April 22, 2024 • 17 mins
Third places like dog parks can help us form ties and cohesion among neighbors. Developing this trust and dependability can foster communities that are more unified, safer, and friendly. It’s also important, however, to ensure that there is equitable access for all neighborhoods to benefit from this foundational support.
In this episode, we hear from guest experts Megan Mueller PhD, Setha Low, Amanda McDermott, and Anjulie Rao. This series is narrated by Jenna Blum, author and dog mom.
Dog Parkology is a show about the importance of dog parks as public space. The series is produced by As It Should Be Productions, the creators of the Dog Save The People and Dog Walk Meditation podcasts.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:05):
Welcome to Dog Parkology, a show thatlooks at the concept of dog parks
through our relationship with dogs,with each other, and with the land.
In the previous episode for thisseries, we explored how dog parks can
be a way to connect with strangers.
(00:27):
The individual connections we form throughthat experience, whether they remain more
casual or grow into deeper connections,relationships can also accumulate
into a healthier community ecosystem.
These benefits bring us tothe idea of social capital.
Social capital is an indicatorof community cohesion and the
(00:50):
resources that are available.
This is Megan Mueller from our lastepisode, an Associate Professor of Human
Animal Interaction at Tufts University.
And part of this is social support,which we see with human pet interactions,
that social facilitation piece.
Then there's also someinstrumental support too.
(01:11):
For example, if I am running late fromwork and I know that my neighbor will take
my dog out for a walk, that helps buildsocial capital and social cohesion because
a big part of that is knowing that I canrely on the people in my community and
the people in my community can rely on me.
You could think in some ways that dogparks help facilitate this type of.
(01:35):
Reciprocal interactiongoing on where people share
responsibilities or share care.
These types of interactionscan snowball other types of
connection and cohesion as well.
If people know each other's names,we start to care for one another.
We build communities that are moretight knit, safer, and welcoming.
(01:56):
The more people in a neighborhood cantrust each other, the more they want to
look out for each other's well being.
Scholars have defined this term of socialcapital in different ways over the years.
In Simon Schroeder's book, Social Capital,Critical Perspectives, he said it was
(02:16):
simply the social relationships betweenpeople that enable productive outcomes.
If an individual comes into contactwith his neighbor and they with
other neighbors, there will be anaccumulation of social capital.
As we've grown more isolated,it's more essential than ever to
know one another better and tofeel like we're part of something
bigger than our individual selves.
(02:40):
The kind of technological environmentthat we're finding ourselves in, the
kind of contagious COVID, all of thesethings have hurt our social relations.
And dog products, why I'm so interestedin them, why I think they're so incredibly
important, are one way that we beginto put these things back together.
This is Seth Alo, the director of thePublic Space Research Group for the
(03:04):
Graduate Center at the City Universityof New York, and the author of the
book, Why Public Space Matters.
As an anthropologist, she's trained tolook at human behavior and its effects.
Dogs have worked as a link.
A way to create new kinds ofrelationships, cross class, cross
(03:24):
race, cross gender, cross any kindof diversity you can think of, and
create new kinds of solidaritiesaround the well being of these animals.
The part of the dog park that I love.
that I've gotten interested in isthat it brings the people together in
completely new formations and ways thatother kinds of environments don't do.
(03:50):
So here we have Dog Park, bringpeople together, create social
solidarity, forming new alliances.
One of the things that'scalled is weak ties.
The idea that the ties that aremade don't have to be so deep and
yet at the same time create a senseof belonging and attachment to a
(04:14):
place, to people, and to a community.
Their root, which is what I've beenwriting about, why public space is so
important, is that it creates contact, thedevelopment of what I call public culture,
and a dog park almost always has it.
In 1973, mark Granovetter wrotethe Strength of Weak Ties for the
(04:37):
American Journal of Sociology.
Granovetter notes, those to whom weare weekly tied are more likely to move
in circles different from our own, andwill thus have access to information
different from that which we receive, andthey can have key benefits in our lives
by widening our social interactions.
(04:57):
Having a neutral ground, likea dog park, allows us to build
these interactions organically.
But for this kind of specialcommunity to form, there also has
to be equitable access to dog parks.
Public space is a resource, and ingeneral, it is unequally distributed.
