In search of the green

I remember when I first moved to California; that was a longtime ago now.  Way back then, there wasn't google maps like there is now.  I remember opening my Thomas Guide map book to find some green; green as in green space.  First I look for the green, then I look for the park symbol.  Well, that's what I'm doing now but with Google maps.  Each morning and afternoon I google my location and look for the green. 

As most of you know I'm not a big 'dog park' fan.  Too many dogs in too small an area; added with dogs that should not be there in the first place.  But I have to say that the dog parks here in OR seem to be much better than the ones in CA.  Many are larger which is always a bonus; but I still don't trust humans enough to supervise accordingly and know when they shouldn't be at the dog park.  That and the fact that Luke is old now; he cannot take a hit, not even a small one.  So we search for the elusive private green space.  Of course here in OR, there is a whole lot more green than there is in CA.  Not only in color but quantity. 

Over the last week Luke, Elsa and I have hit a great number of parks.  We have a wonderful open field right behind the townhouse here; but, I've also discovered that many of the dogs here are very unfriendly.  (more on that topic in another blog)  So we search, drive, explore and discover.  Getting out and about is essential; no matter where you are located.  It has been a tad difficult with Luke having a hard time with distance and Elsa needing a great deal of exercise.  It is nice when we are home in CA for that reason alone.  We can leave Luke in the comfort of his own couch and head out for some intense exercise.  But here we all go together so the search is on.

We met a very nice woman and her adorable Golden Retriever (Penny) the other day.  Elsa and her just wanted to tear it up while Luke was happy to just hang with Mom.  Reading body language is so important when you want to find the friendly dogs to play with.  As soon as I spot the signs I call out, friendly?  We then make a b-line to the owner and their friendly dog.  Looking over our shoulder we can then unhook and let the fun begin.  It doesn't have to be long and drawn out; a short rip with a new friend brings a plethora of good things with it.

Over the weekend we found some wonderful places to take Luke and Elsa.  Having Dad with us sure makes the whole age difference thing much easier.  We also found a great farm/feed store called Wilco, where Luke and Elsa tried on a bunch of very cool raincoats.  Sadly I forgot my cell phone in the car so no pics but Luke looked smashing in the camo design.  We may go back today just to enjoy wandering around in the store and maybe get a raincoat or two.

So the search continues; where will we be today?  Not sure but I do know it will be green and it will be an open space.  Of course being in the middle of wine country; it could be a vineyard which is never a bad thing. 

Cannon Beach, OR

 

This beach was spectacular.  The picture is taken at Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach, OR.  There were many dogs enjoying the beach which made me miss Luke and Elsa even more than I already was.  I will be back with them to enjoy this beach soon. 

 

I spent yesterday in Cannon Beach, OR.  All I can say is that it is breathtakingly beautiful; that and very, very dog friendly.  I am so impressed and excited when I find new dog friendly cities.  I had heard that it was very dog friendly but I always have to experience it for myself.  Dog friendly does not mean the same thing for everyone. 

 

 

 

As soon as we arrived it was obvious that this was somewhere that people bring their dogs; there were dogs everywhere.  We quickly found a spot to have a bite at the Local Grill & Scoop.  As we walked up onto the deck there were two families leaving with their dogs.  Another dog sat tied, looking anxious but quiet as he sat alone, waiting for his owner to return.  (Another blog in the future on this subject)

 

After we sat and dug into our lunch; three other dogs arrived with their owners.  The seating area was small and there were four dogs in attendance.  Not a peep was heard by any of the dogs.  I was so impressed by the manners of these dogs that I had to ask if I could grab a quick shot of two.  Sadly my good camera was in the car so these are just cell phone shots.  Plus it looks like maybe some of my lunch was on the lens.  :)   The above gal is Billy, an adorable Old English Sheepdog who was on her best behavior and sweet as can be.

 

 

This little lady sat in silence right behind my chair.  Had I not seen her arrive out of the corner of my eye I would have never known that she was there.  She was an adorable Miniature Australian Shepherd. 

 

You could have come in, sat and eaten lunch without ever knowing there were dogs there.  This is so wonderful to see; but how do you get your dog to be so well behaved?  Exposure and training.  It was quite obvious that all of the dogs who were sitting so quietly were accustom to accompanying their humans on their outings.   When a city is dog friendly it enables people to expose their dogs to much more; which creates more well adjusted dogs.  Teaching dogs to sit quietly while you have lunch takes time and experience.  The more outings you have the easier it gets. 

 

 

 

This excerpt was taken from the City of Cannon Beach, OR website. 

 

Dogs on the Beach

Dogs are allowed on the beach, as long as they are on a leash or under voice control of the owner. It is the owner's responsibility to ensure that the dog is physically controlled.
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Nice, very nice.  All the dogs that were on the beach yesterday were either on a leash or very well behaved.  One little German Pinscher ran around the beach off leash totally ignoring all the other dogs.  Even when a young American Bulldog lunged at the end of his leash trying to play; the German Pinscher completely ignored him and continued on with his human. 

What a great beach; I cannot wait to bring Luke and Elsa here.