In dog years, the Laguna Beach Dog Park is roughly 210 years old and celebrating its longevity this Saturday.
It was Oct. 17, 1992, when the rectangular, two-acre patch of grass opened – the first dog park in Orange County and one of the few in Southern California at that time, according to the city.
Since then, it has survived a skate park proposal, homeless encroachment and a flood or two, but otherwise, it’s been a go-to resource for dog owners.
The Friends of Laguna Beach Dog Park formed in 2005 to make sure the city stayed true to its intentions for the park. It worked over the years to make various improvements, including adding benches, picnic tables and so on.
But it’s really about the dogs.
There is nothing like watching dogs barrel around a park. As basic as that sounds, dogs show a palpable, primal joy that can only be experienced in person.
They run, endlessly. They smile, flirt and talk among themselves.
You can completely understand why humans make talking dog movies. We want to anthropomorphize them because we believe they are human. As part of the family, they are, by definition, included.
So it is not unusual, then, to watch the dogs run side by side like kids on the playground. They run if for no other reason than to run. Because they can. Because they have that annoying boundless energy. Because they want to see who can run faster.
As with humans, it’s always a competition.
Their owners, meanwhile, sit in Saturday morning sweats stained with goop, reading their phones, tossing sloppy balls, ears tuned to mischievous, overzealous acts of testosterone.
It is the dog park ritual, repeated or else. Repeated because we care for our dogs more than all the treats in the world.