The wealthy have more trees, more parks,more everything, and more dog parks.
(05:21):
And so I would argue, like every otherkind of public space, that this is really
unacceptable, that there needs to be akind of environmental justice in order
for dog parks to have the kind of positiverole that they can have in society.
You need to look at public spacefrom a social justice point of view.
If we're going to do this, then we'regoing to have dog parks for everyone.
(05:43):
When the question of how a cityallocates their public space to
be used for a dog park or not.
Community members often debatebudget, resources, and land use.
Those who aren't dog parentsdon't always see why dog parks
could be used by everyone.
Now, in some cities, publicspace is at a premium.
A dog park would not necessarily alwaysend up having the highest priority.
(06:07):
You really have to think about it.
But that doesn't take awayfrom the fact that a dog park
can really enhance your life.
It's the amount of solidarity andinteraction in a neighborhood.
The other way to think about publicspace is that the need for places
for people and dogs to be togethercan be adjudicated through time, not
(06:28):
just through enclosure of spaces.
And I want to suggest that we be creativeand not get locked into one kind of
dog run or dog place or whatever,because there are competing needs.
I'm just asking us to open up ourminds to different kinds of strategies.
(06:51):
Really anywhere you go with yourdog, where the dog can be off
leash is essentially a dog park.
This could include anywherefrom a forested area to a beach
or another area of nature.
As long as it provides that playtimeexperience for your dog and allows
you to connect with other dogs andhumans, it can have the same impact.
(07:14):
These less formal gathering spacesaren't meant to replace dog parks, but
they can offer alternatives where we canbring our dogs off leash and connect.
One of our favorite innovativedog parks is Dog Mountain,
created under the vision of artistStephen Hunack and his wife Gwen.
Dog Mountain is nestledin a small town of St.
(07:35):
Johnsbury, Vermont.
Lots of beautiful rolling hills.
No fast food restaurants here.
This is Amanda McDormand,the creative director at Dog
Mountain for almost two decades.
St.
Johnsbury didn't have a dogpark, but we do have a leash law.
And all you have to know isthat dogs can't play on leashes.
(07:57):
There was an aspect of play missingthat thankfully Dog Mountain has solved.
We are located on an old farm grounds.
It is a hundred and 50 acre fence freedog park with ponds, fields, miles of
hiking trails that loop all through thewoods and down through little gullies.
(08:18):
And it's a really fantastic natureexperience for anyone just looking to get
outside and enjoy a beautiful day withtheir dog, meeting other dogs, new people.
The massive grounds even include aunique dog chapel designed by Huneck
to pay tribute to our furry friends.
One unique aspect of Dog Mountain isartist Stephen Huneck created the dog
(08:42):
chapel as a memorial to pets becausethey are such a special part in our life.
And when we lose them, theworld really doesn't offer much.
And so Stephen Huneck Stephenwanted to change that.
He wanted to create a placewhere you could be in the
present and also honor the past.
Stephen and his wife Gwenreally worked hand in hand.
(09:04):
He would do the drawing, shewould choose all the colors,
she would do all the painting.
It was a lot of fun for the two of them.
And their dogs were their family, sothat's where they pulled inspiration from.
And sadly, Stephen andGwen are no longer with us.
But the legacy that They have leftthe happiness that Dog Mountain
(09:25):
brings day in and day out.
We'll live on for years.
Dog Mountain is just one of thoseplaces that encapsulates so many
unique experiences all on one mountain.
So many people come and visit.
It is part of their bucket list tobring their current dog, to give them
(09:46):
that experience of running throughthe fields, jumping in the pond, just
being part of the dog mountain pack.
A lot of folks who come fromcities or towns that have your
quintessential dog park where you getthis fenced in area and that's it.
When they come to Dog Mountain, it's suchan upgrade, just the feeling of freedom.
(10:11):
While people travel from across thecountry to visit, the grounds have
become a community center for the locals.
There's magic on the mountain realearly in the mornings, and a lot
of our locals, before they go towork, get their zen at Dog Mountain.
And just to be in this environment,it's a real mingling place.
At five o'clock, I like to call it happytail hour because everybody gets out of
(10:35):
work locally and they all come up to DogMountain and they let their dogs get their
zoomies out and it's just a great place tocome and just enjoy the beauty of nature.
