Akron Dog Park

School is finally out and Akron's Dog Park is where we are headed for summer human and canine fun! This is a wonderful fenced facility for dogs to run off leash and play with other canine pals. There's a water fountain for both dogs and humans, and ample supplies of plastic bags for waste removal.

Some people don't pick up after their dogs, which is a crying shame. You'd think that pet owners who go to the trouble of packing up their dog and taking them to this special park could give back in this one small way.

But that's my only quibble after four days of using the park. We've met some really nice folks and their dogs.

Yesterday, we met a very nice family,with two dogs and two kids, a young girl and her brother who were very knowledgeable about dogs. The girl tries to guess the type for each dog she meets. She guessed that Hamlet was a cross between a dalmatian and a collie. Not a bad guess! She told me all about their dog, a very large shepherd mix named Panzer, after a German tank.

We did run into a way too boisterous dog that bowled over Hamlet upon arrival. It looked like a boxer-rottie mix. I moved quickly to calm the dogs and let them sniff and go through the rituals of dog greetings. Hamlet trotted off and the big dog jumped on him again, knocking him to the ground. Hamlet yelped his dismay and got up limping. The boxer dog's owners, a man and a woman, finally got up off their bench and leashed up the dog to take him away. They sort of apologized by saying their dog was overly hyper. Yeah, right -- so why not do something about that -- like finding a trainer to work with them, rather than taking the dog to a public dog park where it can continue knocking over smaller dogs. At least they followed the park rules and took their dog away since they couldn't control it.

Hamlet really likes the two pugs that show up every morning. He thinks they are Shetland sheep, and he tries very hard to herd them. However, they don't care to be herded and look at him like he is some kind of crazy mutt!




















I found a website that lists many of Ohio's dog parks. Some of these parks have pools and fountains to cool your dog off on a hot day. Many of them have separate areas for small and large dogs. It strikes me that one could have a very fun summer, checking out dog parks around the state. Here's the site -- maybe we'll see you at one of these parks this summer!

Leaving you with an image of a happy dog who has had his exercise and now just wants to hang out in the shade!