1 00:00:05,790 --> 00:00:10,770 Welcome to Dog Parkology, a show that looks at the concept of dog parks 2 00:00:10,860 --> 00:00:15,400 through our relationship with dogs, with each other, and with the land. 3 00:00:20,650 --> 00:00:25,200 In our previous episode, we explored how dog parks offer opportunities for 4 00:00:25,200 --> 00:00:28,620 a closer understanding Standing and personal connection with your dog. 5 00:00:29,210 --> 00:00:33,620 Figure out what forms of enrichment they need and actively play together. 6 00:00:34,410 --> 00:00:37,500 However, there's still room at the dog park for you to play 7 00:00:37,910 --> 00:00:39,440 to connect with strangers. 8 00:00:42,580 --> 00:00:47,739 When you know that somebody has a pet or a dog, that is automatically 9 00:00:47,739 --> 00:00:50,200 something that resonates with us as. 10 00:00:50,429 --> 00:00:52,209 being similar to our own interest. 11 00:00:53,730 --> 00:00:57,220 This is Megan Mueller, an Associate Professor of Human Animal 12 00:00:57,240 --> 00:00:59,550 Interaction at Tufts University. 13 00:01:00,870 --> 00:01:04,800 So there's an implied trust there because you're saying, I understand 14 00:01:04,810 --> 00:01:08,529 this person's like me, this person has a dog, they care about their dog. 15 00:01:08,770 --> 00:01:12,240 And so I'm attributing certain characteristics to that, perhaps 16 00:01:12,280 --> 00:01:16,880 empathy or trust or responsibility for caring for the dog. 17 00:01:17,610 --> 00:01:20,970 In addition to an intuitive sense of trust, the topic of your 18 00:01:20,970 --> 00:01:22,789 dogs can provide an icebreaker. 19 00:01:23,210 --> 00:01:26,850 When you're meeting somebody new who you don't know, who's a stranger, where 20 00:01:26,850 --> 00:01:28,849 do you start with that interaction? 21 00:01:29,229 --> 00:01:33,869 The nature of talking with someone else about your dogs is immediately personal 22 00:01:33,880 --> 00:01:37,929 because your dog means a lot to you and their dog means a lot to them. 23 00:01:38,239 --> 00:01:43,529 And so that can be a really nice, safe place to start a conversation with someone 24 00:01:43,539 --> 00:01:45,699 that can then lead off into other areas. 25 00:01:46,440 --> 00:01:48,369 Todd Parks can offer a certain levity. 26 00:01:49,425 --> 00:01:53,825 Interactions with somebody in a dog park don't have a lot of the same baggage that 27 00:01:53,825 --> 00:01:55,785 other types of interactions might have. 28 00:01:56,105 --> 00:02:00,064 For example, maybe you're feeling pressure at work to make a particular impression 29 00:02:00,065 --> 00:02:05,165 on somebody or even in other social situations, the stakes might seem higher. 30 00:02:05,464 --> 00:02:11,245 Whereas this is a lower stakes opportunity where there's a social 31 00:02:11,245 --> 00:02:15,835 facilitator, a topic to talk about around your shared interest in dogs. 32 00:02:16,055 --> 00:02:17,845 So it might just feel a little bit easier. 33 00:02:18,630 --> 00:02:22,950 Dog parks are social gathering spots outside of home and work that can provide 34 00:02:22,950 --> 00:02:24,810 a space for people to come together. 35 00:02:25,450 --> 00:02:29,450 This type of third place also allows us to let our guard down in a way that 36 00:02:29,450 --> 00:02:31,609 we might not normally with strangers. 37 00:02:32,999 --> 00:02:35,719 As humans, we are social beings. 38 00:02:35,939 --> 00:02:38,870 We need social interaction with other people. 39 00:02:38,880 --> 00:02:43,470 And we know that there's increased polarization and challenges 40 00:02:43,470 --> 00:02:45,310 around connecting in person. 