Required Reading
REQUIRED READING BEFORE YOU CONTACT US
Have you ever been with your dog when he spots a rabbit on the trail in front of you? Suddenly he freezes, his tail goes up and his ears perk, his nose twitches and his eyes stare. All his senses are engaged. When he rabbit sees the dog; it runs into the tall grass and your dog takes off after it. As your dog runs through the grass, he flies; running as hard as he can but the rabbit, knowing the lay of the land much better than your dog, is in no danger. Your dog is filled with the excitement of the chase, living his life fully, freely, and joyfully. Your dog returns to you, panting with his tongue hanging out and his tail wagging. What a scene.
I have experienced this scene hundreds of times, both with my dogs and those of my friends. For the dogs, having the opportunity to enact it is the ultimate in dog bliss. Using all their senses, most especially their noses and ears to obtain information; using their brains to process the information; and using their muscles, hearts and lungs to give chase provides a dog with a total workout. However, most dogs rarely have the opportunity to live like this, if they ever do. The lives most dogs live are very confined and their environment is barren. They lack the sensory input to challenge their minds and physical outlets to challenge their bodies.
At the Paw Run Recreation Area we have tried to create a safe place where dogs can enjoy this kind of total workout. Where he can use his senses, brains and muscles doing what he naturally wants to do. To this end we are keeping most of the property in a natural state, with tall grasses, wild flowers, fallen trees and natural wetlands. These areas host Voles, Mice, Chipmunks, Rabbits, Pheasant, White Tail Deer as well as Garter Snakes, Turtles, and Frogs. The grasses invite hundred of song birds. On the property we have sighted Orioles, Flickers, Robins, Cardinals, Gold Finches. The uninterrupted cover of our property and the properties to the South and West house Sand Hill Cranes, Hawks and Great Blue Herons. We have modified the land to enhance its appeal to the dogs and to make it hospitable to the human members by mowing paths and a play field and removing Burdock and Poison Ivy (although there is still some around so be careful). A recreation area where most or all of the property was mowed would be far less interesting to dogs since there would be less sensory input.
Leaving the land in its natural state has additional benefits that spring from our beliefs about the environment. We are environmentalists and we run the recreation area accordingly. We do not use any chemical fertilizers, insecticide or herbicides on the property knowing that they are harmful to the land, the dogs and the other animals that share the property. By keeping most of the area untouched, we are also retaining a habitat for the animals who were their before the dogs. Tall grasses provide a habitat for small mammals, amphibians, and birds. It also provides an escape route for those animals when a dog is in pursuit. With out the tall grass these animals would disappear, and our experience (both human and dog) at the recreation area would suffer. There is so much development and loss of habitat in the Ann Arbor area, we would not want to contribute to it in the name of our dogs, especially since our dogs would also suffer by its loss.
Therefore, be aware when you visit the Paw Run Recreation Area, that it has been designed for the benefit of your dog although it is hugely enjoyable for humans who share our beliefs about the environment and a dog’s right to experience joy. Most of the eighteen acres are covered with tall grasses in which your dog run. There are small wild critters which your dogs will chase but probably not catch. There is mud, sometimes lots of mud, that your dog will run through and maybe roll in. There is water and mud in the stream and wetlands. There is a large pond in which your dog will get wet and your dog will then get you wet. However, when you leave after a long walk, both you and your dog will be tired and happy. So bring your sturdy shoes and a towel to wipe off the mud and do it for your dog.