I joke, if you don't have abig backyard, come borrow ours.
There's plenty of room for all to play.
I tell people it's neutral territory.
(10:56):
It's like a big playground.
So you're not running into anytype of, Oh, this is my yard.
The instinct to protect.
It's more of an instinct to play there.
There's a lot that we canlearn from these dogs.
They just meet each other andthey start to run and then off
they go and they're best friends.
(11:17):
If only we could drop our guardso quick and just run and play
like we did when we were little.
In addition to providing the open grounds,they also put on events for the community.
Some of the great things thatDog Mountain also offers is,
there's a free concert series thathappens out in our big backyard.
(11:37):
Last Sunday, they had some amazingmusicians and it really enriched
the community to be out with theirneighbors dancing, just smiling.
We also host weddings, family reunions.
It's such a unique and spacious place toreally accommodate all kinds of fun stuff.
And it's a great way to justhave a laugh and let your dog
(12:02):
be a part of the party crowd.
Dog Mountain is a wonderful exampleof a multi dimensional place that
provides connectivity for peopleand their dogs in a number of ways.
Another important reason for havingthese spaces available in every
(12:22):
community is the idea of third places.
The term was coined by sociologist RayOldenburg, who defined third places as
public places that host the regular,voluntary, informal, and happily
anticipated gatherings of individuals.
The timing is loose, days aremissed, some visits are brief.
(12:42):
There's a fluidity in the arrivalsand departures and an inconsistency of
membership at any given hour or day.
Another key element of the idealthird space is accessibility.
Third Places, in fact, are meantto be social levelers, inclusive
communities open to the general publicwith, as Oldenburg says, no formal
(13:03):
criteria of membership and exclusion.
In Chicago, especially, there are a lotof conversations about dog park deserts.
And this is to say that a lotof different types of people
have dogs in their families.
This is Anjali Rao, a journalistand critic based in Chicago who
focuses on the built environment.
(13:24):
It just happens to be that thevast majority of dog parks are
on Chicago's north side, whichis vastly whiter and wealthier.
They have tax bases that can supportgreater infrastructure and they're
often heard in different waysin black and brown communities.
The disparities there, I think,are definitely a political decision
that is made based on financialmeans and who, generally speaking,
(13:46):
holds the megaphone in these cities.
As a workaround, Anjali has seen makeshiftDIY spaces created as one solution.
Where I lived in Humboldt Park fora few years, there was a vacant lot
that had a chain link fence around it.
It was privately owned and therewas sort of a general understanding
around neighbors that peoplecould use it as a dog park.
(14:08):
And in that way, the understandingbetween a private landowner and
the neighbors worked really wellas a rogue demand for a space.
I don't think that cities takeadvantage of people's creativity
and desire for togetherness enough.
Sometimes when city officials see thatpeople are taking infrastructure into
(14:29):
their own hands, there might be moreof an impetus to address it in a way
that's safer, that ensures sanitation,and it might come with a budget as well.
Well, so giving people moreopportunities that are low cost to
taxpayers could be really influential.
It's a chance to allow people to thinkabout their presence in a city as
being greater than just themselves.
(14:50):
And they often take placein less formal environments.
And that in and of itself is atype of social infrastructure.
A quote from
Oldenburg's 1989 book.
Still rings true today.
The problem of place in Americamanifests itself in a sorely
(15:13):
deficient, informal public life.
The structure of shared experience beyondthat offered by family, job, and passive
consumerism is small and dwindling.
The essential group experiencesbeing replaced by the exaggerated
self-consciousness of individuals,American lifestyles for all the
material acquisition and the seekingafter comforts and pleasures are
(15:35):
plagued by boredom, loneliness.
alienation, and a high price tag.
America can point to many areas whereshe has made progress, but in the
area of informal public life, she haslost ground and continues to lose it.
Oldenburg could not have predicted therise of the internet and social media
(15:56):
algorithms or the advent of COVID 19.
But our first place, home, and oursecond place, work, have merged
for so many of us, making the thirdplace more important than ever.
Humans are inherently social.
We're pack animals, and weneed this dynamic in our lives.
Our social capital is the gluethat holds us all together,
(16:19):
benefiting not only us and ourdogs, but our communities at large.
