Oops! I read to the end, I swear, but I neglected to talk about myself!
In fact, I did have a great weekend. I went to my old haunts, Brooklyn NY. My daughter lives there now, in a building I own and once operated a food business in. It felt very much like being home again. I didn't expect that. I hadn't been able to go for years, ever since my son got really sick and I couldn't leave him for long. My daughter had a medical procedure scheduled and asked me to be there. I drove nearly 7 hours, anxious about having to be in a hospital setting again. I've had quite enough of that, as I believe you understand well. Her procedure went better than expected though, so that was a relief.
But the BEST thing about the trip was very unexpected. I'd heard that the neighborhood, Park Slope, was a great neighborhood for dogs. Indeed there are a great many dogs on the sidewalks (and pregnant women, another thing Park Slope is known for), and they are all well-behaved, and friendly on leash. I noted these things, because where I live, dogs are poorly behaved and it's hard to walk my dog on leash because many of the dogs can be aggressive. There's no dog park here, so I have always thought the problem is that the dogs have nowhere to socialize, to sort out what good and bad behaviors are for themselves.
Well, Park Slope borders a gorgeous 526 acre park, Prospect Park. Dogs are allowed off leash in the entire park from 9pm to 1am, then again from 5am to 9am! I took my pooch there, not knowing what to expect, and what we found was dog heaven! Hundreds of dogs in sight, whichever way you look. There may have been thousands in the park at one time. All off leash. I spent nearly four hours there over the weekend and did not see one single altercation between dogs. Not one. They've even got little ponds they can swim in! The people are all happy, friendly, and oddly healthy looking, and the dogs are ecstatically happy! My Hazel has not socialized much (I take her to dog parks everywhere we go, but there is not one anywhere near where we live) and I was worried, but she did great. She could pick and choose which other dogs to hang out with. It was quite amazing to watch her choose. Makes me think humans could make better choices, more personal choices, regarding whose company they want to keep.
Thank you for asking. I got to tell you about my four hours of bliss.
That is great news and UI am sure that she appreciates you being there with her. Must be scary and create anxiety for her also.
:D Why?
Why are they healthy looking - is it that they get out more with their dogs do you think? And it is great to see happy dogs.
And I wonder if it is the same for dogs, where the choices they make determine a lot of their behavior.
Here, dogs are allowed off-leash in some circumstances, but in general, the dogs are well behaved. Finns are outdoorsy people and since the dogs have to be inside dogs, they tend to train them relatively well. Most are not an issue, but sometimes people are getting dogs they can't handle.
Why are there so many pregnant women? Park Slope has many schools, both private and public, playgrounds all over the place, a beautiful park, children's shops, pet stores, ice creams shops, after school programs, children's art services... It really is a great place to raise kids. And dogs.
Perhaps happiness promotes health. It makes sense to me. But it sure doesn't hurt that so many of them take a walk in a gorgeous park most mornings. I immediately noticed that there is very little obesity in that neighborhood. Nearly everyone looks pleasant and fit.
My daughter has had so many colonoscopies that they are all in a day for her. I was far more nervous about it than she was, especially since the doctor was going to try to stretch a stricture while in there. This was successful and has ameliorated her constant state of nauseous. I myself will never do one again - once was quite enough, thank you. Sadistic I try not to do.