Why should humans have all the fun? Your pets too deserve to have a day out in the park, right? But which park in the city allows dogs in? There’s one on Necklace road, near the P.V. Narasimha Rao ghat, which many dog lovers head to with their furry friends on Sunday mornings. It’s a heaven for dog lovers and pet owners who can take their canines for a day of fun in the park and let them run wild and make them catch a flying frisbee or toss a ball without having anyone snarling at you and the pet.
Having a pet dog is a wonderful thing, but for those living in apartments and having to cramp their dogs in restricted environments, the park seems to be a blessing. “There is no one restricting them here, no one rebuking them for sniffing their hands or jumping on them for a friendly cuddle. It is an atmosphere of love, playfulness and a whole lot of exercise,” loves Saptarshi Dey, who adopted an abandoned one-year-old dog from the street, she named ‘Naina.’
Taking this dog park to a whole new level are dog meetups organised by pet owners on their unofficial Facebook page ‘Necklace Road Dog Park’. There is however one glitch - one cannot take their pet dogs everyday at will to the park; the day assigned for them are only Sunday mornings.
Pet owners love the idea of their morning fun in the sunshine and seeing their four-legged loved ones run, hop, roll and enjoy their time in the grass. Don’t they bark at each other and create a scene there? “ It is all there. But the pet owners know how to handle it all. The barks and growling are just initial hiccups, with regular trips every week, they get accustomed to the environment and the idea of being surrounded by other pets. Gradually, they begin to look forward to their Sunday morning outings,” says Lata Sriram, a pet owner.
Saptarshi says she has been on the lookout for a place to go on a staycation with Naina but no property allows pets. In such a situation, the dog park is a wonderful idea.
The park isn't huge and gets cramped when the turnout is huge. Sometimes dog lovers with no pets also drop by to get some selfless licks and cuddles. The other reason why the park is a good ‘meeting place for pets’: “a lot of discussion and exchange of ideas takes place, especially with first time pet owners,” explains a pet owner.
Sarah who adopted a three year old male dog says when she takes her ‘Buzo’ to the place for a stroll, “he feels scared. Maybe he thinks I will leave him there and run away. While he is extremely comfortable off the leash in other places, here he prefers having me by his side. Buzo is like my everyday companion, he travels to every place I go within the city and is very comfortable being with other dogs. But he doesn't like the ones who cuddle with me, nor does he like to share his treats with them. Pets are like little children,” she smiles.
This dog park is turning out to be a hot favourite for those who love Pet photography. The photographers love catching the mood of the pets and some comments like 'be aware his smile is contagious' will make everyone go awwww.