41 00:02:45,320 --> 00:02:50,530 A lot of connections now are happening in the digital space, especially COVID era. 42 00:02:50,830 --> 00:02:56,310 And so this is an increasingly unique exposure to a different group of 43 00:02:56,340 --> 00:03:00,940 people that you wouldn't normally have the opportunity to connect with. 44 00:03:01,360 --> 00:03:04,900 Opening up to new perspectives is always a good thing. 45 00:03:05,039 --> 00:03:09,900 Learning about different perspectives and different ways of being in the 46 00:03:09,900 --> 00:03:14,560 world helps us expand our view and our empathy of the world more broadly. 47 00:03:19,680 --> 00:03:23,170 This brings us to the theme of our episode, Common Ground. 48 00:03:23,950 --> 00:03:27,890 Most of us know the concept, the idea that even people who might 49 00:03:27,890 --> 00:03:31,390 have different views or might come from different life experiences 50 00:03:31,450 --> 00:03:33,490 can find something they agree on. 51 00:03:34,010 --> 00:03:37,580 Having that common ground can open up lines of communication 52 00:03:37,720 --> 00:03:39,330 and allow for active listening. 53 00:03:39,789 --> 00:03:42,720 It can be the building block of a foundation of openness, 54 00:03:42,930 --> 00:03:45,700 empathy, and ultimately trust. 55 00:03:46,395 --> 00:03:51,085 In this case, of course, the common ground we share is the love of our dogs. 56 00:03:51,885 --> 00:03:55,885 There's an opportunity at dog parks to connect no matter where you go. 57 00:03:57,935 --> 00:04:03,025 We had been living in an apartment in Brooklyn and we timed getting my 58 00:04:03,025 --> 00:04:05,315 dog Finley with the move to Texas. 59 00:04:06,925 --> 00:04:10,725 This is Whitney Harris, a freelance writer who's published articles for 60 00:04:10,725 --> 00:04:12,755 many dog magazines and websites. 61 00:04:14,805 --> 00:04:18,515 Dallas seems like a much more dog friendly place. 62 00:04:18,850 --> 00:04:20,260 There are dog parks everywhere. 63 00:04:20,680 --> 00:04:21,810 I was freelance writing. 64 00:04:21,810 --> 00:04:26,100 So I was at home a lot, but she really forced us to get out, to meet 65 00:04:26,100 --> 00:04:28,320 people, to be social, to be active. 66 00:04:28,940 --> 00:04:32,670 Once out there at the dog park, Whitney found it to be a great environment to 67 00:04:32,670 --> 00:04:34,619 have conversations with other locals. 68 00:04:35,120 --> 00:04:39,240 It's so easy and natural to strike up a conversation when your dog is 69 00:04:39,240 --> 00:04:40,820 playing with someone else's dog. 70 00:04:41,290 --> 00:04:43,390 For the most part, everyone is chatty. 71 00:04:43,390 --> 00:04:46,700 Everyone wants to know your dog's origin story. 72 00:04:47,040 --> 00:04:50,150 There are infinite questions to ask someone about their dog, and 73 00:04:50,260 --> 00:04:51,840 that always leads to other things. 74 00:04:52,270 --> 00:04:54,130 It's almost like a litmus test. 75 00:04:54,280 --> 00:04:57,910 Like, owning a dog is, in some ways, a selfless thing to do, 76 00:04:57,920 --> 00:05:02,390 because they require so much of us, so much time, so much caregiving. 77 00:05:02,620 --> 00:05:06,730 So, that, to me, indicates that they're good people, that they're trustworthy, 78 00:05:06,730 --> 00:05:08,680 and we would watch each other's dogs. 79 00:05:09,325 --> 00:05:12,305 Soon, Whitney found herself making valuable connections with 80 00:05:12,305 --> 00:05:16,225 people she met at the dog park, including a woman named Sage. 81 00:05:16,735 --> 00:05:19,004 When I first met Sage, she seemed quiet. 