Saturday, April 27, 2013

Happy: What's Up With Dog Parks?

Hi!... I'm Happy... I'm always Happy... That's why they call me Happy!

I gotta tell ya: So far, I'm really enjoying being co-pilot on The Voyage of Macgellan! The best thing about it is that we cover a lot of ground and there are always new smells everywhere. It's kind of like running the Iditarod, but without doing all that running!

I've already got a lot of things figured out, mostly involving sleeping in the truck, sleeping in the camper, sleeping under the camper and sleeping next to the camper. I also get two good meals a day, just like clock-work. I haven't exactly figured out the snack schedule yet, but they come often enough that I don't think I really need to worry about it.

One thing I haven't completely figured out is dog parks, which Macgellan somehow finds for us to visit practically every day. Sometimes it's a small one in our campground, and other times it's a big one in the town we're in. Here you can see me at a huge dog park in Sioux City. I can't really read the sign, but sometimes I like to pretend I can!



I get a lot of attention at dog parks, especially from the boys. I think that's partly because I'm kinda famous, but mostly because I'm so tall, leggy and cute! I wait patiently to let them have their sniffs, but I move away if they get too frisky. Humans at dog parks are easy marks for me, all I have to do is stand near them and they pat me. I love that!

What I don't understand is that there are always loose dogs at these parks. We weren't allowed to be loose dogs back at my old kennel. Well, a couple of the prima donnas like ChaCha and Teddy got to have the run of the place, but most of us didn't. It can be dangerous to have loose dogs running around, especially if they're not as friendly as they ought to be. So, what's up with that?

Anyway, after all the meeting, greeting and sniffing is out of the way, I mostly just kind of wander around reading my pee mail. It's really fun to see what's going on with everyone in the canine nation. Sometimes I'll visit a little with other dogs, but only if I get good vibes from them.



When they start doing the whole "chasing things" routine, I just go back to my own business. Macgellan explains to people that I don't know how to play because I've never done it. Frankly, I don't even know what "play" means. I've spent my life as a working sled dog, and now I'm a retired pet dog. What other kind of dog is there? A play dog? I don't get it.

So, between all the loose dogs, the chasing things and not knowing what play is, dog parks are a bit of a mystery to me. It's seems strange, then, that I find myself enjoying them so much... Hmmm?

All this thinking is exhausting me. It's time for a nap!

1 comment:

Sasha the frisbee queen said...

Wait until you get here and I show you how to have fun in the big front yard with all my gang... Catching frisbees!