A morning at the dog park
It doesn't get any better than this.
Snippets from a weekday morning at the dog park:
Angel the beagle sprints across the park as Cowboy, Cosmo, and big Riley give chase. Angel howls in mock distress, ducking under the bench and then gleefully rolling over for a belly rub as Tundra the white Lab gnaws on a forbidden stick nearby.
Tag, the handsome Great Pyrenees with soulful brown eyes, slowly walks down the line in front of our bench, getting exactly what he's asked for -- head pats and back rubs and "good boy" affirmations as we all delicately try to avoid making contact with the long string of drool swaying from the corner of Tag's mouth.
With the sun shining and a cool breeze blowing, a few more dog owners arrive for the 8 a.m. hour, coffee cups in hand, a morning routine for many of them now.
A new arrival, a golden doodle named Karma, soon has everyone in an uproar in another wild game of chase. There's also a lemon-spotted Dalmatian, an Italian greyhound and a Besinji who have joined the mix. So much energy. We laugh watching the colorful, chaotic scene.
Meanwhile, Daisy's long fur is collecting wood chips as she lounges at our feet, barking sharply when a big dog gets a little too close to stepping on the little gal.
(Here's Daisy below from a prior photo)
"Little" Max, a happy yellow Lab pup in that gangly, pre-teen stage, runs smack into a fire hydrant, part of the park's unique decor, causing him to limp a bit for the next 5 minutes. Owee. But he's young and bouncy and he quickly recovers, resuming his favorite sport of running after all the big dogs.
Now Angel's up and going again, my border collie Tess hot on her trail -- and tail -- in an instinctive herding move. Tess's gait slows for just an instant and Cowboy spots his opportunity. He latches on to her rear end and begins to hump. Nikki, owner of Tag and Daisy, remarks that Cowboy must get turned on when he sees her herding like that.
After about 45 minutes, it's time for me to go. "I've got to get to work," I announce as I gather up Tess and Cowboy to leave.
"I'm already at work," says Nikki, our the local dog sitter. Her tone is a little bit smug, I think.
She knows I'm jealous.
(Tundra)
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About the Bloggers
Daily Breeze reporter Donna Littlejohn has shared her homes with a succession of wonderful, funny, and occasionally difficult canines -- Muffin, Fritz, Ellie, Mercy, Pilgrim and now Cowboy, an Australian shepherd-border collie, and Tess, a border collie. From strong-willed terriers to weirdly obsessed Australian shepherds, they've invaded her world with boundless energy, wet noses, muddy paws and soggy tennis balls. But they've really brought so much more than that -- like laughter and joy, some unexpected life lessons, and more than a few tears along the way.
E-mail Donna at donna.littlejohn@dailybreeze.com.
Josh Grossberg grew up with the usual array of animals: goldfish, dogs, hamsters, parakeets and turtles. He now owns the loudest dog in the South Bay(Video: Rocket the Dog) and is the least popular person on his block. He spends his free time in dog parks, pet shops and always has an extra plastic bag in his pocket just in case. He also has a cat.
E-mail Josh at josh.grossberg@dailybreeze.com.
Hi---What kind of pooch is Daisy (the dog from the "prior photo)? She sort of looks like our 2 year Tibby...
Kevin
Daisy's a mystery dog. Maybe her owner can enlighten us with a comment, but I believe the conventional wisdom is that she's part spaniel, border collie, and ?????
Hi, I'm Nikki, Dazy's "pet parent". Dazy came to me as an orphan off the street when she was ten weeks old. I really have no clue what she is but my guess would be a pekingese mix of some sort. I really wish i knew cause she a great mix whatever it is!!
oops, I forgot to ask "Dazy" how her name was spelled!