82 00:05:19,144 --> 00:05:22,435 I couldn't get a good read on her, but she was the one who asked 83 00:05:22,445 --> 00:05:25,325 for my number and said, Our dogs play great, let's get together. 84 00:05:29,134 --> 00:05:32,984 Sage was pregnant at one point when we were in Dallas and had all of 85 00:05:32,984 --> 00:05:35,994 these appointments to go to, so I would take her dog Freddy for her. 86 00:05:36,289 --> 00:05:40,750 Once I got to know her, I realized she had just such a fascinating life story. 87 00:05:40,780 --> 00:05:45,030 She was a chef and worked in a lot of kitchens. 88 00:05:45,269 --> 00:05:47,919 She told me the stories of every single tattoo on her body. 89 00:05:48,289 --> 00:05:52,190 She really opened herself up to me and then I opened myself up to her and we 90 00:05:52,190 --> 00:05:56,900 talked about struggling to get pregnant and I feel like I learned a lot from her. 91 00:05:57,289 --> 00:06:00,780 Her life experience was just completely different than mine. 92 00:06:01,010 --> 00:06:03,940 It was just wonderful getting to know someone who I wouldn't 93 00:06:03,940 --> 00:06:05,680 otherwise ever cross paths with. 94 00:06:06,785 --> 00:06:09,775 When Whitney and her husband moved back to New York from Dallas, 95 00:06:09,815 --> 00:06:13,375 they went to Westchester County, just north of New York City. 96 00:06:13,805 --> 00:06:17,345 And once again, the dog park experience became important. 97 00:06:18,125 --> 00:06:23,565 Looking into neighborhoods up here in Westchester, one of the stops on our 98 00:06:23,565 --> 00:06:25,575 list was always the local dog park. 99 00:06:25,805 --> 00:06:28,425 We knew no one here in our town of Sleepy Hollow. 100 00:06:28,425 --> 00:06:29,845 We didn't know a single person. 101 00:06:30,165 --> 00:06:35,174 Going to the dog park with Finley, I was heavily pregnant and everyone just, 102 00:06:35,175 --> 00:06:38,910 you know, Had a million questions for me and a million pieces of advice. 103 00:06:38,930 --> 00:06:39,750 Oh, you're new here. 104 00:06:39,750 --> 00:06:41,080 This is the best restaurant. 105 00:06:41,090 --> 00:06:43,340 This is what you can do on the weekends. 106 00:06:43,340 --> 00:06:46,329 These are the farmer's market hours and you're having a baby. 107 00:06:46,399 --> 00:06:47,699 This is what the schools are like. 108 00:06:47,899 --> 00:06:48,980 They just want to share. 109 00:06:49,120 --> 00:06:50,500 And then, you know, you pay it forward. 110 00:06:50,500 --> 00:06:54,280 Now that I've been here eight years, three kids later and Finley's getting 111 00:06:54,280 --> 00:06:58,250 older, I can tell anyone I meet at the dog park what my advice is for 112 00:06:58,250 --> 00:06:59,970 them, dog related and otherwise. 113 00:07:00,880 --> 00:07:04,530 No matter where she went, or no matter where she and her husband might go 114 00:07:04,530 --> 00:07:08,350 in the future, Whitney has found that dog parks can be an invaluable 115 00:07:08,350 --> 00:07:10,150 way to connect in a new community. 116 00:07:13,850 --> 00:07:18,060 It's also important to remember not everyone feels the same type of welcome 117 00:07:18,089 --> 00:07:20,380 or instant comfort in these spaces. 118 00:07:22,579 --> 00:07:25,474 I was lucky in that when I was in my dog park era. 119 00:07:25,604 --> 00:07:29,465 When I had Samar, I was in the Bay Area, which is an area 120 00:07:29,705 --> 00:07:31,094 with a lot of folks of color. 