Sniffs, Wags, and New Beginnings: Athena's Dog Park Debut

Hello my Lovelies,

Isabelle here! Welcome back to another post here at PawzandProse.blog. Since we’ve been slowly easing into our new topics here since our revamp, I don’t want us straying too far from the true star and muse of this blog and that is, well… me of course!  😂😆😁… ok ok so I have Athena, and I’m sure many of you, giving me the stink eye here…LOL!

Just kidding my lovelies! Just a little fun to start our time together this week 😉 as we all know the real shining star and the reason behind the inspiration for the creation of this blog is 🥰😍 our one and only favorite fur sausage and four-pawed princess 👑 Athena. Athena woofs “you got that right mommy, and don’t you and my wonderful furends forget it!” 😝

We have a fun topic for you guys today on which, as always, you will be getting my perspective as well as the little one’s point of view. Let’s go ahead and talk about Thena’s first time at a dog park. As many of you know from one of my first posts, for many reasons, I was very wary and hesitant to socialize Athena too soon Ahem mainly parvo shivers; however, now that the little one is nearing her 2nd birthday, sniff sniff she’s growing up way too fast for comfort sniff sniff, we’ve been working extra hard to get her out of the house to see other people as well as other dogs. Even though she’s used to her daily walks and is used to being outdoors, there was one specific place she had never stepped paws in… a dog park!

A few weekends ago, I decided I wanted to do something extra special with my furry little one and thought it would be a perfect time to introduce her to a dog park. As I said, she does get to see people and other dogs on a daily basis; however, its usually just as they pass by on our walks (maybe slightly longer if they stop briefly to say a proper hello). I figured a dog park would be an amazing way for her to make new dog friends as well as tire her out. My only fear was that, since she is close to two years old and had never been to a dog park, I was uncertain on how she would react to strange dogs and strange people around her while off the leash in an unclosed area. Normally, she is ok with dogs and wary with people; however, as with any animal, this could be a hit or miss at times; thus, making her mood/personality a little hard to gauge on who she is going to bark at.

Nonetheless, I decide to bite the bullet with her that Saturday and my dad and I took her to a dog park less than 5 minutes away from our home. Due to the fear I had about how she would react, I decided that I would keep her on the leash for the first few minutes to gauge her comfort level and mood. We walked into the small dog section of the park and off we went to do a couple rounds around the perimeter of the park. For the first few dog friends we met, I had her on the leash and allowed them to sniff her and vice versa. I slowly started giving her freedom after seeing that she was acclimating to her surroundings. I first removed her leash but kept her harness in on in case of an emergency. After seeing that she was more on the shy side and wanted to keep near us in the shade under the bench we were sitting, I removed her harness. A few dogs came up to say hello and she also did well, at which point I decided to walk on the grass with her to get her comfortable. Once she followed me and started getting curious sniffing her surroundings, I went back and sat down. Every time she would come up to us, I would tell her “Go play” so that she would know it was ok to go and enjoy time with her new four-legged furends. All this to say that her first visit was a COMPLETE success despite my initial hesitation upon arrival.

After I saw how much fun she had play chasing other dogs and how much she enjoyed a proper day out in her element, we went back that Sunday as well as the full weekend after. Side note/tangent here If anyone knows the answer to this question, I’d greatly appreciate knowing lol as I don’t pretend to be an expert by any means. Do dogs recognize their own breed? The reason I ask it because Athena can be playing with a doggo and having the time of her life but, as soon as another Dachshund comes in, she clings to them like glue! She’ll start chasing them, wanting to play with them, sniffing them, etc. I’m super curious if any of you lovelies have had a similar experience?

My lovelies, I wanted to share this experience because this is another thing that we dog moms have in common with our human mom counterparts. This experience was so heartwarming to me and, as cliché or as dumb as this may sound, being able to experience a park through my little Thena’s eyes was something I wouldn’t trade for the world. To see her not be bored at home but, instead running around, making little friends and just with a little doggie smile on her face melted my heart and made it all worth it. Our fur babies’ lives really are too short and to be able to provide them with days and experiences like this while we can enjoy them is absolutely priceless. If you haven’t taken your little one to the dog park or haven’t taken them in a while… on behalf of all of them… its time! If you don’t have a dog park, that’s ok too! Take a few minutes to take the around the neighborhood, play fetch with them, or have the best cuddle with them. Remind them how much they mean to you and let them know you’re proud to be part of their pack (yes, our doggos do indeed see us as their pack leaders which is why they become attached at the hip. This is why they rely on us for company, care, and fun). Trust me, by doing all these things they’ll thank you and you’ll have memories in your heart that I promise will never fade. Whispers to all her four-legged fur lovelies you’re welcome 😉.

Much Love,

XOXO Isabelle ❤️😘 XOXO