Dog parks are good for the neighborhood

Realty experts are saying that dog parks are a good thing.

An article in Realty Times says that dog parks within walkable distances from their new homes are important to home buyers.

The article says, in part:

Many first-time and repeat home buyers in suburban and urban communities want to include a nearby dog park as a day-to-day way to integrate their favored pooch into their next hood.

It also gives tips about what to look for in a dog park and some do's and don'ts (i.e., etiquette) when visiting dog parks.

I'm a great fan of dog parks. I would take Kate to the dog run at the American Museum of Natural History about two blocks from our apartment in Manhattan a couple of times a day when I first got her. Remember, a tired dog is a happy owner.

I wish there were a dog run near where we live in the City of Poughkeepsie. Kate and I would be there in a second.

But dog runs aren't for everyone. I remember going to the run in Riverside Park in Manhattan one Saturday morning, just for a change of pace. It was much smaller than the one near the museum.

Kate was playing with a collie and they were both mouthing each other's necks. The collie's owner broke up the play session a couple of minutes after it started. She said my Kate was showing her teeth and that was bad for her dog. She neglected to mention that her collie was doing the same thing and neither dog was making physical contact with their teeth. In situations like this, it is best to just walk away.

Of course, there was the time that a dog owner — bear in mind, this was in neurotic New York — that got upset with me that Kate intercepted a tossed ball that was meant for her dog. Jeeze, they are dogs. Cut them some slack.

Here's a vid of a civilized dog park in St. Louis.