Today, we had an appointment with our barkbuster to take Bogey to a dog park and let him run free.

This is the dog, mind you, that cannot walk at heel on a leash, that bays at another other dog within 100 yards, the fierce and unstoppable beagle.

We got to the park, went through the gates, unclipped his leash, and waited for thirty pounds of hell to break loose.

He did great.

We had him in the section for Big Dogs, 30+ pounds, so he was in the mix with Labs, Retrievers, Dalmatians, Sheperds, other 80-to-120-pounders. He was all over the place like an ice cube on a hot skillet, but he was quiet. And non-aggressive. And playful with the other dogs. And ignored people. He only started baying when he discovered the little-dog park on the other side of a fence. He only barks at the ones he can't reach.

We were stunned. We were there for an hour and a half. No problems. Well, there was the pointer who ran in, cornered a Dalmatian, and started humping her like he was on hourly wages, but that wasn't our problem :)


Bogar is flaked out at Kate's feet, too woofed out to twitch.

Kate is planning regular trips there with her buddy Pam and Pam's basset, who could also use some social time.

I think we're getting a handle on him.

Oh. In the little-dog park was a deliberate breed of a beagle and a pug. It's called a Puggle. According to the Barkbuster, it combines the innate spoiled-child of a pug with the tree-root-in-rocky-soil stubbornness of a beagle. God help the owner.