Each day seems to begin anew for our beloved animal friends, without the structure of a human calendar of events. I imagine that the only thing they notice about holidays — as opposed to any other day of the year — is that the people in their packs are home more, and may be more likely to play. Perhaps there are also better table scraps.
For the dogs at Brookdale’s Dog Park this morning, playing and romping were the tasks at hand, along with a group chase after one slimy tennis ball and a less gunky geometric-looking throw toy. Oh, yes, and they all seemed to enjoy peeing on the snowman in the corner of the park (seen in the above photo, in far left corner).
At any rate, Happy New Year Baristaville dogs. May your romp be long and healthy, and may a holiday feast be put in your bowl.
I think the B&W dog is my Henry!
“May your romp be long and healthy, and may a holiday feast be put in your bowl.”
I wish all animals, canine and feline, in Baristaville and beyond the very same. Sadly, too many will still be homeless, cold, hungry and alone.
Sometimes the New Year can start off with a real REALITY SCARE! As New Year’s Day was a rather mild day we decided to take my 11 year old black lab and 12 week old puppy to Mills Reservation for a romp in the woods. Both dogs were on leash… we walked leisurely and met some friends along the path. To our shock & horror and without warning an unleashed brown pit bull alledgely named “Lucy” charged and vicously attacked my older lab. The owners approached and did not intervene or take any responsibility. A brave man intervened and beat the pit bull off my dog. We carried my bloody dog out of the woods to the ER where she underwent emergency surgery for severe life threatening 6″ gashes. We are traumatized, hope that she recovers but most importantly I plead with ALL dog owners to ACT RESPONSIBLY AND DO NOT ALLOW YOUR DOGS TO GO UNLEASHED. THIS NEVER SHOULD HAVE OCCURED. PET OWNER RESPONSIBILITY IS KEY TO PUBLIC SAFETY. Thanks for hearing me and please keep Sasha in your prayers…
I’m so sorry to read this…Sasha is in my thoughts and prayers.
It’s all about the dogs!
Kelly always gets spoiled this time of year at the amount attention she gets since my husband and I are home during the week between Christmas and New Year’s.
Sending good thoughts to Sasha…how horrible. One of the reasons I don’t like to go to dog parks.
I make dog coats and fleeces for our loving pets so if any of your beloved dogs needs a warm winter coat, let me know. HauteDogz.com.
My dog and I always approach other dogs with caution… I am so sorry to hear about Sasha and I hope she heals quickly.
The authorities ought to crack down on unleashed dogs at Mills. It’s a lovely place to walk, but the dogs are all too frequently out of control. The ethos that it is somehow all right to let your dog run unleashed in those woods is just wrong. Talk about the place going to the dogs…
I agree, Humphrey. You may have the most wonderful dog in the world but no one can predict how their dog will react unleashed and around strange dogs and/or people. They’re animals, which means they’re also unpredictable.
Thanks for the supportive comments. I am taking this matter very seriously and intend to find these owners and bring further awareness to this problem of unleashed dogs! Sasha is doing ok; still not out of the woods yet…
How awful about your little Sasha. Please let us know how she’s doing. By all means, pursue the irresponsible owners. They’re the biggest problem. As MrsMartta stated, no matter how wonderful a dog might be it is still an animal and therefore unpredictable. It’s up to it’s humans to be responsible to ensure everyone’s safety.
Mrs. Martta,
Mills is NOT a dog park and the dog park should not be tainted with whatever happened there.
Those of us who do bring their dogs to the dog park act responsively and would never let a fight continue. Human companions are expected to make sure that their dogs do not act in an aggressive manner and if they do to remove them at once.
We take our German Shorthaired Pointer, Lilly to the Brookdale Dog Park regularly. She enjoys socializing with the other dogs and running freely without the confines of a leash.
Newcomers should bring their dog(s) when it’s least crowded (during the day/during the week) so that their dog(s) get to relate to other dogs one on one – pack behavior can be intimidating – but that’s what dogs are- pack animals.
I prefer the wilds of Eagle Rock and South Mountain reservation for hiking with Lilly as they are much less populated/
I hope Sasha continues to recover. Good luck in finding the owners.