From her, to you, with licks and wiggles.

As a dog owner, I love how canine-friendly Austin is. Miss Bennet and I visit one of the many dog parks in the city at least once a week. Normally, we have a great time, but tonight Bennet had a traumatizing experience and she asked my permission to compose an open letter to all the other dogs and their people. Not surprisingly, she's no less long-winded than I am.



Dear Fellow Dog-Parkians,

I've always thought I was a pretty smart pup, and now Carolyn is letting me show you all how smart I am by writing this letter on her blog.

Tonight Carolyn took me to my favorite dog park. It's the big one down by the river, and I got excited as soon as I saw Carolyn put on her shoes. She has a lot of shoes, but she wears a different pair to the dog park than anywhere else. My tail started wagging right away, and then she picked up my leash and oh boy was I excited!

Usually when we go to the park I don't see any dogs I know. I guess there are a lot of dogs in this city. I used to see the same dogs all the time, but now I'm always having to make new friends. I don't think I'm very good at it; I'm never sure what to say or do. Sometimes I just stay close to Carolyn and watch the other dogs run around.

Tonight, though, there was a dog I had met before. She's a little bigger than me, and mostly black. She's not very nice. Last time I saw her, she wasn't very nice, and she wasn't nice this time either. She kept running up to me and growling. I don't like to play when other dogs growl, so I laid down in the dirt and hoped she'd go away. She didn't. She bit me, and I yelped. Carolyn called to me, and the other dog went away for a while, but she came back. I couldn't even get to Carolyn when she called this time, and when I finally did, the other dog still tried to get me. A nice man pulled her away and then finally her people came and took her home.

After the not-nice dog left, I stayed next to Carolyn and wouldn't play. I was scared of the other dogs. I thought they might be mean too, and I didn't want to find out.

I wish other dogs would be nicer at the park. It makes me sad when they're mean. I'm a very nice pup. I snuggle and lick and love on my people and I always play nice with other dogs. Well, sometimes I bark at the other dogs when they play fetch in the river. Carolyn doesn't like that. But I almost always play nice.

I think if a dog can't be nice, they shouldn't get to come to the park. Sure, we're just dogs, but that doesn't mean we should get away with everything. Carolyn taught me that. She used to send me to my kennel whenever I had any fun. But now I know not to do those things. I don't make her upset, and I don't have to go to my kennel. Even at the park, she's always watching me. I know because whenever I do anything wrong, she yells my name.

I hear there are schools for puppies where they can learn how to be good. I was so smart that I didn't have to go to one of those; Carolyn taught me at home. But maybe some dogs' people need a little help, and that might be a good place to go.

Carolyn probably won't take me to the park again for several days. She says it gets dark too early, and she doesn't get home from work in time to take me. I hope the mean dog isn't there the next time I go. I really do love going to the park.

What I don't love is having a bath afterwards. Carolyn just started the water running, and I know she's coming to get me. I'm going to go hide under the bed, and maybe then she won't be able to find me.

Licks and tail wiggles,

Miss Bennet


Update from Carolyn: She's clean! Contrary to her own belief, baths are not torture and she did not die. Though she did actually hide under the bed as soon as I turned on the water.