Fun and Games at the Dog Park

by sbucciarel Banned

Posted: 9 years ago 15 replies

OFF TOPIC

I didn't even think of taking my own pics, but I found a dog park nearby for Walker and Buddy to get their exercise in. Never seen one like it before. It is an entire wooded acre fenced off and fronting the lake .... retrievers swimming and other dogs too, dogs running til they drop with the pack, beautiful property ... all part of a larger county park with swimming, boating, fishing, etc.

Here's some pics.

HeySal

9 years ago

Beautiful place. You're back east right? I imagine it's hard back there to find decent places close by for dogs. Seems almost everything back there is private land. That's one of the reasons I live in the west - areas like that are just called "outside".

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Sal
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sbucciarel

Banned 9 years ago

Originally Posted by HeySal

We live on a place like that - 5 wooded acres, but the fencing is some very old barbed wire fencing, not appropriate for keeping dogs in. This county has 5 or 6 county parks like this one. This is farmland here, rural, and near Charlottesville, VA there are just tons of dog friendly places in the outdoors.

Dogs had a blast. It will be a regular spot for them to play now. Quite a thrill to see all the big dogs running after each other and plunging into the lake and having a great time.

Buddy, the Westie ... he's anti-social (not aggressive) and could care less about other dogs, so he just meanders around on his own. lol.

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Kay King

9 years ago

Those lake picture certainly look like Virginia! Went to school there long ago - what a beautiful state it is.

I love that dog part - a real open space rather than a little bare lot you see so many places.

Any dog would love that space.

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sbucciarel

Banned 9 years ago

Originally Posted by Kay King

Yeah ... when I lived in Reston, VA, the dog park was just a long chain link fenced area, bare ground, no shade...just a place for dogs to just run and socialize with other dogs. I used it to just socialize Buddy ... but this one is great. It has a beach area with sand in front of another section of the lake where I'll drop my daughter and granddaughter off for swimming while I'm at the dog park. It has a pier and a boat launch too ... I plan on trying out the fishing there. They stock the lake.

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pertree

9 years ago

Originally Posted by sbucciarel

Hi. You have a Westie, me too. You're the first Westie owner I've encountered. Nobody in my small town has one. Can I ask if Buddy has itching problems, particularly in summer when he's outside a lot. And, if so, how do you remedy? I love my westie, super smart and a great personality.

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AprilCT

9 years ago

Originally Posted by pertree

Our pup isn't a Westie, but just wanted to say that perhaps he's got some flea problems? It might not be much or enough to actually see on the dog, but it is definitely possible. Take a fine tooth comb gently to the area (or even check several areas). There should be some hair on it.

Get a dry paper towel, place the contents of the comb on it and cover with a wet paper towel. Smash the wet towel against the hair and hold it. Open and if you see some little red spots, you squished some fleas. Probably should get some of the skin-applied meds for ticks and fleas from your vet, who is supposed to have the safe kind, and dosages probably differ for different kinds and sizes of dogs.

On the other hand, perhaps your westie has a grass/pollen/dust/trees/etc. allergy? Our pup gets generic Benedryl, but your vet has to give you dosage info specifically for your dog. Our big girl gets just a small dosage no more than every other day unless she needs it, and we stop giving it to her when she doesn't.

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sbucciarel

Banned 9 years ago

Originally Posted by pertree

Buddy gets his short hairdo for the summer. I let it stay longer for the winter. If Buddy gets one flea on him in summer, he literally rips his own hair out and chews at the spot where he gets bit. Buddy is pretty much an indoor dog. He doesn't like the heat and fleas. Buy Advantix or Front Line for flea and tick protection and regular flea shampoos for summer. Westies are a little prone to allergies, so that might also be an issue, but with Buddy, fleas are the biggest problem.

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HeySal

9 years ago

As used as my boys all were to our wild area "goes" - they would have all loved that park, too. Ricky really enjoyed the dog parks in Bend. Sometimes we all need to get a little social. The dog parks out in Central OR weren't as pretty as these, but one of them had a river for the dogs to swim in, and they always all had a good time at their playground. Just down the road was open space for them to go with their owners, too, so best of both worlds.

I've only been to Virginia once, and I wouldn't have guessed that pic to have been Virginia. My uncle lived nearer to the ocean I guess. It does look a lot prettier than I remember it, though.

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Sal
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sbucciarel

Banned 9 years ago

Originally Posted by HeySal

With the exception of places like VA Beach and Myrtle Beach, etc., Virginia is known as the Green State. Lots of trees and green grass.

I lived in Reston, VA, which is basically a place for people to live who commute to DC to work every day. Best public transportation to DC you could ask for but basically just an overpriced, yuppified existence.

Charlottesville, VA is a whole different ballgame. All the counties around here are purely rural and you don't get into city madness, congestion and crowds until you hit Fredericksburg. Even the town of Charlottesville, home of UVA and the UVA Hospital has miles of trails and outdoor rural and historic places and lots of trees.

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Kay King 9 years ago

I lived in Buena Vista - Shenandoah Valley - Blue Ridge Parkway...gorgeous!

My old dorm:
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Saving one dog will not change the world - but the world changes forever for that one dog
***
It actually doesn't take much to be considered a 'difficult woman' -
that's why there are so many of us.
...jane goodall
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- sbucciarel Banned 9 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Kay King
  
  I lived in Buena Vista - Shenandoah Valley - Blue Ridge Parkway...gorgeous!
  
  That's a beautiful place. Our view of the Blue Ridge Mtns from here looks like this
  
  And in fall many roadways around here look like this
  
  ... even the bigger roadways are lined with trees and color.
  
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Jack Gordon 9 years ago

That is one nice dog park.

Several years back, when my beagle/lab mix was alive, we brought him to a place kind of like that.

Sampson didn't look like a beagle or a lab. He was medium sized, but really skinny. He was neutered, but had the biggest set of kojones you could imagine (all in his mind, of course). He was as gentle as could be... with people.

If you were another animal, though, he had this Napoleon complex that was utterly mystifying for a dog his size.

He would run up to dogs twice his size and get in their space. If they didn't like it, well, let's just say we didn't last too long before being invited to leave (of course, we had come to the same conclusion on our own).

We had another dog - an aussie/lab mix who had herding instincts. She was really smart. It was hilarious to watch her run interference between Sampson and his intended conquest. It got to a point where she wouldn't let him get close to any other dog in that place - for his own good.

Where have you been hiding, Suzanne? This place needs you
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- Kay King 9 years ago
  
  I think Suzanne is like a lot of us - tired of being slammed upstairs so hanging around in the OT most of the time.
  
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  Signature
  
  Saving one dog will not change the world - but the world changes forever for that one dog
  ***
  It actually doesn't take much to be considered a 'difficult woman' -
  that's why there are so many of us.
  ...jane goodall
  
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- sbucciarel Banned 9 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Jack Gordon
  
  Where have you been hiding, Suzanne? This place needs you
  
  My last thread upstairs was allowed to be trashed and closed by the Pet Warrior Forum Troll. Haven't posted another thread up there since. Sick of the spam, the link dropping, the pet trolls, the incomprehensible posts. So I post here ... just general chit chat. But thanks for asking.
  
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Jack Gordon 9 years ago

Yeah, I understand. Too bad for everyone.
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Fifteen Lessons I have learned over 15 years and six businesses (or, My 1000th-Post Manifesto)
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