One of our favorite things to do with our dogs, Boone & Rocky, is to take them to a local park just down the road from us. We would go to the dog park here but Rocky has some social issues (devil growls are kind of embarrassing in public) and Boone gets so distracted by the other dogs he doesn't get enough exercise to wear him out (if you have a lab or any other hyper dog you know that wearing them out is KEY to your personal sanity at home). The park is called Swan Lake Sports Complex and it is usually pretty empty aside from a random baseball practice or some informal tennis matches up at the courts area. There is SO much space for us to throw the ball to Boone and with it being pretty deserted usually, Rocky gets to run around off leash also and we don't have to watch him in fear of him provoking some other dog to kill him. Its the perfect set up and its always a fun time when we go here.
The whole routine starts with us filling up our water jug which is a tell tale sign to Boone that he is going to the park and he will immediately start running around the house freaking out with excitement of all the fun that he is about to have. Rocky also gets excited but he typically just runs downstairs and waits for us since he is the smarter of the two and just wants to make sure he doesn't get left behind because of said social issues. Once we all get downstairs, we get the leashes on the dogs, and make them wait by the door while we get the 4 Runner all opened up and ready for them. Once they're in, they poke their heads out the back window and we're off!
The drive is just as much fun as the actual park time to them and one of my favorite things ever is seeing the drivers behind us smile at the sight of two dogs enjoying life so much. Once we get there and scope out the situation (how many people are around and if everyone would be cool with us turning this family sports park into our personal doggie playground) we let the pups out and start the fun.
The area we go to is a little benched sitting area around a memorial garden and we set up shop there with the water bowl and our huge water jug. The time is usually spent with Justin and I laughing at our dogs, talking about random things, and just enjoying the outdoors. Sometimes I'll walk around and say hi to a stray dog that lives there or I'll sit up on the hill and watch Justin try to get Boone to catch the ball in his mouth from a hundred feet away. We both will take turns throwing the ball to Boone with our much loved Chuckit and a few times we'll make sure to include Rocky and throw it to him too, although he is usually content with just rolling around in the grass and peeing on random bushes.
Boone is our tennis ball obsessed baby and his enthusiasm for this game is neverending. We usually cut him off at a very specific time that is expressed when his breathing starts to have a wheezing sound and he slows his pace when returning to us with the ball. Although there have been a few times that he cuts himself off and will walk straight to the car and lay down as if saying "allright Mom & Dad, I'm done", he typically would play with that dang ball for way longer than we can stand.
The trip home is much different than the ride there. Instead of hyper excited dogs shoving their heads out the back windows we have two dogs laid out in the back of our truck, drooling all over every surface. The time it takes them to get back into the house is almost quadrupled from the time it took them to get out to the car from the house. And the stairs from the basement... thats the best part! Boone will always stop at the bottom, look up, then look at us as if we would ever carry his 85 lb. butt, then back up at the stairs. He usually takes a good "come on Boone, let's go!" before starting his unbearable walk up to the kitchen and once upstairs he falls flat out on the wood floor by the front door. This is our biggest reward... seeing our pups so tuckered out we know the next 24 hours are going to be quiet and easy with calm cuddly dogs.
Its a fun little routine that I'm sure I told in WAY too much detail but its a really special thing for us. It's times like these that we cherish and love and we are so grateful for the freedom and time to make these memories together. I only hope that when Tyson gets here we will still be able to sit back and soak up life's simplest moments with as much gusto as we do now. Life is just way too short to do it any other way...
