Sometimes we need to be reminded that love can happen anywhere, even in the dog park.

Most Sundays I take my k9kids there where they run free, swim in the river and meet their buddies. The remarkable thing is that hundreds of dogs of all ancestry, age and sexual preference gather there to rub noses and dish the dirt, without as much as a curled lip or raised hackle. Sure, there is a little posturing sometimes, and maybe a few stiffened legs or flattened ears,  but it’s more a place where friendships are forged and true love is born.

Park regulars

Amongst the hundreds of regulars to the dog park are Dash the Daxy and Wiggley the Labradoodle as well as Charlie Jnr. and Charlie Snr., both Border Collies with attitude. And there’s Meg, Max, Muttley and Rosie - Diesel, Cody, Wiz, Wez, Shumba and Nanny Mc Phee AKA Holly whose divine calling is educating impolite young upstarts and unruly hooligans.

Cullen and Fred

But my story is about two other park patrons who fell in love: Cullen a young German Shepherd and Fred a small, white 7 year old, wobbly-blob held together by four shaky, short legs, and whose mother was undoubtedly a great sport. Now the surprising thing about Fred is she’s a girl, born in the slums of New York where she was rescued from a cellar by her devoted Mom Pam.

But in spite of Fred being well travelled, I have never seen her as much as twitch a whisker or converse with a single dog or human. Nor have I ever seen her walk 30 metres without several sleeps on the way.  Pam assured me it was her normal behaviour, and she wasn’t ill, which I suspected because it’s really not usual for a dog to virtually tread earth in it’s effort to break out of a slow walk.

Love at first sniff

While contemplating her malady, Pam suddenly announced, “Here comes Cullen, just watch this.”
Then right before my eyes, the small, pale, inert blimp suddenly sucked in her waist, pricked up her ears, fluttered her eyelashes and with head flung back and tail flicking fifty to the dozen, she sprang to life in a full blooded Spanish Tango with the object of her affection … Cullen, a most willing partner who couldn’t believe his luck.
I was dumbstruck.
“Does she usually do this?!” I gasped incredulously.
“Never, only with Cullen.”
“Not with any other dog?”
“Not once in the 6 years I’ve had her!”

And I thought I knew dogs … just shows how love changes everything. Olé!