There is a neighborhood near my house where just about every household has at least one dog. Some of them even have two or three dogs. As a result, not only is the neighborhood very noisy, but it is also very dog friendly.
My neighbors are mostly getting up there in age. The dogs around here seem to fall into two categories - lap dogs or barely old enough to climb up and down their front steps. I know my dog is rather lonely and bored.
Awhile ago, as I was walking my dog through the next neighborhood, I started thinking, “wouldn’t it be nice if I could introduce my dog to some of these dogs?” I turned a corner and right before me was this brand new dog park roped off in the middle of a popular park.
On the inside of the fence surrounding this dog park, there were about a dozen dogs running free from their dog leashes with one another. They were jumping and dancing and having a great time.
I took my dog to the gate and he just couldn’t contain his excitement. As soon as I let him run free inside the gate, he ran straight to the middle of the pack. I huddled around the fence with the other doggy parents as we watched our pups play with their dog toys.
I started making friends with the other “regular” dog owners after about a week of taking my dog to the dog park. We started making plans to go out for coffee once or twice a week to a shop nearby where we could sit outside with our dogs.
Now, several months later, we all gather together in the park to take our dogs for walks with us to the local coffee shop. We take outings with the dogs, like to the river, and spend time with other dogs in the park. Dog walking has turned out to be a great way for me to find new friends and develop several long term friendships.
My dog now always looks for and expects his new people friends to join us when we’re walking alone. As soon as I take him off the leash, he runs as fast as he can to the doggy park! We feel so lucky to be in such a dog-friendly neighborhood where there are so many like-minded families.