When we first moved to the US in 2007, I was still a puppy, actually the same age that Bailie is now! Everything was new and we didn’t have a fenced yard, so we started visiting dog parks. We were regulars at several parks and went a couple times a week. Over the years, we have gone less and less. Now with Bailie being a puppy, we have rediscovered the reason why dog parks can be so awesome! Now mind you, we generally only visit larger parks that are completely fenced and we go during weekdays when not too many dogs are there. It is more fun.
Mom had forgotten how I was as a puppy at the dog park. As I posted last week we all went as a family for the first time and it was fun. Well, miss Bailie got her confidence up and really let loose the next time! Katie wasn’t feeling well, so Mom took just Bailie and I to our favorite dog park, 28 fenced acres with lots of trails, tall grass, some wooded areas and a pond that is fenced off. The photo above shows Bailie as we pretty much saw her the entire hour…a running dot on the horizon, and then a puppy racing back when called.
Sometimes, she was far away and we couldn’t see her anymore which worried me. This was me looking for her.
We enjoyed hanging out together being a scent hound team, tracking important stuff, you know, really using our noses!
I met a new friend on the trail.
Bailie met two racing dog friends. She was a bit intimidated and just froze at the sight of them approaching.
I got mad at my puppy sister at one point and pushed her into a big patch of really wet mud. She got pretty dirty (can’t see it too well in the photo, but her shoulder and foot are dark) and I got into a lot of trouble. We didn’t get a real good photo because Mom was really mad at me and she didn’t want the camera to get damaged as I kept dragging Bailie back into the mud. Sometimes a puppy just needs to have a mud bath to learn!
We worked a lot on the come command. Mom and Katie used to hide from me when I didn’t listen, but now that I am a big girl, I got to hide with Mom and wait for Bailie to find us. The big park and being off leash without many dogs around is a great place to work on commands! We got mental and physical exercise!
I love this dog park and can’t wait to go back again.
The only bummer was there was no food on the picnic table! We were hungry after racing around for an hour! Mom’s nerves were frazzled by the time we left. Even though it is a fenced park, she is a real “nervous Nelly” when we are out of sight. Bailie did pretty well, but towards the end, she was testing a bit too much and Mom did not like that. Mom did really rediscover the joy of the dog park through Bailie. As Katie and I mature we still enjoy going, but the enthusiasm of a puppy really makes it fun! I think we will be dog parking a bit more often now.
If you have any kitties at your house, be sure and check out the brand new SlimKitty website! I even have a post there about my pesty, chubby, cat bro Bert. It is a great place to go for healthy cat ideas! Stop by and sniff around, I think you will like it.
That is one of the ways we were staying fit this week. What were you doing to stay fit? I’m joining the FitDog Friday Blog Hop hosted by SlimDoggy, Peggy’s Pet Place and To Dog With Love! Share your story with others and find fun, new fitness ideas too!
Too Fun!! These are awesome pictures – joyful!! Have a great weekend!
Thanks. We had a blast the two of us!
What a grand place for a romp!!
It is really a great dog park, which is why it is our favorite.
We only have small gardens so we would not be without our park and we go everyday and luckily it is at the top of our road. Yep picnic season will be here soon so peeps will be keeping a beady eye on me. Have a fabulous Friday.
Best wishes Molly
You need to be real sneaky…picnic crimes can be worth the jail time 😉
Oh, what fun! I hope Katie is feeling better. I read about Bert in your Slimkitty blog. As always you are so pawsome, Emma, except for dragging Bailie through the mud (which sounds like fun to me!) XOXO Sparkle the PBGV
Yeah, sometimes Bailie and I get into some good fights. She makes me mad, but Mom was not happy about the mud incident.
I found the roll of tp in the guest bathroom today. Mom says in her 56 years of owning dogs she has NEVER had one mess with the tp. W3ell…somebody just had to do it! Sparkle the “TPGV”
My cat bro Bert is in charge of that at our house. Every puppy finds something new I think!
We don’t have parks like you. We just have Central Park. Katie is pretty good off lead until she she’s a squirrel …I bet I am more nervous then your Mom!
If we were off lead in an unfenced area, Mom might just pass out! We like to hang around Mom all the time unless a squirrel or wabbit is around, then we focus only on that.
What a great day, 28 acres that is hugh and all fenced in. Nice to meet new friends and get exercise too.
It is the biggest completely fenced one we have found and we just love it.
Looks like you guys had a great time at the dog park! We don’t get to go to the dog park cause there is always a zillion dogs and people there and mom is weary of us being around so many dogs. Hope Katie is feeling better.
We only go during the weekdays when most people are at work. We don’t like the crowds at all.
Ah, the wonders of a puppy at a dog park. I understand the nervous nellie part, I hate it when they are out of sight too. That looks like a great park. The only ones we have close by are 1. too small or 2. not fenced. Makes it tough. Thanks for joining the Hop.