Our need for third places isresilient and dog parks create a
shared sense of belonging bringingus together in a crucial way
Thank you for listening to this episodeof dog parkology I'm, jenna blum
(16:41):
your narrator This show was createdby as it should be productions the
creators of dog save the people anddog walk meditation podcasts with
executive producer scott banalioAnd producer and editor Jack Summer.
Be sure to check out the entireseason of dog parkology by following
(17:02):
the show on Apple podcasts, Spotify,or wherever you get your podcasts.
You can follow us on social media atdog parkology and dog save the people.
You can visit our website, dogparkology.
com to learn more about the show.
And to buy custom designmerch, like our t shirts.
If you know of any great dog parksin your area, or you've created your
(17:24):
own dog parkology moment, you canemail us at dogparkology at gmail.
com.
We'd love to hear about your experience.
And if you've enjoyed listening to thisepisode, please share it with a friend.
Enjoy a trip to a dog park today,or wherever you go with your dog
to appreciate nature, meet others,and make a better life together.
Welcome to Dog Parkology, a show thatlooks at the concept of dog parks
through our relationship with dogs,with each other, and with the land.
In the previous episode for thisseries, we explored how dog parks can
be a way to connect with strangers.
(00:27):
The individual connections we form throughthat experience, whether they remain more
casual or grow into deeper connections,relationships can also accumulate
into a healthier community ecosystem.
These benefits bring us tothe idea of social capital.
Social capital is an indicatorof community cohesion and the
(00:50):
resources that are available.
This is Megan Mueller from our lastepisode, an Associate Professor of Human
Animal Interaction at Tufts University.
And part of this is social support,which we see with human pet interactions,
that social facilitation piece.
Then there's also someinstrumental support too.
(01:11):
For example, if I am running late fromwork and I know that my neighbor will take
my dog out for a walk, that helps buildsocial capital and social cohesion because
a big part of that is knowing that I canrely on the people in my community and
the people in my community can rely on me.
You could think in some ways that dogparks help facilitate this type of.
(01:35):
Reciprocal interactiongoing on where people share
responsibilities or share care.
These types of interactionscan snowball other types of
connection and cohesion as well.
If people know each other's names,we start to care for one another.
We build communities that are moretight knit, safer, and welcoming.
(01:56):
The more people in a neighborhood cantrust each other, the more they want to
look out for each other's well being.
Scholars have defined this term of socialcapital in different ways over the years.
In Simon Schroeder's book, Social Capital,Critical Perspectives, he said it was
(02:16):
simply the social relationships betweenpeople that enable productive outcomes.
If an individual comes into contactwith his neighbor and they with
other neighbors, there will be anaccumulation of social capital.
As we've grown more isolated,it's more essential than ever to
know one another better and tofeel like we're part of something
bigger than our individual selves.
(02:40):
The kind of technological environmentthat we're finding ourselves in, the
kind of contagious COVID, all of thesethings have hurt our social relations.
And dog products, why I'm so interestedin them, why I think they're so incredibly
important, are one way that we beginto put these things back together.
This is Seth Alo, the director of thePublic Space Research Group for the
(03:04):
Graduate Center at the City Universityof New York, and the author of the
book, Why Public Space Matters.
As an anthropologist, she's trained tolook at human behavior and its effects.
Dogs have worked as a link.
A way to create new kinds ofrelationships, cross class, cross
(03:24):
race, cross gender, cross any kindof diversity you can think of, and
create new kinds of solidaritiesaround the well being of these animals.
The part of the dog park that I love.
that I've gotten interested in isthat it brings the people together in
completely new formations and ways thatother kinds of environments don't do.
(03:50):
So here we have Dog Park, bringpeople together, create social
solidarity, forming new alliances.
One of the things that'scalled is weak ties.
The idea that the ties that aremade don't have to be so deep and
yet at the same time create a senseof belonging and attachment to a
(04:14):
place, to people, and to a community.
Their root, which is what I've beenwriting about, why public space is so
important, is that it creates contact, thedevelopment of what I call public culture,
and a dog park almost always has it.
In 1973, mark Granovetter wrotethe Strength of Weak Ties for the
(04:37):
American Journal of Sociology.
