'Pawsitive' Local Shopping: Lakewood Dog Park

Good dog owners want to keep their dogs happy and healthy. We look for the right foods help them look and feel great. Great dog owners try to teach them to be friendly and polite. And of course, we do our best to give them activities that provide them and us with the fun and exercise they need. This ranges from walks and fetch, to games and dog playtimes. An obvious method of getting our play on with our four legged family members is to go to the park with them. Before 2002, this option simply wasn't. Lakewood has one of the highest densities of dog owners in the United States but at the turn of the new millenia a bark couldn't be heard from a single park. A group of citizens decided that this wasn't an option and FIDO was born.

Friends of the Ideal Dog-park Off-leash (FIDO), now Friends of the Lakewood Dog Park (FLDP,) lobbied, collected hundreds of signatures and raised thousands of dollars. Through their combined effort and that of a the City of Lakewood Lakewood Dog Park was born. After attending some classes, my housemates little white puppy's first experience in real world dog socializing was there. She zipped around and learned to be a dog. This was long enough ago that I remember why the park can't be covered in grass. It's because it literally can't. It was in the beginning, a beautiful field of grass, which quickly with ample rain became a dismal brown pudding of mud. Watching the little white dog become a little brown dog sliding all over the place was funny the first time but a new solution was needed. This is part of an ongoing story of the Lakewood Dog Park. While we play and have fun with ours and each other's dogs there are a small group of volunteers that have fought and figured to keep the good times rolling.

FLDP has helped to manage multitude of challenges over the last decade. They have tried to come up with rules and tips to keep the park safe for dogs and people alike. They fought and eventually won as a small amount of Rocky River residents tried to send them home with their tails between their legs. FLDP has done their best get more parking over the years. Of course, FLDP always has the added stress of carrying the financial load of running a dog park.

FLDP raises money through fundraisers, t-shirt and membership sales. This week FLDP is giving you plenty of ways to help out while having a good time.

Tomorrow, Thursday, June 14th from 5pm till 8pm at the Pet-Tique they are having a Pet Parent Yappy Hour. For a request mere $5 dollars you can get food from Wrap Stars, beverages from the Rocky River Wine Bar, your dog's nails clipped by Inn the Dog House and dog photos by David Uschold. If you don't think that's enough there will be fabulous gift basket raffles as well. Bring your well behaved four legged family member as well for no extra charge!

For those of you that may not have time to stop by on Thursday and those of you that do FLDP is hosting a “Pet Parent's” SPIRIT DAY celebration at Lakewood Dog Park from 10am till 3pm this Sunday, June 17th. You should bring your pups and FLDP clothes. If you don't have your own FLDP shirt you'll be able to purchase one at the event and a membership as well! As new parts to this event emerge I'll add them in the comments section below this article.

The Lakewood Dog Park has been a part of our community for a decade and for that many of our dog owners will be eternally grateful. Dogs will always be a major part of the lives of many of our residents and it's organizations like this that allow them to be as large of a part of our community as they are of our own personal community. I would like to thank FLDP for all your hard work and would like to preemptively thank my readers that are able to help them out and have a good time this week and of course thank all the people that have been helping them be such a great success as well. That being said I wanted add a couple tips on how to have a lot of safe fun when visiting the dog park.

There are plenty of tips and rules that you should all read either on FLDP's website, http://lakewooddogpark.org, or on the large signs posted. But the most important lessons to remember are to pay attention to your dog and be respectful. You know your dog better than anyone else. If he's scared of a situation he's in remove him and ask the dogs owner to let your dog have a little space as you do. If your dog's getting too aggressive in his play, especially if he may be crossing the line in which he wouldn't be listening to you, remove him from the situation so that he can get himself back under control. Don't let him be a nuisance, keep him from barking too much or digging and of course clean up after him, because if you don't then FLDP will have to clean up your mess afterward. Of course, if you aren't at a point where you can trust your dog around other dogs and trust that your dog will listen to and return to you, then you should continue your training before coming to the dog park. Basically, make sure you are and can take care of the dog(s) you bring with you so that everyone can enjoy themselves. Along with these tips remember that a dog on leash or being carried in the dog park will draw more excitement and aggression from the dog and other dogs. Also, this is a dog park, if you bring your children they need to stay calm, ask for permission before interacting with any dog and shouldn't play with the gravel (it's full of urine). And because I don't want to end this on that, don't bring treats, cats or other things that all the dogs will want to put in the their mouths it causes more chaos, allergies and damage then it's worth.

I hope you and your furry family members have a pawsitively great week and enjoy this beautiful weather!

Pet Parent Yappy Hour at Pet-Tique

10906 Clifton Blvd.

Cleveland, OH 44102

Thursday, June 14th 2012

5pm - 8pm

Pet Parent's SPIRIT DAY

Lakewood Dog Park

1699 Metropark Dr

Lakewood, OH 44107

Sunday, June 17th 2012

10am - 3pm