Dog parks are the coolest, neatest, bestest, happiest places ever! How come there's only one dog park and a kazillion human parks in Appleton, parks where only humans are allowed? We pass those parks and they look so nice and green and empty - no dogs walking, and no humans either mostly. Except sometimes at night when big humans hang out there and do naughty things and scare people. Humans don't walk in their parks, they don't run and smell things and if they're not dog-humans sometimes they're not very nice either.

Our dog park is always busy, even if it's cold or hot or rainy, all day, every day. I LOVE it. I love running as fast as I can, letting all those wonderful smells rush past me, feel the wind and the sun and the fresh air skim past me as I go, feeling my legs go so fast I feel like I could fly. I'm like the wind, like a bird, like....a dog! Running's the best. Mommy can't run, and she can't even go fast like little humans or those running-humans I see going past the house, so I'm very careful to always stop and come back to her and make sure she's keeping up. Little Toby tries to keep up with me - silly little Toby - he's got short stubby legs and can't FLLLLYYY like Beagle-Girl can. Xan trots down the trails, stopping to enjoy interesting new smells, but he doesn't runnnnnnn like I do either. Sometimes big dogs with long legs run like I do and then I get scared until I know they won't hurt me, but nope, nosirreee, no one loves running like Miss Willow Beagle does. It's the most wonderfulest feeling in the world and when I can run like the wind I feel like I can fly.

After we walk on the trails at the dog park - well, I run - then we go to "the little kids area" and there are little dogs there that don't scare me, and that's fun too. We play puppy-chase, and little Toby keeps up with me and sometimes he finds other little dogs like him there, and we all play together.

I love the sun on my fur too, and I stretch out looooong so the grass tickles my tummy and the sun makes my fur all warm, and I love the way the world smells from a car window. Humans don't understand that, even Mommy, how DAZZLING the world is when a kazillion smells rush into my nose all at once, all mixed up and telling about all kinds of new, strange, wonderful things in the world I haven't found yet.

And at night, when it's dark, I love feeling Mommy's hand petting my ears, my fur, and I love the way it feels to have little Toby snuggle up against me and we both snuggle up against Mommy and are all cozy and warm. Toby says that's the way it was when he was a baby with his first dog-mommy and brothers and sisters. I didn't have a dog mommy, just Mommy, and I didn't have dog-brothers and sisters, just Xander and the cats (until Toby came) but that's okay, this is my family and I'm soooo glad because there are soooo many wonderful things in the world to smell and feel and taste and do.

I'll tell you more about my favorite things another day - there's so MANY!!!

Bye, now - Willow Beagle