121 00:07:32,955 --> 00:07:36,844 This is Sharon Holland, a distinguished professor in the Department of 122 00:07:36,844 --> 00:07:41,104 American Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 123 00:07:41,575 --> 00:07:45,235 And a neighborhood I certainly lived in at the edge of East Palo Alto was 124 00:07:45,265 --> 00:07:48,695 definitely considered a neighborhood of African descended people. 125 00:07:49,094 --> 00:07:52,094 A lot of times people would just take an old abandoned place. 126 00:07:52,655 --> 00:07:55,784 Clean it up a little bit, and if it has a still usable fence, 127 00:07:55,794 --> 00:07:57,544 folks would run their dogs there. 128 00:07:57,755 --> 00:08:01,414 Some parks are good, but other parks If I came, I wouldn't want to be 129 00:08:01,414 --> 00:08:03,115 the only person of color in a park. 130 00:08:04,525 --> 00:08:07,844 People don't necessarily associate black bodies with positive 131 00:08:07,845 --> 00:08:10,174 relationships with non human animals. 132 00:08:10,464 --> 00:08:14,694 Or they assume that many people of African descent do not want or do 133 00:08:14,694 --> 00:08:19,465 not cherish their relationships with animals, which is not a historical truth. 134 00:08:20,319 --> 00:08:24,220 To illustrate some of the history of the powerful relationships between Black 135 00:08:24,230 --> 00:08:30,480 people and their animals, Sharon wrote a book in 2023 entitled An Other, A Black 136 00:08:30,520 --> 00:08:33,010 Feminist Consideration of Animal Life. 137 00:08:33,499 --> 00:08:39,329 People of African descent have a really incredible legacy with non human animals. 138 00:08:39,709 --> 00:08:44,819 I can think of no other group who have been more consequential to animal life 139 00:08:44,839 --> 00:08:50,259 than black equestrians, black trainers, the black enslaved, who basically built 140 00:08:50,260 --> 00:08:52,649 the sport of racing and equine care. 141 00:08:53,339 --> 00:08:55,530 And I am a rider. 142 00:08:55,849 --> 00:08:58,999 I have a lovely horse named Annie. 143 00:08:59,310 --> 00:09:02,210 I feel like actually by riding, I'm connecting to my heritage 144 00:09:02,210 --> 00:09:03,869 as a African descended person. 145 00:09:04,260 --> 00:09:07,389 And I think people are seeing that more and more now that we're not 146 00:09:07,439 --> 00:09:09,050 separate from the animal world. 147 00:09:09,345 --> 00:09:12,725 We've helped contour human beings relationship to it. 148 00:09:13,295 --> 00:09:16,915 As a professor of American Studies, Sharon has been teaching an animal 149 00:09:16,915 --> 00:09:18,704 course for almost a decade now. 150 00:09:19,255 --> 00:09:22,885 In addition to her horse, dogs have always been important to Sharon. 151 00:09:23,640 --> 00:09:28,120 Now, Sharon resides in North Carolina, with more open land for her dogs to run. 152 00:09:28,410 --> 00:09:32,149 And while some people like their privacy, everyone always helps one another 153 00:09:32,149 --> 00:09:34,200 keep an eye out for each other's dogs. 154 00:09:34,550 --> 00:09:38,600 A friend of mine, Artemis, who's amazing with dogs, had the sweetest pit bulls. 155 00:09:39,105 --> 00:09:43,795 Winnie, my dog, loved the pitties and would jump over their backs 156 00:09:43,795 --> 00:09:46,015 and play with them and run around. 157 00:09:46,574 --> 00:09:48,415 I saw our dogs were playing together. 158 00:09:48,574 --> 00:09:49,915 They were down by my house. 159 00:09:50,434 --> 00:09:52,214 And I'm like, what is your daddy's name? 160 00:09:52,215 --> 00:09:53,745 I don't even have his number. 