The unfenced ones are useless for us, we need a fence, so we are lucky to have several larger fenced ones around here.
Huge dog reserves like that are the best, plenty of room for all to romp. Add in a dash of puppy energy and you have the recipe for an awesome trip.
And we were all tired out…even Mom from having to keep an eye on us 🙂
Looks like a lot of fun! Love your photos as always 🙂
ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!
Your pups would love it! Plenty of room to just run and run!
Wow, Emma! You and Bailie really let loose during your visit to the park. Look at all that room to run and hunt! What a great day you had. Have a great weekend!
Oz
That is why it is our favorite dog park!
Looks like a really fun adventure!
It was great and Bailie sure enjoyed herself.
That looks like such a great place, and it has to be so much fun to just be able to run free in all that space. I would be nervous like your Mom, but at least knowing it’s fenced adds some security, though that is a big area!
There really is something so special about watching a puppy experience new things!
We watched her confidence grow and her fear of being out of Mom’s site disappeared too. It was a ton of fun.
What a fun day!
It really was 🙂
Wow, 28 acres fenced in? That’s crazy! How nice that you have that place to go to. I would love to visit a place like that. I haven’t been to a dog park recently. Just the dog beach, which is an awesome area but not fenced in. I’m going to do some research to see if we have any great dog parks around here.
We are lucky to have several completely fenced large ones. Would love a fenced beach but the best we get is a fenced pond.
That looked like lots of fun! Maybe next time there WILL be food on the picnic table.
A dog can only hope!
Dear Emma and Bailey you sure have fun! Us intact males are not very welcome at most dog parks. We only get to go to a small one right now. So..mom got ME a treadmill to stay in shape. It is NOT as fun a running free, but I do get her undivided attention when I am on it. My sister Lucy is jealous of everything I get to do, so she has to stay out of the doggie gym area. When she uses MY treadmill, I howl the whole time as I watch her through the storm door.
Before I was spayed there were times I had to stay at home too, but that is no more and I’m happy about that. That is a bummer you can’t go, the girls in heat should be the ones staying home! Good luck on the treadmill. I tried it but it is not for me, too boring. Lucy sounds like Bailie. Bailie howls when we are doing nose work and it is my turn.
A GREAT day! The picture of Bailie looking like a speck on the horizon is our favorite picture. What is it with little sisters? My sister Lilly does that same running far in front of mom (also gets mom’s nerves frazzled). I guess us 7 year olds are just wiser and better behaved, huh Emma. Fingers are crossed we get to go somewhere fun this weekend. Your b log usually inspires our mom, so thanks for writing! Your doodle friend, Dash
Hope you have a fun weekend! The youngster around here is a real tester, but Mom loves to see her having so much fun!
A 28 acre dog park? I think that is bigger than my big park! Dog parks can be good but my mom thinks that our dog park is responsible for unsocializing me. As a puppy I loved other dogs but when we got our dog park, which was really little, I started having problems with too many dogs. They made our dog park a little bigger but I don’t like to be in it with other dogs now. What’s a dog to do? Love Dolly
That is why we only go when it is not real busy, too many dogs is scary and no fun. Bailie also goes to daycare one day a week to stay used to being with lots of other dogs. These big parks are great!
I would be a nervous wreck if the boys were off lead anywhere but our fenced backyard. Neither come when they are asked. Grrr. It would still be great to have a place to roam!
We are pretty good about it at the dog park and it is all fenced securely. It is something Mom has to get used to again but it makes her nervous.
I have such a love/hate, go a lot/don’t go for a while relationship with the dog park. It completely rattles my nerves like it does your mom, Emma. But the dogs love it so, so much that it’s worth it.
We were good with rarely going, but now that we see all of Bailie’s fun, we are back in the game for a while it looks like.
Looks like so much fun! I can be a nervous Nelly too, so I know how your Mom feels! Glad you two had a lot of fun and stayed safe as well. 😉
It was fun and Mom sucks up her nerves to let the little one go wild for a bit.
They just built a new dog park across the street from my church, and it’s fenced in. I’ve never been, but I think I will try it during the week (when it’s not that crowded) and see how they like it, Thanks Emma
We have fun when it is almost all for us, too many dogs means problems. Give it a try and see.
Looks like a brilliant time was had by all. Hopefully if you keep going mum will learn to calm down a little and enjoy it just as much – although you guys will have to not push the limits too far!
She does enjoy it a lot and love seeing us having such a good time, but she is also nervous.
Your park looks awesome. We don’t have any parks like that around here. Glad you and Bailie had fun. Hope Katie is feeling better.
I have to admit, this park is really awesome. It even has a pond that is fenced off so if Mom doesn’t want us to swim we can’t get to it.
That sounds so amazing, I don’t think we have a dog park of that size around here but I would sure love a place I could let Delilah loose and let her run. Most of the parks around here are very small, I don’t think there are any larger than an acre.
Those aren’t so much fun, we like space to really run and not see too many dogs!