I didn’t point out the dangers to these responsible parents enjoying frigid family fun this time, but I did leave the video camera rolling to capture the inevitable. As a dog owner and parent of a young sledder I highly advise against sledding inside any dog run. Bringing children into a dog park adds responsibility for their behavior and a risk to their safety. Wrapping them up in fuzzy, furry winter wear and sending them screaming down a hill makes them a target for animal instincts. The fact they ‘got away with it’ this day was against the odds.

After six-week of “drying out” during our rainy season, the park is expected to open by noon. Some wonder whether new rules will be implemented restricting dog behavior in order to satisfy the legalese of maintenance.

Get out and enjoy the wonders of Waveny Park, New Canaan’s woodland gem and recreation area for a myriad of activities.

…Just had to post this seldom seen sight.

BTW: The almost 2 feet of snow didn’t deter canines and their companions from enjoying the outdoors in New Canaan’s wonder-full Waveny Park on the once pristine Lapham Estate.

Sunday’s howling wind, light snowfall and sub-zero temperatures didn’t stop residents from visiting Spencer’s Run dog park in Waveny.

The wind whipped across the Waveny athletic field blowing snow and a bitter chill that brought temperatures down to zero degrees Fahrenheit Sunday.

As I sorted through my closet for my warmest winter cap, the one with the fur ear flaps, I felt a tingle of anticipation at the prospect of a walk through the wintry landscape. After calling a few friends who were at home lounging Sunday away in pajamas and complaining about sub-zero temperatures outside, I thought surely I would be alone.

To my surprise Spencer’s Run had visitors! There were a dozen canines running about, their owners throwing tennis balls, frisbees and chatting as if it were any other Sunday. One of the greatest things about this day in the park; No one was complaining. I can’t tell you what a joy it was to be outside. After 20 minutes socializing in Spencer’s Run, I clipped up the leash and went for a walk over the Waveny trails with my pooch.

A friend called – the coldest moment I experienced was holding that phone without a glove – he and his daughter would meet us with their dog. …and that’s how we spent our Sunday afternoon in Waveny. We walked for almost two hours. When our conversation turned to hot chocolate and the warm fire at home, we turned back toward the cars and called it a day. A beautiful day in Waveny Park.

It was zero degrees today. We saw cross-country skiers, kids sledding, dogs playing. We saw interesting stones in an old stone wall and some neat looking trees. We kicked snow piles and crunched frozen puddles. We joked around and had a family good time. We put on a jacket and took up adventure in Waveny today.

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.

Don’t you find people’s motivations entirely interesting? Why one person votes one way and another opposes… There’s always a reason.

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.

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.