First Visit to a Dog Park

I was searching the Internet the other day and found that there are some smaller and more obscure dog parks around the area than just Marymoor in Redmond and Magnuson in Seattle. I found that there's a park in Mountlake Terrace. I had hoped to take Bandit there yesterday but our extreme weather wasn't cooperating. We had heavy rains along with heavy winds that seemed to never let up. The rain put a halt to our park plans, but a bit later in the afternoon the skies cleared enough that I was able to take Bandit out for a good walk. Shortly after we arrived home the rains began again, and during the night last night we had what sounded like torrential rain, along with thunder and lightning. When we got up this morning the day seemed pretty promising: no rain, no winds, and a little hint of sunshine.

The park is about an acre in size, the entire perimeter is chain-link fenced, and the entry/exit has a double gate setup. There were about five or six other dogs when we got there. Bandit got right into the mix. He had a great time running and jumping. There was another Aussie there (a standard), but her owner left fairly quickly because she felt her dog was getting too worked up. There were two pit bulls there, so that made me kind of nervous. Again I heard, "He's real nice."

It seems like the dominant type of dog wants to grab other dogs by the neck and just not let up. Bandit can hold his own, but it's frustrating when I can tell he wants to run and have fun, not wrestle constantly.

About ten minutes after we got to the park it started to rain. Fortunately, I was prepared clothing-wise and shoe-wise, so we continued to stay. A few more people and dogs trickled in and braved the elements. The rains got heavier and heavier, and when I heard thunder I figured it was a good time to leash Bandit up and head for home.

I will definitely take him back to this park. They have a water spigot and dog dishes, and there are about three poop bag dispensers. Plus, it's not a big muddy place; I was pretty happy about that. It's forested, and there are several benches for owners to sit on. The park has only been in operation since March of this year.

Romping on his own

Checking things out

There were a lot of friends who were the same size as Bandit

The big gray pit bull's name is Tully (cute name for a beast)

Soaked to the bone

Playing with a pit bull mix and the other Aussie