Little moments from the dog park that might make you stop, think… and say, “Huh. I never thought of it that way.”

Smart Park… at the Dog Park

You and your dog have had a lovely time at the park. You head out the gate, walk across the grass toward the parking lot, and there it is—your trusty vehicle, waiting to take you home.

There is just one small problem.

You can’t get your dog into it.

While you were playing at the park, two other vehicles arrived and parked cozily beside yours. Very cozily. Human-scooch-through-the-door cozily.

And perhaps you can scooch through the door.

Your 80-pound dog cannot.

Not every large dog enters an SUV through the back. 

Or maybe it's a car with no hatchback.

Some dogs have been trained to jump through a side door. And doing that safely requires the door to open fully. Not every person can lift a large dog into a vehicle, either. Nor does everyone carry a ramp or set of steps for a dog who normally hops quite happily into the back seat.

So, there you stand. Dog: ready to go home. Vehicle: right there. Door: technically opens.

Useful opening: approximately seven inches.

Meanwhile, the people who parked beside you may be enjoying a leisurely stroll around Carrie Blake Park. Perhaps they've gone for a picnic. Perhaps they have begun an entirely new life somewhere beyond the duck pond.

You don't know.

You only know that you and your dog aren't going anywhere until somebody comes back. 😂

It actually happens more than you think.

Here's the funny thing: our parking area generally has plenty of room. This isn't downtown Seattle at lunchtime. There's rarely a prize for fitting three vehicles into space that could comfortably accommodate four doors opening.

So perhaps, when we pull into the dog park, there's one small thing worth noticing before we turn off the engine:

Could the person beside me open their door all the way?

Not because every dog needs that much room.

Because somebody's does.

Sometimes being considerate at the dog park begins before we ever reach the gate. 🐾

Sequim Dog Park is strictly off-leash.

That's exactly why hanging your leash by the gate can seem like a perfectly sensible idea.

You won't need it in the park, right?

Well...

We have a saying:

Leash up and leave.

Sometimes an unfamiliar dog enters and things suddenly don't feel comfortable.

Sometimes play gets too rough. Sometimes your dog—who is, naturally, a perfect little angel-decides that today is the day to have an issue with another dog.

Whatever the reason, there are moments when the best thing to do is simply leash up and leave.

Except your leash is hanging on the fence.

At the entrance.

At the other end of the park.

So now, instead of calmly putting the leash on your dog and heading out, you have to walk all the way to the gate, retrieve the leash, come all the way back, find your dog again...and then leash up and leave.

Meanwhile, the situation you wanted to leave has had plenty of time to become more interesting.

So perhaps that leash isn't something to leave behind after all.

Carry it. Tuck it in a pocket. Loop it around yourself.

Wear it as an extremely unfashionable belt. We won't judge. 😉

Just keep it with you.

Because when it's time to leash up and leave, it helps enormously to have the leash.

Just a thought. 🐾