Doggie paradise

 

Oh happiness! Off-leash freedom with friends in Saltspring's Duck Creek Park. Photos by John Denniston.

If you want a glimpse of pure joy, head to Saltspring’s Duck Creek Park on any weekend afternoon.

There will be dogs.

 Romping, splashing, chasing, barking, tails aloft. The creek is a fine place to watch them muddy their paws, splash each other, then empty the water out of their fur on their owners.

But for the best look, head through the fields and up a hill, to a spreading tree at the park’s highest point. It’s the party place for dogs and people alike.  While the humans catch up on the week’s gossip, their charges swoop in circles, chasing and being chased, pummeling and being pummeled, jumping up on visitors, jumping down, then off again for another swoop.

The dogs know this is their place and time. There’s a water bowl, often a water jug left for refills, and a bench with a plaque memorializing the companions who have played here in the past. For humans – owners and visitors alike – it’s a reminder that the height of happiness can be just a romp in nature with friends.

Me and my new friends: Show up to the party uninvited, and the dogs will welcome you anyway. 

Another season, another dog. John took this photograph of a dog welcoming us to the same spot one dried-out day last summer.