KUMA AND THE DOG PARK...AND MY GLASSES

          Yesterday (Monday) was a beautiful day with sunshine although the temperature could have been a little bit warmer. I decided I would take Kuma to a dog park for the first time. I thought about the one in Mountlake Terrace, but it’s pretty shady and who wants to be in the shade when the sun shines…not us.

          We drove down to Marina Beach Park in Edmonds and were lucky to find a parking place that wasn’t too far from the off-leash area. Kuma wanted to stop and smell absolutely everything as we walked toward the gate. I was patient for a bit, but also wanted to practice our walking training we'd learned last week. There were dogs coming out and going in and Kuma made a half-hearted attempt to bark at them.

          Once inside, I removed his leash and he followed me toward the water and all the dogs that were ranging from one side of the beach to the other. Kuma wasn’t too sure about all this or about all those dogs. Except for a few times, he stayed fairly close to me and even then, he would come right back as though I were his touchstone and would keep him safe…and, of course, I definitely would do that.

          I met a few very nice people there with their dogs, or in the case of young man, a group of dogs he under his care. He said he was a dog walker and trainer. Some of the dogs went into the water as though it were absolutely the thing to do. I can't imagine what it would be like to have a soaking wet, and most likely stinky, dog when it was time to go home. I'll probably find out at some point. Kuma was fairly circumspect when it came to the water and the waves. He was investigating the water and even took a tongue full when a bigger wave washed in…scared him right back to the hard sand.   

          It was my hope that Kuma would make a couple of buddies and dash all about the dog park. That didn’t really happen. He did dash about some, but not to the extent I had thought he would or that I wanted him to. Still, it was his first trip to a dog park and it won’t be his last. I did take some video that I hoped I could include with this post, but apparently it was too big to email to my computer so I could include. I'll just have to post it to Facebook.

          When we left the dog park, we went to Dick’s Drive-in and shared two cheeseburgers and fries. I had a small diet coke and asked for a small water. Even before the bag with the food was opened, Kuma lapped up almost the entire cup of water, and yes, quite a bit of it splashed about, but he was a thirsty dog. Note to self about bringing a bowl and water on the next trip.

          Back home, I felt he still needed more exercise and I needed more sun, so we played ball for a while. A couple of neighbors walked by and took turns chucking the ball up the street for Kuma while the other neighbor and I chatted.

          It would have been a great day; and perhaps Kuma didn’t deserve to have so much fun because he was a naughty boy first thing. While I was getting ready for our adventure, Kuma took my glasses off my nightstand and proceeded to play with them as though they were a toy. Initially, I thought I could just go to Costco and have the arms bent back to their correct shape. Unfortunately, Kuma managed to chew the ear pieces as well, so I think they are completely ruined.

          Fortunately, I have a spare pair that are the same prescription (I think) but I don’t particularly like the frames. They will have to do until mid-March when I have an appointment for an eye exam. I know my eyes have changed quite a bit (or it seems that way to me), so the result of the exam will most likely be a new prescription…and now, new frames that definitely won't be left in a location accessible to Kuma.