dog parks.

P-A-R-K. One simple word and ears perk up, tails go into overdrive. There are eager looks from you to the leash to the door and back to you. The dog park is a great place for both you and your furry friend to spend the day playing and socializing. There are, however, things you need to know to ensure that a visit to the park is fun and safe for everyone. Stacey Hawk, owner of Hawk City K9 and co-founder of the first dog park in Chicago (the aptly named Wiggly Field), has the inside scoop on what to do-and what not to do-at the dog park. Here's what she told us: RELATED: 9 Things to Know Before Getting a Dog Dog Park Rules: Follow these simple guidelines to enjoy a day of fun and ...

Sometimes when I see the results of a scientific study, I can't help but think, "That's interesting, but how relevant is it to my life?" That was not the case when I ran across "Prevalence of Giardia and Cryptosporidium species in dog park attending dogs compared to non-dog park attending dogs in one region of Colorado." The researchers are from Colorado State University (CSU), and there are two big dog parks within a couple of miles of campus, both of which my dog regularly attends; so I read this paper with an extra degree of interest. The scientists collected feces from and surveyed the owners of 129 dogs that belonged to students or staff from CSU. Analysis of the fecal samples (66 ...