CoCo retrieves a tennis ball at the Lodi dog park.
Who would defecate in a dog’s water dish?
Apparently, that behavior has been encountered by a few of the regulars at the Lodi dog park where Christine and I often take CoCo for a little exercise. The park is a large and open grassy expanse that has plenty of room for dogs to play with each other or for a game of fetch, which is all that CoCo really likes to do there. It’s one of the biggest dog parks I’ve ever seen and also one of the best maintained.
On a recent visit, however, Christine and I received a primer on the politics of the dog park. One older woman, who was there with a passel of miniature dogs said that there are a few residents in the quiet neighborhood near the park that have opposed it from its opening. We had started chatting with her after CoCo started to drink from a water bucket she had brought for her dogs. She told us you always need to bring your own water dish because the people who live nearby have always thrown out any water buckets left at the park. The park does have a fountain, but dogs can’t drink like humans, they need to be able to slurp water up with their tongues.
But the woman, who had her brown her up in a tight bun and wore thick glasses, said that the neighbors who didn’t like the dog park don’t just throw out water buckets they also will call the cops on anyone who lets their dog off its leash near the park or to complain about any excessive noise.
They also lobbied hard against the city opening the park, expanding the park or even maintaining the park. The woman said it’s taken the group of regulars years of constant effort of working with the city to keep the park open.
And she added that those against the park have gone so far as to leave their “human mess” in the water buckets too.
I had always figured the neighbors around the dog park probably weren’t too thrilled about the added traffic and occasional noise, but to actually crap in a bucket about it? Perhaps that was just hyperbole on the part of the dog park regulars. But I do know Lodians have a penchant for complaining. It often seems that their desire for orderly and quiet neighborhoods runs contrary to the concept of public property. Complaining yes, outright defiling of public property? Seems a bit extreme.
As we packed up CoCo into our car to leave for the day, I heard the incessant yapping of a dog in the park and noticed that there were about a dozen cars lined up along the street in front of the park. Perhaps the neighbors do have reason to complain.
It’s not worth going to the bathroom in a bucket in a park though.
Wow…wow!