Granovetter notes, those to whom weare weekly tied are more likely to move
in circles different from our own, andwill thus have access to information
different from that which we receive, andthey can have key benefits in our lives
by widening our social interactions.
(04:57):
Having a neutral ground, likea dog park, allows us to build
these interactions organically.
But for this kind of specialcommunity to form, there also has
to be equitable access to dog parks.
Public space is a resource, and ingeneral, it is unequally distributed.
The wealthy have more trees, more parks,more everything, and more dog parks.
(05:21):
And so I would argue, like every otherkind of public space, that this is really
unacceptable, that there needs to be akind of environmental justice in order
for dog parks to have the kind of positiverole that they can have in society.
You need to look at public spacefrom a social justice point of view.
If we're going to do this, then we'regoing to have dog parks for everyone.
(05:43):
When the question of how a cityallocates their public space to
be used for a dog park or not.
Community members often debatebudget, resources, and land use.
Those who aren't dog parentsdon't always see why dog parks
could be used by everyone.
Now, in some cities, publicspace is at a premium.
A dog park would not necessarily alwaysend up having the highest priority.
(06:07):
You really have to think about it.
But that doesn't take awayfrom the fact that a dog park
can really enhance your life.
It's the amount of solidarity andinteraction in a neighborhood.
The other way to think about publicspace is that the need for places
for people and dogs to be togethercan be adjudicated through time, not
(06:28):
just through enclosure of spaces.
And I want to suggest that we be creativeand not get locked into one kind of
dog run or dog place or whatever,because there are competing needs.
I'm just asking us to open up ourminds to different kinds of strategies.
(06:51):
Really anywhere you go with yourdog, where the dog can be off
leash is essentially a dog park.
This could include anywherefrom a forested area to a beach
or another area of nature.
As long as it provides that playtimeexperience for your dog and allows
you to connect with other dogs andhumans, it can have the same impact.
(07:14):
These less formal gathering spacesaren't meant to replace dog parks, but
they can offer alternatives where we canbring our dogs off leash and connect.
One of our favorite innovativedog parks is Dog Mountain,
created under the vision of artistStephen Hunack and his wife Gwen.
Dog Mountain is nestledin a small town of St.
(07:35):
Johnsbury, Vermont.
Lots of beautiful rolling hills.
No fast food restaurants here.
This is Amanda McDormand,the creative director at Dog
Mountain for almost two decades.
St.
Johnsbury didn't have a dogpark, but we do have a leash law.
And all you have to know isthat dogs can't play on leashes.
(07:57):
There was an aspect of play missingthat thankfully Dog Mountain has solved.
We are located on an old farm grounds.
It is a hundred and 50 acre fence freedog park with ponds, fields, miles of
hiking trails that loop all through thewoods and down through little gullies.
(08:18):
And it's a really fantastic natureexperience for anyone just looking to get
outside and enjoy a beautiful day withtheir dog, meeting other dogs, new people.
The massive grounds even include aunique dog chapel designed by Huneck
to pay tribute to our furry friends.
One unique aspect of Dog Mountain isartist Stephen Huneck created the dog
(08:42):
chapel as a memorial to pets becausethey are such a special part in our life.
And when we lose them, theworld really doesn't offer much.
And so Stephen Huneck Stephenwanted to change that.
He wanted to create a placewhere you could be in the
present and also honor the past.
Stephen and his wife Gwenreally worked hand in hand.
(09:04):
He would do the drawing, shewould choose all the colors,
she would do all the painting.
It was a lot of fun for the two of them.
And their dogs were their family, sothat's where they pulled inspiration from.
And sadly, Stephen andGwen are no longer with us.
But the legacy that They have leftthe happiness that Dog Mountain
(09:25):
brings day in and day out.
We'll live on for years.
Dog Mountain is just one of thoseplaces that encapsulates so many
unique experiences all on one mountain.
So many people come and visit.
It is part of their bucket list tobring their current dog, to give them
(09:46):
that experience of running throughthe fields, jumping in the pond, just
being part of the dog mountain pack.
A lot of folks who come fromcities or towns that have your
quintessential dog park where you getthis fenced in area and that's it.
When they come to Dog Mountain, it's suchan upgrade, just the feeling of freedom.
(10:11):
While people travel from across thecountry to visit, the grounds have
become a community center for the locals.
