Bella got her groove back

frisbee1, originally uploaded by phaird.

The hard part about a busy park is that there is always a ball or frisbee thief running around. Well with the colder weather keeping a few people away the park hasn't been to busy. So Bella got a section to to the park all to her self. She got to chase the frisbee as much as she wanted without too many distraction. She had a little competition but over all, she was up and jumping till she finally got tired.

The thing that we thin skinned dog owners have to remember is that most dogs love to be outside where they can run and play. Rain, snow or freezing cold won't slow down most dogs. Once they get out and get moving, most really love it. Even my dog Toby who has a thin coat won't wear any clothes to keep him warm because he would rather be free. I know it's not true for all but I'm always amazed how happy dogs are when they are bounding through the snow. I have to remind myself on those cold, snowy windy Sundays that Toby wants to go out and run free even if I've got to wear a few extra layers.

Back at Waverly

vizsla, originally uploaded by phaird.

Friday, I had to drive into work in Boston. On the way home, since I had Toby with me, we stopped at Waverly Oaks park in Waltham. This was the first park I would take Toby to when we lived in Watertown. Toby LOVED it. He ran and played with all the evening dogs who were showing up.

We met this Vizsla puppy and her owner. They get to come to this park every night. He use to have dog walkers but, like everyone else, he had to cut back so he started bringing the dog to Waverly. They both love it and his 11 month old really needs it. It's the best way to get her energy out.

Like Acton, there are lots of regulars and lots of beautiful dogs. Next time I get a chance, I'm going to go back and spend some more time. Toby really loved it. Even after not going there for over a year, and being covered in snow, he still remembered the park as his favorite place.

waiting in snow

waiting in snow, originally uploaded by phaird.

Today was another week of fresh snow on Sunday. This week though, it was coming down hard all day. No one was on the road except plows and the hard core dog lovers. Even all the local churches were closed due to snow but that didn't stop a few dog lovers from showing up today.

Toby wasn't having any of it though. Unlike this dog and the few other dogs who were there, Toby was eager to get home. The snow was up to his chest so he had to bound over it to move. That on top of his fear of the park has made it much harder. I'm hoping that a few nice winter days will make up for this and he'll get back in a groove again. I won't give up on him.

To be fair, I was being a baby about being their too. I didn't want my camera getting wet so I didn't mind Toby wanting to leave early.

I did get to meet a couple who are going to be putting a website together to promote Delaney Park for dogs. I think it will be good to get the word out. Delaney has gotten a bad rap for dogs and their owners or walkers because of a few bad owners who don't pick up after their dogs. I'm hoping that with good information, the city and park users will come to a good conclusion.

Winter wonderland

givin the look, originally uploaded by phaird.

With a fresh powder of snow, the park was beautiful. The snow only ended a few hours before so it hadn't been disturbed at all. Toby and got there early again to head up into the hills for a walk. It made for easier time for him. He wasn't too bad after that.

I missed seeing all the Aussie's. Blue and Jake weren't there by the time I left. Blue is still having some issues and has started yet another round of treatment. There is a lot of people sending positive thoughts to Blue and his family.

Bella wasn't there either. Just timing. The look of bad weather can keep some people away but really, most dogs love running in the snow. I'm not always wild about it but even Toby, who can be a baby about getting his feet wet, really loves running in fresh fluffy snow.

First visit of the new year

Oli and Aaron at park, originally uploaded by phaird.

Happy 2009. Sunday was a perfect winter day. It was cold but the sun was shinning and it wasn't windy. It was one of the nicest days at the park in the past few weeks.

Toby was much better today. I showed up about 20 minutes early when only a few dogs were at the park. He was a little nervous but he walked in, did his business, and we did a quick walk through the woods. When we came back out, he was happy and ran and played with other dogs. I was really nervous. I didn't want him to start attacking everyone again. He was good though. Running and wagging his tail.

By 10:30 or so he was heading toward the parking lot and letting me know he was ready to go.

On the way out, I got to meet Aaron and his new dog Oli. He's a neighbor who just adopted his dog a few months back. He runs a fun little blog called Tea and food. Check it out.