Let's say you have a dog with big energy and a small yard. What do you do? You go to a dog park. Only dog parks aren't really good for dogs, so you find a park to play in by yourselves. Only another dog walks in off leash and charges towards your dog wanting to play, but your dog is reactive so you have a heart attack, fall to the ground and your dog eats the other dog. Just as an example.
Lip is that dog. Although he hasn't eaten any other dogs and is only reactive in certain situations (more on his reactivity and training in a later post.)
As a result of him having a HUGE amount of energy and me having a TINY yard, yesterday afternoon out of desperation I went to a Sniffspot. This isn't a sponsored post, it's more of a service announcement for dog owners.
Sniffspot is like Airbnb but with yards for dogs. People with small, large or enormous yards or properties list their homes on the app. You pick the property that you want to go to, book your time online, pay the host through the app and then head to your destination.
This particular destination was a home that had a big lake, trails and no other dogs. Perfect.
I didn't even meet the homeowner. I drove up, parked in the designated spot and followed a path down to a forested area that was part of their 30 acre property.
It all went swimmingly until Philip accidentally went swimming. As is often the case, he thought he could walk on water.
He couldn't.
Would you like to save this stuff?
We'll email you this post, so you can refer to it later.
He walked onto a floating dock to explore it a bit, had a drink and then walked right off the dock into the water like a cartoon.
Turns out going to a Sniffspot doesn't actually eliminate the possibility of succumbing to a heart attack it just changed the reason for it.
I pulled Lip out of the water by his harness and he trotted off, presumably looking for a maggoty animal carcass or serial killer to introduce me to.
On the way home I reminded him that I saved his life so maybe he could cut me some slack tonight and poop a firm one.
That request was met by some open mouthed panting followed by startling himself with his own toot.
An appropriate end to our Sniffspot excursion.
p.s. The harness I had on him is a Kurgo Tru-Fit crash tested harness that's made for buckling your dog into the car safely.
Jody
Oh my goodness....this is the best thingI have learned today. I am so going to give Sniffspot a sniff. Thank you for sharing this information.
George Tirebiter
But if you don't take him to the dog park, how is he supposed to get his P-mail??
Robin Willoughby
I checked and there IS Sniffspot in the US! What a fabulous idea!! I would think if you do any traveling with your dog and they just need to stretch their legs, it could be wonderful!
Karen
Oh, good! Yes, I'm really happy I tried it while I work on his reactivity. It'd be great for traveling instead of stopping at a gas station! ~ karen!
Janet
Poodles were bred to swim. I can't understand him no being capable of that. Every Poodle I have had loved the water. He certainly is a good looking dog.
Terry
Every one of ours hated the water. Go figure with poodles, so dear to my heart, now at Rainbow Bridge, waiting.
Karen
I have no idea if he could swim or not. He apparently didn't know either so I thought it best to pull him out. His best friend Sterling the standard poodle isn't a swimmer either.🤷♀️ ~ karen!
Jeannie
I haven't laughed that hard since the "salad bowl" post!
Karen
I forgot about salad bowl head! ~ karen
Sarah
Lip is gorgeous! He has great conformation and you can see that when he trots. Good on you for saving Lip! More vids please 🤩
Karen
Thanks! He probably would have loved the show ring. This is his dad last year (Nicholas, #5 dog in Canada) ~ karen!
Susan Jacobs
Well Mom... Now you know what a wonderful time can be had in a place like that. Good for you both now that you have recovered from your heart attack. That is certainty a lovely place to walk and play. What a good boy. It was great to see him action.
Kathy
Sniffspot--what a great idea! I wonder if that's a thing in the U.S. We stopped going to the dog park when, simultaneously, our young dog grew out of the small dog enclosure size range and I learned how bad they can be. Glad Lip had fun and you survived! Thanks for the laughs!
Mary
OMG! You always make me snort laugh. Dog parks same! Have you seen the episode of Portlandia on a dog park?
Glad Lip was ok. Thank you for the Sniffspot rec!
Karen
I started Portlandia and then abandoned it for some reason. Thanks for the reminder, I should go back and start it again! ~ karen
Laurie
What would a puppy parent expect to pay for this dedicated play space?
Karen
Hi Laurie! It depends on the property. This particular property was $15 an hour. I chose to go for just half an hour ($11) to see if he liked it. But you can also buy passes, get discounts for multiple uses etc. ~ karen!
Sandy
Have you tried giving Lip a heaping Tablespoon of pumpkin purée? Not the pie filling. Gives them fiber and is naturally sweet
Karen
I have thanks! :) I've been feeding him squash or pumpkin since I got him. He gets that or plain greek yogurt in his breakfast every morning. I'm going to start making all of his treats and see if it's the random varied storebought training treats causing the sometimes looser than desired poops. ~ karen!
Cara M Powers
What a great post. I don't have a dog but have a back yard that some little beast would love to run around in. I'll post a Sniffspot.
Dave R
How have I never heard of this service?? I wish I knew about this years ago when Stella was a pup. I took her to a dog park once. ONCE. It wasn't a good experience as two huge mastiffs ran at her and started swatting her around while their idiot owner ignored them and flirted with some woman who was hanging out by the gate.
Karen
That sounds about right for a dog park. Add in an insistent "No, no, it's O.K., he's friendly" and you have the quintessential dog park atmosphere. ~ karen!
Jody
"Don't worry he's nice". "Fluffy, stop be nice". I gave a woman sh*t once for giving mixed messages to me regarding her dog.
Ellen
OMG Karen...absolutely hilarious! (tears lol) Poor Lip, surely he redeemed himself later that day?
Karen
Oh, that's just Philip. He's the Gilda Radner of dogs. It's always something. ~ karen!
Lynn
You’re such a great dog parent ;) I went to the same spot with my boy, Harry. It was great to not have to worry about coming across other dogs or people who didn’t appreciate Harry being off leash. Unlike Lip, he’s not a water dog and he’s 9 years old so the whole lake thing was a bit of a waste. He still managed to slip on the rocky shoreline and fall in.
Sigh.
Karen
Yes! You do have to be a bit careful around the water if they're at all curious. And Lip really isn't a water dog! I mean, he is technically but he's never gone swimming! So the walking straight into the water thing was a bit of a shock for both of us, lol. Isn't that funny that you went to the same (sniff)spot! ~ karen
Clara Ellis
Good boy! Looks like he really enjoyed his outing.
Mama Toto
Sniffspots? I think I've heard of everything now!
Dana
How cute! LIP! Are you a fan of Shameless? 😆 Speaking of Lips, have you been watching The Bear on Hulu? We raced through the second season the night it premiered.
Karen
Hi Dana! Yes, that's who Lip is named after. :) The character Lip. I wrote a post featuring the second season of The Bear. I think it was a masterpiece. Honestly. Every episode. ~ karen!
Nina
And once again, Karen, you've taught me something new while making me laugh out loud!
Randy P
I delight in never being too old to learn something new. And I can assure you that Sniffspot is that new thing for today. Thanks for sharing the adventure.
Karen
You're going to have to get a dog now, you know that right? ~ karen!