A Walk in the (Dog) Park

We live very close to a dog park in RB. Although I know that this area is very dog-friendly, it's interesting to note that I hear and see dogs much more than I hear/see children. Even the local paper has a section on pet happenings. Hmm . . . no kids section that I've noticed.

Since watching a show on TV the other day, 'Shroom and Lolli have been talking about the dogs they like. 'Shroom has taken preference to little black dogs (as he saw on TV) and Lolli has been asking for a "widdle white dog" (Lolli still has traces of a baby voice and can't quite pronounce all her letters yet - L's sound like W's, G's sound like D's, and V's sound like B's). After dinner yesterday, we took a stroll down to the dog park so the kids could look for their little dogs.

It's amazing how two kids with the same parents can react so differently in the same environment.

Lolli walked right into the caged area (with Air Boss) for the little dogs. She enjoyed seeing the dogs run around and bark. The little dogs were the fiesty ones and they were literally running around in circles chasing each other. She even petted a couple of the more mellow dogs and pointed out the ones that she liked.

'Shroom initially ran into the small dog area and ran around like an unleashed dog himself but when a dog got near him (like within 10 feet), he got scared. Game over. He started whining, then proclaiming loudly that he wanted to leave, and then yelling "I don't like dogs!" and crying to leave. I tried to talk to him saying things like the dogs bark in order to talk to each other, they're playing and having fun, and even "they're not even anywhere near you!" but none of that worked. I carried him for awhile but then he was getting heavy. He was utterly unhappy.

Lolli meanwhile was having fun and even though she got jumped on by a couple of dogs (yes, even a "widdle" dog can push over a child who's barely 3' tall), she still wanted to venture in the caged area for the big dogs.

We eventually left the dog park without seeing the big dogs. 'Shroom was very unhappy and was more than willing to let people within a half-mile radius know of his extreme dislike for dogs. I did get a couple of unappreciative looks from some dog owners that sort of conveyed the unspoken message of "you're kid's not happy, we don't appreciate having to listen to him, so why'd you bring him here?" It was quite apparent we were the only ones who came without a dog.

As a parent, I'm really trying to grapple with the right balance of pushing my child to explore things that are beyond his comfort range and respecting my child's fears and easing off. It's particularly challenging with 'Shroom who's not your typically developed child.

Well until I figure out that balance, I've learned that sometimes a walk in the (dog) park isn't as easy or relaxing for some as it is for others.