely shaded for you and your dogs comfort, water is provided and there is plenty of seating for the non-dogs in attendance. If you have a teeny little dog or an elderly dog or maybe one that has a little hitch in his/her giddy up they have a separate fenced area just for them or they can run with the big dogs. The dog park is located at Oakwood Park so there are bathrooms and parking aplenty.

The Dog Park is going to have its opening ceremony and official “leash” cutting on June 10. Offical Opening Press Release. Dogger and I will be there.

Poor Dogger has been on a leash so long that she really didn’t know what to do when she found herself off leash - which was surprising because in the past when she has been let off the leash either on accident or by design, she has run around like a crazy person - At the park when I left her off leash, she followed me at my heels or sat next to me. All those other dogs, all that lovely space and she just sat there. If I didn’t go wandering she didn’t either - but neither did the other dogs, they all seemed a little hesitant. I’m sure in time they’ll be more relaxed there and get more into it but for the time being, they all seemed to be waiting for the other shoe to fall. The saw the potential for having too much fun and they all seemed a little concerned about that. Dogger has never paid such mind to me in her life as she has at the park. The other dog owners were jealous of my remarkably well behaved, if needy, dog. I think this was because she didn’t have a lot of interest in the other dogs, the other dogs can’t pet her.

We were only there three times over the weekend. I told you, doing as little as possible was my goal and I was successful. An interesting side effect of dog parking with Dogger was that I learned an exhausted Dogger is a much easier to live with Dogger.