Going to the dogs

by Brie There is a dog park within a five-minute walk from our house. We always walk by it when we go to pick up the husband from work. Recently I realized the wisdom of walking there and stopping.

The dog park is part of a larger park. On one side is a sidewalk and on the other side is a field leading to a play structure. Both sides offer optimal viewing. And if we visit both sides of the dog park I can prolong the experience even more!

Once we arrive at one side of the fence I like to let my three-year old daughter and nineteen month old son out. They like to peek through the chain link fence and walk along it. This also allows them to follow a dog from one end of the park to the other and burn off some energy.

My son has a deep love of dogs. From afar. He will screech happily as he watches them run around the park but if they come anywhere near the fence he will back up cautiously until he is hiding behind my legs. As soon as they wander away again his face is pressed right back up against the fence.

Yes, a visit to the dog park is a great thing to do with my kids. And if I grab a coffee from the cafe around the corner I am happy to let them watch frolicking dogs for as long as they want.

Brie is the mom of a 3.5 year old daughter “the girl” and eighteen month old son “the boy”. You can read her blog at Capital Mom.