The document discusses the author's experience taking her shy dog Katie to the dog park for the first time. Katie became agitated by other dogs sniffing her and trying to take her balls. When a larger dog approached her while she was guarding her pile of balls, Katie growled and showed her teeth in a threatening manner. The author realized she had misread Katie's temperament and lack of interest in other dogs, and quickly left the park. The moral is that owners must understand their dog's behaviors and needs before going to the dog park to avoid potential conflicts.

1. April / May 2009 St. Louis Women’s Journal
You Might Want to Visit The Dog Park,
With the emergence of dog parks
around the country, dog guardians
are faced with learning new rules of
engagement for their canine compan-ions.
It’s no longer enough to assume
Fido will get along with Fluffy; a way-ward
snap or outright bite can get
you and your dog banned from a park
forever. So, it’s helpful to not only
understand the general ground rules
of your chosen dog park, but to also
understand your dog’s motivations
and behavioral challenges. I learned
this the hard way.
My dog, Katie, has always been
shy around other dogs and especial-ly
dislikes having her nether region
sniffed without her prior consent. So,
on our first foray into “dogparkdom,”
we run into a snag. We’d only been in
the park about a minute before she
set someone straight about her sniff
preferences. Then there were the
BALLS. Lots and lots of balls. To
Katie, they were all hers, so she pro-ceeded
to collect every ball she could
find, putting her booty into a nice,
neat pile. She then stood over her
treasure, guarding it. That is, until
she saw another ball not too far
away. Now torn between guarding
her loot and going for more, she grew
agitated. When another dog made a
beeline for the as-yet-unclaimed ball,
she growled. She was ignored. She
growled louder. This time she got a
sidelong glance from the other dog,
who quickly ran away…with the ball.
No matter. She now had someone
coming toward her, wagging his tail.
Up went her hackles and her lips.
She became so menacing that the
other dog (who was twice her size)
yipped and backed away. By this
point, I was thoroughly embarrassed
by my furry progeny’s behavior and
upset at how I’d misread her. On
went her leash, and we departed
rather quickly. Katie’s not a great fit
for dog parks. It doesn’t matter
whether I want her to be, she’s just
not that into other dogs and has no
desire to play with them; so going to
dog parks is an exercise in futility.
The moral of this tale is that it pays
to understand your dog, her wants,
needs and behavioral quirks,
BEFORE setting foot into any dog
park. This intimate understanding of
your dog could make the difference
between a great experience and a
painful event. To learn more about
dog parks in the St. Louis region, visit
www.stldogparks.org.
Have a topic you’d like to
Pets of the Issue Mo & Chance
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see discussed here?
Email me at
ltanz@stlwomensjournal.com.
By: Lisbeth Tanz
But Does Your Dog?
Given the number of homeless dogs
and cats in St. Louis and surrounding
areas, the Women’s Journals is lend-ing
a hand in showing off some the
gorgeous potential pets that Stray
Rescue of St. Louis has available for
adoption.
Interested in adopting? Visit
www.strayrescue.org and complete
the online adoption application.
Questions? Call Stray Rescue of St.
Louis at (314)771-6121.
Be sure to tell Stray Rescue you
saw them in the Women’s Journals!
Cats
Mo and Chance came to Stray
Rescue as part of our Pound
Assistance Program. They were sur-rendered
because their family was
moving and couldn't take them along.
Mo (6-years-old) and Chance (3-
years-old) love everyone they meet:
adults, kids, dogs, cats. Both cats are
love bugs that enjoy playing and snug-gling
on your lap. They are perfect
gentlemen. It’s our hope to keep these
boys together as they get along so well
with each other and enjoy each other’s
company.
Dogs
Petunia was rescued along with her
friend Pansy as part of the Abandoned
But Not Forgotten program. This
three-year-old Lab/Terrier mix is a
sweet and loving girl but can be shy
and may need some time to warm up
to people. Although Petunia likes
Pansy, she doesn't care for other
dogs. So a home where she is the only
pet would be best.
Mickey (8-years-old) is a loving
Black Lab who’s had some hard
knocks in life but is still optimistic that
there’s a forever home waiting for him.
Mickey is an affectionate companion
who knows basic obedience com-mands
(sit, stay, come, down). He
loves to ride in the car, and he’s a
great swimmer. Mickey can’t seem to
get along with cats, but he can live with
another dog in a well-managed home
environment. Given his age, Mickey is
available for the “Seniors for Seniors”
program.
Mickey
Petunia