Unbound

Portland's dedicated and fenced dog parks are a boon to dog owners like me. Safe from motor vehicle traffic, they provide a place where we can allow our dogs off leash to run as fast as they can and play with other dogs. If a dog is social and he or she likes to be with other canines, it can be a great experience for everyone.

The human beings at dog parks, me included, tend to stand around with chuck-its and/or lattes in hand while dogs romp. I reap satisfaction seeing my dog-friends' floppy-lipped smiles as they race to meet new canine playmates. When tongues hang to the ground, I know they've met their activity quotient - though I have not met mine. I can head home with dogs who are tired and happy.

Another kind of pleasure greets me when we leave the confines of postage-stamp parks behind and strike out into the wilder world. Free of leashes, dogs can run as fast as their legs will take them or stop to smell the roses. Okay - no roses are ever involved, nor rosy smells either. But my canines love to explore. Noses all a-twitch, they zip hither and yon whenever we find a new venue safe for hiking together.

Chances to get the exercise I need and opportunities to explore the natural world are something I could not live without. Being limited every day to the parameters of an official dog park might help me to spring a gasket or two. I wonder if dogs feel the same - a need to stretch not only legs, but eyes and minds, and in their case, noses. With a long view down the river's edge, the worries of the day can fade into the background. I like to breath hard and feel my muscles work, it brings me fully into the present moment. In the meantime, the dogs race and screech to halts, roll in smelly dead stuff, sniff out fascinating messages in holes and under logs. Soon I've cleared the cobwebs from my mind, shaken off the day's stress, and chuckled at canine antics. Like my beloved canine buddies, I can return home dog-tired.

While I'm lovin' the dog parks, I love to escape them too.