The Best Things in Life

Nikki over at Debt Free by Thirty has a segment called The Best Things in Life, where she talks about wonderful events in their lives that happen to be free.
Today, I am sharing my contribution to The Best Things in Life- the dog park.
I am very well aware that my dogs were not free, nor are they all that inexpensive to maintain. However, a trip to the dog park is free, and something we do almost daily.
The dog park is happiness making on many levels:
1)      The dogs get to run and play. This makes them happy in the moment and us happy in the long run, because it means that when they get home, they will be tired, and a tired dog is a good dog.
2)      We get exercise, too, walking around the park with them and going to get the ball when Larry’s decided he’s done chasing it. It also gets us outdoors, allowing us to really appreciate the current lovely fall days we’re having.
3)      We meet other dog people. We mourn together when someone loses a beloved pet, and we ooh and aah over the puppies and other new additions to the family.
4)      The dogs socialize and have their favorite dog park friends, too. If you have a dog, socialization, with both strange people and strange dogs is hugely important. Socialization makes them better behaved in all sorts of situations, and while it may not seem like it creates happiness, it certainly prevents the major unhappiness that comes if your dog bites someone or gets in a fight with another dog.
5)      If we don’t feel like socializing, we can just take a walk around the park. Walking with the dogs is really relaxing downtime, time when the hubby and I can reconnect.
A visit to the dog park is an almost every day thing for us (Larry, our terrier, NEEDS to run), but that doesn’t take the joy out of it. Sometimes it can feel like a chore finding the time to get there, but once we’re there, it’s always worth it. It’s always relaxing, and is often the best part of my day.