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We found a couple of fairly close dog parks (in Saline) and Bill and I decided to check them out this morning. We got to the first one just as a light rain was letting up, so we waited it out for a few minutes. There was a Chinese guy in the car next to us, with a Jack Russel bouncing all over the place. Sure enough, he got out and took the JR to the park, and we followed a few minutes later.
When Buddy saw the JR running around the park, he got so excited he was quivering and whimpering. He used to have 11 other Labs to play with and he really misses that interaction.
Bill went back to the van to get his long rope for swimming and I went on to the park. When the JR saw us it streaked to the gate and was bouncing all over the place, barking, and I thought it was anxious to play, too. Then we got to the gate and I could see it was showing an awful lot of teeth while it barked. 
I asked the guy if she was friendly and he said "Oh yes, she wants to play." We went inside the fence and before I could get Buddy's leash off, the JR attacked and was trying to bite him. Buddy yelped and tried to get away, but she was so fast she just kept going after him. I kept trying to shove her away and was yelling at the guy to pick her up before I smacked her. He was about useless, grabbed her once but let her slip away and go after Buddy again, and I just kept trying to protect him. He wasn't even fighting back, sweet boy, he was sort of stunned and was just trying to keep her from biting his belly and backside. I know it wasn't real smart of me to keep sticking my hand and arm between them, but I was not about to let her hurt Buddy when he wasn't even defending himself. :-[
When the @$$hat finally got hold of the JR and picked her up, he didn't even apologize.
I told him he had no business taking a dog like that to a dog park and letting her run loose. He shrugs his shoulders and says "I didn't know she'd act like that" and walks away. WTF? ??? Why would you tell people that your dog is friendly and wants to play if you don't know how it's going to act? So, that park is off our list, for several reasons - the clueless dog owner, there is no shade at all or any place for people to sit, and mainly because it borders on the river and the dogs can go right into the river. The dog park is fenced in a U and there's only about a 6' section of fence from each leg of the U going into the water, and then it's wide open. How many Labs only swim less than 6' from shore? :-\ The current was pretty mild, but there was still a current, as well as lots of ducks, geese, and one swan. Too many temptations for Labs to swim after!
Then, we found out that the place I used to board Shadow, only a couple of miles away, lets you use their fenced yard for $5 a visit or $50 a month for unlimited visits. Or, you can use their doggie daycare for $25 a day. Now, the daycare dropoff is from 8:30 am to 11:00 am and pickup is from 4:00 pm to 6:30 pm. I leave for work before 7:00 am.
BUT, 'home-style' boarding, where the dogs are all loose together in a yard and playroom (essentially doggie daycare with an overnight!), with one to two hours crated mid-day for rest, is $25 a day and that's for 24 hours. I could take Buddy there after work one everning, then pick him up the next.
Guess where we're going to be going? ;D
When Buddy saw the JR running around the park, he got so excited he was quivering and whimpering. He used to have 11 other Labs to play with and he really misses that interaction.
I asked the guy if she was friendly and he said "Oh yes, she wants to play." We went inside the fence and before I could get Buddy's leash off, the JR attacked and was trying to bite him. Buddy yelped and tried to get away, but she was so fast she just kept going after him. I kept trying to shove her away and was yelling at the guy to pick her up before I smacked her. He was about useless, grabbed her once but let her slip away and go after Buddy again, and I just kept trying to protect him. He wasn't even fighting back, sweet boy, he was sort of stunned and was just trying to keep her from biting his belly and backside. I know it wasn't real smart of me to keep sticking my hand and arm between them, but I was not about to let her hurt Buddy when he wasn't even defending himself. :-[
When the @$$hat finally got hold of the JR and picked her up, he didn't even apologize.
Then, we found out that the place I used to board Shadow, only a couple of miles away, lets you use their fenced yard for $5 a visit or $50 a month for unlimited visits. Or, you can use their doggie daycare for $25 a day. Now, the daycare dropoff is from 8:30 am to 11:00 am and pickup is from 4:00 pm to 6:30 pm. I leave for work before 7:00 am.