Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Jacob, Stop Whining!


     Jacob (one of my French Poodles) has thousands of miles under his belt (collar?) so I don't understand why he's so fussy. But fuss, he does.
     He's whining through the night. He leans up against me when I sit at the dinette, and lays his head on my chest and moans under his breath. Then he raises his paw and plops it over my knee. And looks up at me,  wistfully. Pathetic! 
     I know he's not sick. He just wants to play. With rabbits, squirrels, gophers and groundhogs. He's what I call squirrelly. He just wants to get out of the motor home and run and chase and jump and play.
     So, he whines incessantly. Gee, Jacob. Stop.
     So, I look for a dog park sooner than I thought we'd need one.
     But what do I find? Snobs. And a lot of 'em.
     I find one dog park in Terre Haute and several in St. Louis, but none willing to let a traveling family come in and play unless we bow to extortion. One wants us to pay $10, per dog, then a $10 deposit for the special key that opens the golden gates. For 30 minutes?
     Another wants $25. Per dog. Still another asks $80 for the first dog, then $25 for the second.
     These outrageous fees scream one thing: Keep out. These private-member doggie clubs shun riffraff like us. They serve their own.  Snubbed. We've been snubbed. By big city doggie parks. Hrumpf.
     But wait. What's this I see, tucked outside big-city limits in the sprawling countryside of Troy, MO. A caring veterinary called Troy Hawthorne Animal Clinic, its tidy grounds surrounded by a fence and littered with doggie toys and jumps and tunnels. The Troy Dog Sports Park.
     Jacob squeals.
     And we are welcome to come in and play. No fees required. Just a verbal promise about adequate vaccines and non-aggressive attitudes.
    See the pictures (not many and not great, but it was cold) and you'll see this little park's loads of fun.
    Go to their Web site and you'll see this as one or their core values: "Be guided by the highest level of integrity in our daily work."
    Nothing pathetic about that.

5 comments:

Sonia said...

Something about this is odd... oh, I know. The guy's name is Troy, and he lives in Troy and named the park the Troy park. Either he's definitely found the right place to live, or he's a very self-centered! ;-)

Seriously, though, I can't believe there are that many pay-for-play dog parks!

Nancy K said...

There is no "guy." All the vets, vet tech and office workers are women. Who knew? We've run into a number of pay-to-play places, but the price is usually $2 to $5 per dog.

Celeste Geist said...

I've never heard of "pay to play" regarding dog parks. We have talked with many people at the various dog parks (in FL) but have never been told about paying. Even at $2 or $5. dollars, it seems unfair to those who can't pay for it. Most dog parks are built with tax money. Isn't that enough?
Even so, another well written story of the day.
Asking for another safe and happy travel day tomorrow and a good sleep tonight. The whining should be replaced by a sound sleep!

Sonia said...

OH!! I read "A caring veterinary called Troy Hawthorne" as "veterinarian"! Heheheeeeeee! Even funnier that there aren't any men there ;-).

Linda Sand said...

Love the pictures even though I am not a dog person. It's good to know there are people likes these vets that are, though. It looked like a fun place to spend some time. After all, doesn't everyone appreciate it if their exercise is also fun?