Yes, it's an officially recognized day (but not a holiday) - although I would hope that every dog owner does not need a day to remind them that walking your dog goes along with owning a dog. I now live in North Carolina, which barely had any winter weather this year, so walking the dog may mean at the most putting up with some rain or wind. But I also owned a dog in Minnesota, when walking a dog meant walking a dog in minus temperatures and, owning a lab mix at the time, standing by the road while the dog was jumping around in a snow covered field expecting me to join him. So yes, walking a dog will be a chore at times, but too many dogs are simply kept in a fenced-in yard, while their owners get to roam around the city. Dogs love to roam too.
I am glad to see that many towns and cities now have dog parks. Durham is one of the cities that now has several dog parks. For a complete list of dog parks see here.
The dog park in SW Durham is called Pineywood Park and is located at the intersection of Woodcroft Parkway and Woodlake Drive. The park consists of more than three acres of land and has separate areas for large and small dogs, a time-out area, and a program area. They also have water fountains available and benches.
So even if you do not have time to walk the dog because you are addicted to your Blackberry and have run into lampposts (yes, that happened to me until I left the iPhone at home) consider taking your dog to a dog park and letting it run around without a leash. Especially if you only own one dog, socializing is as important to dogs as it is to people.
Of course I have to include a picture of Floppy, a mutt adopted from a shelter. Even though it seems he needed to be in the picture and wanted to be the center of attention, it actually took some coaxing to get him to be in the picture. Coming from a shelter, his only home for more than two years, Floppy tried everything to please people. He was the most obedient, polite, and "properly behaved" dog I have encountered. I actually had to encourage him to be a little bit on the wild side.
This brings me to the final point of this post, just like everyday should a walking your dog day (not just February 22nd), you should alwaysconsider adopting a dog from a local shelterwhen you are contemplating adding a dog to your household.
Thank you for your blog entry. Your absolutely right, we should walk our dogs everyday. Imagine sitting in your house & yard for your entire life..pretty boring, huh. Your dog feels the same way. They love to go for walks, take in new sights, sounds and smells. I have 2 dogs we rescued. Rescue dogs seem to know they have been given a new lease on life, and are extra loving. www.greatpyratlanta.com
LALA14::
on Feb 22, 2012
I am have anxiety when i go out, plus it is hard for meto walk but I make it a point to take my 2 furgirls for their daily walk cuz I know they get bored that destructive! ohwhen igo for the walks I see s much sad iresponsible owner,dogs roaming the streets ,dogsetting slapped by their owner stray dogs and dogs left in backyards forgotten sad frustrating
lillamissa::
on Feb 23, 2012
I've got 3 furbabies and have found that if they don't get a daily walk, they get a bit too antsy in the house. People don't realize that some of the behaviors that they scold their dog for are simply the dog acting out because they are bored/have too much energy.
Yes, it means that on some nights it is cold and we have to bundle up, but that is part of being a pet parent! Don't get me started on the fact that I also often carry a blanket, as the lil' one (a chihuahua) gets cold or tired before the beagles do, but refuses to come inside and must be carried in a blanket for the rest of the walk!!!
I love that you mention adoption. More people need to consider adopting a shelter dog or one from a rescue organization.
Thanks for sharing!!!
