As written on July 30, 2011.
I took my final trip to Shaw dog park this morning. I found myself in an odd mix of farewells. We all stood there and knew we would never see each other again, for the connections I made at the dog park were just as strong as those I made at AWI. However, the difference stands in the fact that I have no chance of running into my dog park people, professionally, in the future.
Shaw has a special place etched in my heart. Shaw is not the prettiest dog park but it has some wonderful people. Shaw is not riddled with the top-notch pure breed dogs, for the people of Shaw know that the gems of the dog world are the mutts. The mixes which stood little chance of survival in a shelter. The mixes which are not afraid to get rough and tumble around on the pea gravel ground, and subsequently get hosed down by some wonderful person with a hose.
This takes me back a few weeks ago, one evening while letting the boys stretch their legs a blind springer spaniel and a pit mix got into a pretty gnarly fight. The whole thing started because the blind spaniel is a wiz at playing fetch and upon her finding the ball at the same exact moment as the mix, well, teeth and snarls and a fight ensued. Neither dog was harmed but what I witnessed in the people warmed my soul.
The people all jumped in. The people helped to remove the two main dogs from the mess and to keep the outlying dogs out of the mess. The two people who belonged to the dogs exchanged information just in case there was a vet visit. Now, here is the extraordinary part, at the park I frequent in Knoxville this would have ensued in a screaming match about whom was at fault and how “that vicious dog” needed to be removed. However, here, at Shaw, everyone stuck up for both dogs; a blind dog on a mission and playful pup whom was just wanting to take a ball back to his person. One cannot always expect dogs to get along, hell, why should they? There are some really annoying dogs out there. But this experience was pure magic for me. There was no screaming, no one was mad; once the skirmish was quelled everyone went back to their regularly scheduled activities. And as if nothing had happened, the evening continued. With a smile on my face and a shining soul at how wonderful dog people are I left the dog park with my two boys and stood in complete gratitude that I met these people, that I too was a part of Shaw, even if only for a short time.
Shaw, you made some really hard days easier for me. Shaw, you are a gem in D.C. and not because of how fancy you may or may not be, and not because of the annoying ice cream truck that frequents the corner of Rhode Island and 11th, but because like minded people met and shared some amazing experiences. Shaw, you are more than a dog park.
So in saying farewell to people whom I knew I would never see again my heart broke. Not in some way that I couldn’t breathe but in the recognition that things change, everything must come to an end. My heart broke at the fact that such cool people will remain in D.C. while I head back to Knoxville. My heart broke in hoping that I don’t forget these people or the amazing canines either, because in reality, I only talk to the people because I know the dogs.
Update: As of next week, August 22, 2011, Shaw apparently got a much needed face lift, according to the listserve.
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