Doggie Do’s & Don’ts at Parks

Hi Folks, Buddy here,

We at Cats n Dogs wanted to wish you a Happy Passover & Easter holiday!

April is sure the best month to be in Florida, with nice cool evenings and dry, sunny days. Taylor and I love to sit out in the backyard and soak up all the good smells.

A topic I’ve been meaning to write about – even though this might be late in the snowdog season – is about etiquette when you go to a dog park. We have some great dog playgrounds, from Punta Gorda Hounds on Henry to Port Charlotte’s off-leash parks, and even a dog beach in Venice called Brohard Paw Park.

They’re great places to meet up with your friends and meet new ones – IF you like that kind of socializing. But there are a few “rules” you and your significant Human should consider.

Ways to Enjoy a Park

1. If you are the shy type, stay close to your Human when other dogs come up to greet you until you are comfortable with the whole setup.
2. When greeting other playmates: sniffing noses is good, sniff the other end just quickly, then go off and play. No more ‘exploration’ is necessary. And… mounting is NOT acceptable behavior at a doggy park! Go ask your Human for help if someone is trying to do this with you.
3. Do bring your own drinking water to the park. There might be a communal water dish at the park but it’s usually pretty gross. “Cats n Dogs has a great water bottle with a drinking cup built into the end of it,” says Max, our editor.
4. Leave your toys and treats at home. There is plenty to do at a park without them.

P-mail, it’s an important part of a furry friend’s day!

Why do we do it? Well, to mark our ‘territory’ of course! It’s a normal form of communication among us canines. And there is a lot of information that can be gathered. Done correctly, OUTside of course, it’s a way of sniffing out what’s going on in your neighborhood, and letting others know you are there too. Max says, “I can tell when there are visitors in my neighborhood. I can usually tell if it’s a girl or boy, how old, how friendly or aggressive, and what kind of food they eat.

While we all leave messages up and down the street, there is one spot at the intersection where everyone checks in. It’s fun to see who all is around. I always leave a Hellooo.

Max said, “I met Scout, in-the-fur, last weekend. She’s new on our street. But we already knew a lot about each other from p-mail,” says our friend Max.”

He continues, “And lately, I smelled a p-mail that creeped me out! It is a girl, but she smells of rabbit and aggressiveness. My mom told me she is probably a coyote. She’s good for cutting down on the rabbit population in our neighborhood, but ‘you don’t want to meet her.’”

Thanks Max – and that’s all for now folks! If you’re traveling back north soon, be safe. And keep in touch. We’ll see you next Fall. C’mon into the store to stock up and say g’bye.

With a wuff, wuff and a meow,

Buddy, Taylor & Mango