161 00:09:54,264 --> 00:09:57,704 And so, walked him up the road, I knew where Aramis lived 162 00:09:58,055 --> 00:09:59,555 and he said, Oh, thank you. 163 00:09:59,555 --> 00:10:00,685 And I said, I don't know your name. 164 00:10:00,905 --> 00:10:01,805 I don't have your number. 165 00:10:01,805 --> 00:10:04,495 And he goes, I don't know your name, but I knew his dogs. 166 00:10:04,875 --> 00:10:07,334 And he comes on the land all the time. 167 00:10:07,334 --> 00:10:08,425 It's like a big dog run. 168 00:10:08,425 --> 00:10:11,424 And in the morning, my dogs, we go a little bit later up the 169 00:10:11,424 --> 00:10:13,064 road and they're always sniffing. 170 00:10:13,064 --> 00:10:15,064 I said, Oh, that's where Aramis dogs were. 171 00:10:16,185 --> 00:10:19,724 During the pandemic, Sharon found that her neighbors came together 172 00:10:19,734 --> 00:10:22,114 in a new way because of their dogs. 173 00:10:22,585 --> 00:10:25,545 The most consistent dog park I've had is with Aramis. 174 00:10:25,885 --> 00:10:28,895 We used a little cul de sac circle right by the mailboxes 175 00:10:28,895 --> 00:10:30,335 for the houses down my road. 176 00:10:30,745 --> 00:10:34,135 There's about a mile around this whole property, all the way around. 177 00:10:34,454 --> 00:10:36,094 It was an informal dog park. 178 00:10:36,314 --> 00:10:39,634 A lot of folks during the pandemic came down here and ran their dogs. 179 00:10:40,060 --> 00:10:42,880 And folks from the trailer park near my house came here 180 00:10:42,880 --> 00:10:44,010 to let their dogs off leash. 181 00:10:44,620 --> 00:10:47,380 The dog parks, they weren't necessarily shut down, but 182 00:10:47,380 --> 00:10:48,540 a lot of people were afraid. 183 00:10:48,620 --> 00:10:52,179 They weren't sure if COVID could be spread from the dogs, from touching one another. 184 00:10:52,569 --> 00:10:54,209 Our informal dog park was great. 185 00:10:54,520 --> 00:10:57,539 Sometimes the neighbors would come out and wave and sit and watch 186 00:10:57,539 --> 00:10:59,229 the dogs just do their thing. 187 00:11:00,100 --> 00:11:02,689 So I just love the sociality of dogs. 188 00:11:03,075 --> 00:11:07,465 I've learned so much about sharing, about forgiveness, just the 189 00:11:07,545 --> 00:11:09,285 way in which dogs work it out. 190 00:11:09,465 --> 00:11:11,265 I wish human beings could learn this. 191 00:11:11,545 --> 00:11:15,445 It's weird, like, even though there's a lot of space between us, out here I 192 00:11:15,445 --> 00:11:19,630 feel I have more intimate relationships with my neighbors than I have In other 193 00:11:19,630 --> 00:11:22,050 places, I feel like I know everybody. 194 00:11:22,430 --> 00:11:24,440 I do feel safer down here. 195 00:11:24,680 --> 00:11:25,730 I'm very lucky. 196 00:11:26,530 --> 00:11:29,410 While the grounds around Sharon's community are not technically 197 00:11:29,410 --> 00:11:33,199 a designated dog park, they still accomplish the core idea. 198 00:11:33,699 --> 00:11:37,900 Having a place for dogs to be off leash for the humans to enjoy their time 199 00:11:37,905 --> 00:11:41,750 with them, and to meet and connect with human and canine neighbors. 200 00:11:45,880 --> 00:11:48,955 Aside from being responsible about where you let your dog off leash. 201 00:11:49,594 --> 00:11:53,545 These kinds of dog parkology moments can happen anywhere. 202 00:11:54,324 --> 00:11:58,334 Whether you go to your local dog park or form your own, our canine 203 00:11:58,334 --> 00:12:01,974 companions allow us to better get to know and understand our neighbors, 204 00:12:02,164 --> 00:12:04,034 no matter what distance between you. 205 00:12:05,775 --> 00:12:09,254 New York Times opinion columnist Frank Bruni wrote a piece a 206 00:12:09,254 --> 00:12:13,295 few years ago entitled Dogs Will Fix Our Broken Democracy. 