Spencer’s Run had been seasonally locked down. When it opened this Spring visitors were relieved but wary… would it remain open on rainy days?

Thankfully, this post comes after visiting the Waveny dog park five rainy days in a row. These post are always accompanied by pictures but the joy of an open dog park is newsworthy.

Everyone I have talked to at Spencer’s Run exercises their pet regardless of rain, sleet, hail or snow. Leave it open. Our dogs don’t care if it’s 20º and hailing… or a lovely 50º Springtime rain shower. We dog owners are used to getting slobered on, jumped on, brushed against… Walking a dog in white pants is like throwing rocks when you live at 856 Ponus Ridge.

Thanks for pressing stone into the grass, if it lets us use the park, press it in.

How to free up parking for the Waveny Paddle Courts? How to frustrate hundreds of weekly visitors? Nice big orange CLOSED sign stuffed into the gate. Nice chain and padlock. Nice beautiful weather in a gorgeous town park on a lovely February weekend.

On Wednesday I heard a great suggestion. If the town cut Spencer’s Run in half, the lower half that doesnt’ suffer from grass issues could be used for a dog park and the upper half could be returned to it’s natural condition. This would please the growing group of citizens concerned about Waveny’s dwindling landscape. Imagine admiting one’s errors and returning several acres to God.

Dear God,

You did a marvelous job with this land throughout the ages. We stole a bit of it for ourselves but we can’t even grow grass. Therefore we humbly return the land to the care of a professional.
Sincerely, Waveny Park.

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I went to pick up something my dog deposited and these two dogs followed me. I loved the sound they made crunching through the thin layer of ice in the snow. Half of the fun in Spencer’s Run is playing with other people’s dogs.

Spencersrun.org posted an excuse why the Waveny Park dog run has predominately been locked since September. Alas our dog park seems to be a garden project for the next year.

Since September of this year, the powers that be have tried in vain to place form before function.

Modernists adopted the equations; form follows function and ornament is crime as moral principles. They genuinely believe that form comes at the expense of function.

The theory of “form follows function” is problematic but never-the-less can be applied to this situation! It appears that we are bound to provide a lovely green oasis or we can’t use the space. However, we do not use the dog park for it’s shape, topography, or vegetation. We do not visit the dog park to pamper our feet or offer our pets a glimpse into the country club lifestyle. We do visit the dog park to allow our dogs to socialize freely within a fenced area and to enjoy a camaraderie with other visitors. The experience of visiting a dog park can be heart-warming, exciting, enjoyable and gratifying but most of all practical. We are there to allow our pets to socialize. Social time with other canines is essential for the well-rounded psychology and fitness of our pets. My dog does not come to Spencer’s Run for a luxurious experience between her toes, or for the aesthetic qualities of the cage she is allowed to socialize freely within.

Mounting frustrations and disappointment at the closure of the dog run are understandable. Tensions within a pet owner’s household run higher when the dog wants out and the lack of activity leads to behavior that is less than comforting. The park is a great escape!

What is it called when you agree to something, to get your way, knowing full well you can never meet your requirements? Why did we cut down all those trees and destroy the Natural setting? ..to prove we could grow grass against the worst of odds?

Dog parks vary from flat fields like Noroton to unfenced woodland like Greenwich, from small urban lots in Manhattan to a large dirt run in Golden Gate Park. They are visited by four-legged creatures who walk on paws with 16 claws making contact with the ground. They run circles around any and all of us. They can dash, dodge, leap and crash to the ground hundreds of times in an hour. Every time they move, their claws take positive grip on all but the hardest of surfaces. They have powerful legs with claws.

Now think function dictates form and find your solution so we can use the dog park for what it is.

A prime example why future development of our irreplaceable Natural landscape is worthy of exhaustive investigating before approval.

A way to eliminate the idle concern for an impeccable lawn within a dog park would be to return the area to it’s Natural state. That goal would give ‘Friends of Spencer’s Run’ plenty of flora to research. It would exact a small fortune and take one hundred years. The result would be a maintenance-free area which, like Nature, would be open year-round.

Due to concerns of the dog park’s administration, Spencer’s Run has been open only 16 days this Autumn.

Even today with cloudy skies and a cold wintery-mix falling, there were several families with their dogs wandering around after finding the gates to our dog park locked. Yes, someone walks here every day of the year. New Canaan families who aren’t afraid of snow, rain, mud, cold or heat. People who aren’t afraid of the outdoors.

Today, Thanksgiving Day, I don’t have to work so I was looking forward to the Holiday atmosphere and social environment of the dog park but this is what I found online:

Of course lack of access to the clear-cut area known as Spencer’s Run doesn’t discourage us from enjoying the vast property of the Lapham Estate but it’s a shame to have wasted so much space to watch grass grow.
Maybe we should just install Astro Turf, a short pile synthetic turf, because most assessments of the conditions in the dog park say that grass cannot prosper under such extremes despite what the salesman told you.

FOOD ITEMS:  Do not bring human or dog food / treats into the dog park.  Many dogs are on diets to keep their weight under control. Some dogs have food allergies and that treat might make a dog ill.  A normally well-behaved dog can jump at or lunge for food, especially tasty human food, when hungry.

For the past three days people inside Spencer’s Run with dog food in their pockets have caused problems with my dog who is on a diet and perpetually hungry.

Saturday my dog would not leave the side of a person with treats in their pocket. Sitting patiently, waiting, performing tricks and begging; my dog won’t play with other dogs when there is a possibility of being fed.

Yesterday, while my dog sat waiting at the foot of someone holding dog snacks, the owner gave the treat to her dog and there was an immediate threatening outburst between dogs. It was scary and unexpected, but it was certainly understandable.

Look closely at this picture! There are several dogs gathered around a small child holding dog treats. The mother is busy on the phone and the group is far away from the dog owners if there were a problem. This is ‘potentially’ dangerous behavior.

I thought about walking down there to limit my child-finger-liability or the possibility of another dog fight but I was tired from work so I just yelled and my dog begrudgingly returned. I don’t think it’s fair to my pet to be yelled at for being a dog.

What’s the real problem? People can’t control their pets without paying them in food?

(Maybe the folks who bought the grass that’s dying after two-weeks will install little lockers for the people with food.)
Here are a couple of pics showing the state of the grass investment, looks like it’s getting walked all over. What’s really weird is the only grass that’s brown and dying is the new grass they planted. lmao.

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Shortly after returning from the park I received an email from spencersrun.org:

Spencer’s Run is closed. We hope to re-open soon,
weather permitting. Please check the website for
updates.
Thank you.

Saturday a hardware store variety neon “Closed” sign was stuck on the gate, Sunday found a long chain and two padlocks ensuring no one enters.

I finally got that email I was expecting. Instead of announcing the re-opening here’s the news I received:

Spencer’s Run is currently closed due to heavy rain.

Please check our web site for further updates.

http://www.spencersrun.org

Thank you for your cooperation!

Friends of Spencer’s Run

Spencer's Run

We should start a bet: Will the grass hold up to the dog’s that tear around in circles, scratching, digging, rough-housing and excreting?

This is the fourth reseeding, isn’t it?

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The grass isn’t always greener: I’m having some software issues, preventing me from uploading a few new galleries. Stay tuned.