Our first new activity for SWCDP 2017-2018 Season was our introduction of Tiny Paws, Big Play – which debuted on Saturday, July 15, 2017 and will continue as long as members have interest.

Tiny Paws, Big Play (TPBP) was designed to give our little 4-Legged members an opportunity to play with others of compatible size. Our thinking on this: SWCDP is open for general play 7 days per week – that’s 112 hours of playtime! And, of course, our little ones can come and play during all open hours, using Alternate or Main, whatever works for their comfort level. But, it’s a well-known fact that our Main playground can be rough and tumble with lots of chase and tackle and robust play – sometimes a bit much for our tiny pals. So, after hearing from several of our members on this topic – we think dedicating 8 hours for play dates for our tiny friends will be a good thing. Who doesn’t like hangin’ with their peers?

     

This activity is a self-managed event

While this is a SWCDP sanctioned event, and will be managed by SWCDP in general terms….the day-to-day participation will be self-managed. That means it will be up to our members to work together in respecting all SWCDP rules and guidelines – and – to monitor who comes in/out of Alternate Dog Park during the TPBP designated play date slots. Any questions or issues, please contact me, Judi, at willow.nic07@yahoo.com

Wiggle Room

All small breed dogs may participate in TPBP. The general guideline is 25 lbs and under – but if your small breed dog is slightly over this maximum, you may include him/her. However, if you have a medium-large breed dog in the puppy phase and currently weighing 25 lbs or under – he/she will not be allowed in this playground. Even at such a young age – those big “puppy paws” should be playing on the Main playground with their peer group.

This Must Be Enforced

No medium-large breed dogs allowed in Alternate during TPBP play date time slots. If a member has both small and large dog (s) – it is incumbent upon such member to either leave the larger dog home during this TPBP play time or bring another adult along to supervise the bigger dog in the Main play area. Even though your dog (s) may get along fine with your small dog – or other small dogs in general – our members participating in TPBP have every right to use the Alternate without interference of dogs larger than 25 pounds.

Alternate Dog Park – Usage Guideline Revisited

Because our Alternate Dog Park is of considerable size, and often empty – we recreated the guidelines in 2012 – and renamed the area from “Small Dog Park” to “Alternate Dog Park”. We use this space for SWCDP special events and we increased the parameters for usage, with a pecking order.

  • Small dogs, usually under 30 lbs
  • Dogs recovering from surgery/injury (no parasites or contagious conditions), such as wearing a cone or having stitches healing, etc.
  • Older dogs who no longer enjoy the robust play on the Main
  • Dogs with a low-key personality or low-energy play style; shy, needing a place to build self-confidence
  • Gathering a group of doggie friends from the Main playground and creating an impromptu play group in Alternate
  • Using Alternate as a time-out or re-direction of energy; your dog got overly stimulated or got into a simple scuffle and needs a short break (dog fights and high level aggression situations require you to go home for the day)

The above are approved reasons to use the Alternate Dog Park. Each member contemplating using the Alternate should always talk to those already using the area – discuss the needs of each dog and work together to either share the space or take turns. Common sense, courtesy and communication are keys to success. None of the above applies to the Tiny Paws Big Play schedule; at which times ONLY dogs 25-30 lbs and under are allowed to use the Alternate Dog Park.

As Always . . .
Appreciate SWCDP Member Support, Participation and Cooperation.