207 00:12:14,195 --> 00:12:18,465 Bruni writes about how his dog, Regan, impacted his interactions 208 00:12:18,655 --> 00:12:20,145 out and about in New York. 209 00:12:21,785 --> 00:12:24,504 Something happens when Regan does leave the apartment with me. 210 00:12:25,064 --> 00:12:29,365 Something so rare these days that it's practically revolutionary, Bruni says. 211 00:12:30,445 --> 00:12:33,704 In Central Park, there's a whole vibrant society of those of us 212 00:12:33,704 --> 00:12:37,265 with dogs, especially during the awfully showers before 9 a. 213 00:12:37,265 --> 00:12:37,525 m. 214 00:12:37,675 --> 00:12:38,574 and after 9 p. 215 00:12:38,574 --> 00:12:38,865 m. 216 00:12:39,064 --> 00:12:43,795 when I let Regan lead the way and the people I get to know are appendages of 217 00:12:43,795 --> 00:12:45,675 the dogs she decides to wrestle with. 218 00:12:46,585 --> 00:12:50,795 They're not chosen by some social media algorithm, sorted by income level, 219 00:12:51,145 --> 00:12:53,215 screened by political affiliation. 220 00:12:55,025 --> 00:12:58,535 Bruni writes about seeing Americans becoming more and more separated. 221 00:12:58,835 --> 00:13:02,505 in the areas in which we live, where we take vacations, or 222 00:13:02,505 --> 00:13:04,015 the schools children go to. 223 00:13:04,705 --> 00:13:08,455 There's also the way technology filters out people who might challenge us. 224 00:13:09,975 --> 00:13:13,714 He writes, My interactions in Central Park are partly about having 225 00:13:13,714 --> 00:13:17,845 a dog, but just as much about what the dog encourages, even compels. 226 00:13:18,554 --> 00:13:23,355 Spending time in public places that are open to everyone, and well situated, 227 00:13:23,605 --> 00:13:28,699 and appealing enough, To guarantee that people from all walks of life cross paths. 228 00:13:34,680 --> 00:13:38,259 Thank you for listening to this episode of Dog Parkology. 229 00:13:38,260 --> 00:13:40,190 I'm Jenna Blum, your narrator. 230 00:13:41,050 --> 00:13:45,829 This show was created by As It Should Be Productions, the creators of Dog Save the 231 00:13:45,829 --> 00:13:52,080 People and Dog Walk Meditation podcasts, with executive producer Scott Benaglio 232 00:13:52,360 --> 00:13:54,280 and producer and editor Jack Sommer. 233 00:13:56,680 --> 00:14:00,649 Be sure to check out the entire season of Dog Parkology by following 234 00:14:00,649 --> 00:14:02,329 the show on Apple Podcasts. 235 00:14:02,530 --> 00:14:05,470 Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. 236 00:14:06,810 --> 00:14:11,010 You can follow us on social media at Dog Park, ology and Dog Save the People. 237 00:14:11,500 --> 00:14:15,130 You can visit our website, dog park ology.com to learn more 238 00:14:15,130 --> 00:14:18,610 about the show and to buy custom design merch like our T-shirts. 239 00:14:19,310 --> 00:14:23,810 If you know of any great dog parks in your area or you've created your own dog park 240 00:14:24,170 --> 00:14:26,690 moment, you can email us at dog park at. 241 00:14:29,150 --> 00:14:31,050 We'd love to hear about your experience. 242 00:14:32,839 --> 00:14:36,780 And if you've enjoyed listening to this episode, please share it with a friend. 243 00:14:37,610 --> 00:14:41,150 Enjoy a trip to a dog park today, or wherever you go with your dog. 244 00:14:41,499 --> 00:14:45,760 You appreciate nature, meet others and make a better life together.