10 hours at an author's bbq, 2 hours at the dog park, and an immediate crash from exhaustion, as soon as we came home today:
I always leave time to crawl over to crazy lady, for an evening snuggle on the bed:
Who knew that a once shy and reticent dog could beg for affection?
One of the best, dog friendliest places in Cambridge is a wonderful off leash park called Fresh Pond. It's on the other side of town, but worth the drive. There's a great trail around the big pond, and small ponds available for doggy swims:
I stayed close to crazy lady, the Princess and her mom. I even stood in front of the Princess and warned other dogs away from her, especially when they wanted to jump or chase the Princess on the trail.
Crazy lady called me "the protector" and the Princess' mom was very impressed with my behavior. A stranger said I was "incredibly well behaved" because I was quick to ignore the other dogs and follow my family around the park. Obviously, there were no deer this morning...
I love dog parks. In California, I often romp at this dog park with Isis, Boomer, Phoebe, Popeye, my man Otis, and other mutts. Owners are very responsible, and they understand the difference between "play" and "aggression." In Cambridge? Not so much. Crazy lady calls it the "land of irresponsible dog owners." Many (not all, but most...) Cambridge dog owners believe that magic fairies pick-up poop, doggy waste melts in the snow, and a good body slam constitutes aggressive dog behavior. They also decline to leash their dogs in "leash only" areas, even when the dog is out-of-control and children are playing. I was bitten last year by a spastic Weimaraner at North Point Park, and the owner refused to control his dog. He actually argued with crazy lady over leashing his aggressive animal, and he refused to pick up the dog poop. The Cambridge Animal Control department took the report, but never followed-up. Instead, crazy lady had to listen to a lecture on how Cambridge needed more off leash dog areas on the east side (true) and education programs (also true). If the same thing had happened in California? First, the owner probably would have apologized and leashed his dog. If animal control was involved, they would have fined the dog owner, and given both of us a health and safety notice since I was bitten.
Well, Spring has arrived, and summer is almost here. And the irresponsible Cambridge dog owners? They are popping up, everywhere. We saw the aggressive Weimaraner last week, still running loose at the park and terrorizing small children. Since animal control and the park rangers don't enforce the rules in Cambridge, crazy lady has changed my play schedule. She is taking me to designated dog parks with responsible dog owners, and scheduling play dates with trusted friends. She spends a lot of time educating folks about "herding" behavior, and how my play is "normal" for a dog. She misses the educated and responsible dog owners in California, but I don't mind the Cambridge dog parks and play dates. I love the car rides and spending time with my friends.
And this? 
Definitely not me. What about this? 
Not me. One of crazy lady's geekazoid friends was curious about my heritage, especially since the U.S. and Japanese labs kept saying I was "100% unable to classify as dog." So, she had my blood tested at the Tokyo and Taipei universities. It turns out that I am 78% Southeast Asian dingo (related to the Australian and Thai dingos, but smaller). They still can't identify 22% of my genetic make-up, but the results definitely say Southeast Asian dingo. It makes sense. Some researchers suspect that the Formosan breed is derived from the Southeast Asian dingo. Others disagree, and insist the Formosan dog is more related to Japanese breeds. For now, however, crazy lady has decided to call me a "Formosan dingo."
Great booty shot, huh? And here I am, giving "dingo face" (aka "attitude") to the camera:
We took a stroll around the park, and I chased some balls.
It was too cold to spend a lot of time at the park, so we walked home after 10 minutes. Crazy lady is feeling better, and said the freezing temperatures brought down her fever. She also said "the drugs have definitely kicked in, which makes breathing easier." She hopes to resume her writing schedule by the end of this week. Yeah! A happy crazy lady is a fun-loving dog.
Here I am with studly Boomer, checking out the fascinating smells along the trail:
Sniff, sniff, sniff...a lot of interesting smells!
And tastes:
Overall, a beautiful day with a vibrant blue sky:
Once we returned home, I barely made it to bed:
Finally, we had a Bambi sighting on Friday. The mamma deer was with her little one, and limping. You can't see my bite marks on her hind leg, but you can tell she was having trouble walking. Crazy lady brought me outside, as part of the aversion therapy-- but I refused to take the bait. I stayed by her side, not moving. I knew the deer were in MY back yard, but I was too smart to risk getting shocked. Again.
Crazy lady knows that this picture is blurry, but I was busy running. And running. And running. Can you see the smile on my face, while running? For over 45 minutes, I ran until it was time to chill out & rest.
The big black dog behind me is Victor. He is my protector at the park, and always barks at other dogs who are too aggressive towards me. Oh well. After 90 minutes at the park, it's time for my afternoon nap. I'm exhausted...
Posts
All Comments
