Max and The Dog Park

     Last October I took my class on a field trip. We had some time left before we were to return to school so we decided to make a quick stop at a puppy store near by. I am not an advocate of puppy stores in fact I feel so bad that I went there, but it sounded like a great idea at the time since my students loved seeing animals. I asked the girl at the store if she had any dogs with poodle in them and if we could take one of the puppies into a room and let the girls pet it. She took me over to an area with two dogs who both looked very excited to see us. She grabbed this little black dog and brought us to a room. He was adorable and I fell in love with him immediately. He grabbed a toy in his mouth and began prancing up and down and was so excited to see the girls. I knew I had to have this dog and I knew my own kids would be so happy if I brought him home. It was the happiest day I've had in a long time. I made arrangements to come back after work and pick him up and I couldn't wait to get home and see my kids reactions.

     As it turned out this was not only a lucky day for me but the luckiest day for Max. I latter learned that he had a bad case of worms and whooping cough. I knew Max was extremely thin but I didn't realize just how sick he was until after he was home with me. It took 2 months of de-worming him and a lot of love and special meals of chicken and rice before he started to feel better. It was a tough time for the both of us because I was worried that I wasn't going to be able to care for him the way he needed since I had to go to work. But between a great neighbor, my daughter, son and I we were able to provide the care he needed and now I am so grateful to have him in my life. He'll be a year old on June 23 and he is truly a wonderful pet. He has brought laughter into my house and has distracted me when I needed it most.

     After a long difficult winter and an enormous amount of snow I was finally able to take Max to the local dog park. Being cooped up for most of the winter our first time at the dog park was an adventure and very entertaining. Dog parks are a great way to socialize your pet, provide them with both physical and mental exercise and a great way to socialize and meet people with the same interest. What I also like about the dog park is that you can get advice and information from other pet owners about your breed, find out about quality pet food or any other dog related question you might have. I enjoyed seeing my dog have the opportunity to interact with other dogs and it also gave me the opportunity to see how different breeds interact. It is a nice way for me to spend time with Max and also meet new people.