After a frigid 35-degree night (Savannah slept with her pink sweater on) the sun came out this morning and the temperature soared into the high 50s and Gary and I took Savannah to the dog park this afternoon after lunch.
Probably because it was Sunday, there were more dogs at the park than we'd ever seen there before at one time. Mostly all of the dog-owners have more than just one dog. (Ah, that four-letter word: just.) Most of the dogs came in pairs or in threes, and after noticing that, my husband whispered to me "Maybe Savannah needs a sister." That remark of his took a few seconds to register on my cold-addled brain, but when I realized what he said, my answer was "No way. Savannah is perfectly fine being an only dog."
Actually, you could say that Savannah has a brother--- Sweet Pea, our inside cat. They get along famously, except when Sweet Pea takes a sip or two of water out of Savannah's bowl, or when that cat sniffs at Savannah's dog kibble. I doubt very much that Sweet Pea would be interested in taking a bite of the dog food, but Savannah needs to learn to share the water in that big bowl of hers. Sweet Pea does indeed have his own water bowl, but I think it's a challenge to that cat to 'steal' some of Savannah's water.
The dogs today in the big-dog park were all sizes, given that mostly all of the people came with one big dog and one small dog, or one big dog and two smaller dogs. Taking a large dog into the small-dog park is not allowed, but taking little dogs into the big-dog park is perfectly fine. The park was so busy today that all three sections were very busy (big-dog park, small-dog park, and the obstacle course area).
Savannah will go up to all the dogs she sees, but she does this cautiously, and if the other dog gives the slightest sign of being an alpha-dog, Savannah quickly backs down and assumes the second-place spot with that particular dog. I took note that none of the other dogs (not even the little ones) were wearing sweaters, so I was wise to leave Savannah's hot-pink sweater at home. As for her hot-pink velvet leash, that is what it is, and I have no qualms about showing that off at the park. Although I did notice that when my husband took Savannah's leash off her today, he put that pink leash into his pocket. When I bought that leash, my husband said he didn't mind walking Savannah with a pink leash, but no one sees him around our roads here. The dog park, however, is a different story and guys will be guys... so into his pocket went that very colorful and feminine-looking leash.
The people in the dog park are a friendly yet distant crowd... everyone wants to know what your dog's name is, some people ask how old the dog is, and others ask if the dog is 'fixed.' There was a huge Chocolate Lab at the park today (named Jake) and his owner kept throwing a yellow tennis ball into the swimming pool and Jake kept jumping in to not only get it, but swim around some in that cold water. Jake was having a high old time and Savannah was watching him retrieve that ball and swim around the pool, and I was just hoping beyond all hope that she wouldn't jump into that water today. I had forgotten to bring the towel with us, not even thinking about the possibility of Savannah getting into that water on such a cold day. Savannah didn't jump into the pool when Jake was in there, but as we were making our way towards the gate, she did wade into the shallow end of the pool and she stuck her head into the water to get a drink, splashing some of the water all over her legs and tail, and then she did it all over again just for the fun of it. When she got out of the pool, the bottom half of her was all wet and dripping. We walked around in the sun for a bit after that so she would have time to dry off before getting into the car.
I think Savannah knows when we're bringing her to the park... she sits up on the back seat of my husband's car, extremely alert, and she watches the road and the cars and everything else she can see. When we make the turn into the gravel driveway of the dog park, she stands up on all four legs and looks out of that window and seems to recognize the huge piece of property the park sits on. Without a doubt, she's "as happy as a clam" (as my dad would say) when we open the back door so she can get out and run into that park.
We usually spend about an hour inside the dog park, and depending on how many dogs are there, Savannah is either exhausted when we come out or just excited. Because of the great number of dogs there today (mostly all of them wanting to run and play with one another) Savannah was definitely exhausted when we left the park. She curled up to sleep on the back seat during the drive home, then I walked her when we got home, and ever since we got into the house, she has been in one of her favorite napping spots--- stretched out on the TV room sofa.
My husband thought Savannah's fur felt a little cool, so he took off his sweatshirt and covered her up with it. She didn't move, clearly liking the extra soft layer. There is no doubt in my mind that Savannah is a spoiled little (big) Puppy Princess, and she doesn't seem to mind. And we don't mind either. But we're still not getting her a sister.
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