There's magic on the mountain realearly in the mornings, and a lot
of our locals, before they go towork, get their zen at Dog Mountain.
And just to be in this environment,it's a real mingling place.
At five o'clock, I like to call it happytail hour because everybody gets out of
(10:35):
work locally and they all come up to DogMountain and they let their dogs get their
zoomies out and it's just a great place tocome and just enjoy the beauty of nature.
I joke, if you don't have abig backyard, come borrow ours.
There's plenty of room for all to play.
I tell people it's neutral territory.
(10:56):
It's like a big playground.
So you're not running into anytype of, Oh, this is my yard.
The instinct to protect.
It's more of an instinct to play there.
There's a lot that we canlearn from these dogs.
They just meet each other andthey start to run and then off
they go and they're best friends.
(11:17):
If only we could drop our guardso quick and just run and play
like we did when we were little.
In addition to providing the open grounds,they also put on events for the community.
Some of the great things thatDog Mountain also offers is,
there's a free concert series thathappens out in our big backyard.
(11:37):
Last Sunday, they had some amazingmusicians and it really enriched
the community to be out with theirneighbors dancing, just smiling.
We also host weddings, family reunions.
It's such a unique and spacious place toreally accommodate all kinds of fun stuff.
And it's a great way to justhave a laugh and let your dog
(12:02):
be a part of the party crowd.
Dog Mountain is a wonderful exampleof a multi dimensional place that
provides connectivity for peopleand their dogs in a number of ways.
Another important reason for havingthese spaces available in every
(12:22):
community is the idea of third places.
The term was coined by sociologist RayOldenburg, who defined third places as
public places that host the regular,voluntary, informal, and happily
anticipated gatherings of individuals.
The timing is loose, days aremissed, some visits are brief.
(12:42):
There's a fluidity in the arrivalsand departures and an inconsistency of
membership at any given hour or day.
Another key element of the idealthird space is accessibility.
Third Places, in fact, are meantto be social levelers, inclusive
communities open to the general publicwith, as Oldenburg says, no formal
(13:03):
criteria of membership and exclusion.
In Chicago, especially, there are a lotof conversations about dog park deserts.
And this is to say that a lotof different types of people
have dogs in their families.
This is Anjali Rao, a journalistand critic based in Chicago who
focuses on the built environment.
(13:24):
It just happens to be that thevast majority of dog parks are
on Chicago's north side, whichis vastly whiter and wealthier.
They have tax bases that can supportgreater infrastructure and they're
often heard in different waysin black and brown communities.
The disparities there, I think,are definitely a political decision
that is made based on financialmeans and who, generally speaking,
(13:46):
holds the megaphone in these cities.
As a workaround, Anjali has seen makeshiftDIY spaces created as one solution.
Where I lived in Humboldt Park fora few years, there was a vacant lot
that had a chain link fence around it.
It was privately owned and therewas sort of a general understanding
around neighbors that peoplecould use it as a dog park.
(14:08):
And in that way, the understandingbetween a private landowner and
the neighbors worked really wellas a rogue demand for a space.
I don't think that cities takeadvantage of people's creativity
and desire for togetherness enough.
Sometimes when city officials see thatpeople are taking infrastructure into
(14:29):
their own hands, there might be moreof an impetus to address it in a way
that's safer, that ensures sanitation,and it might come with a budget as well.
Well, so giving people moreopportunities that are low cost to
taxpayers could be really influential.
It's a chance to allow people to thinkabout their presence in a city as
being greater than just themselves.
(14:50):
And they often take placein less formal environments.
And that in and of itself is atype of social infrastructure.
A quote from
Oldenburg's 1989 book.
Still rings true today.
The problem of place in Americamanifests itself in a sorely
(15:13):
deficient, informal public life.
The structure of shared experience beyondthat offered by family, job, and passive
consumerism is small and dwindling.
The essential group experiencesbeing replaced by the exaggerated
self-consciousness of individuals,American lifestyles for all the
material acquisition and the seekingafter comforts and pleasures are
(15:35):
plagued by boredom, loneliness.
alienation, and a high price tag.
America can point to many areas whereshe has made progress, but in the
area of informal public life, she haslost ground and continues to lose it.
Oldenburg could not have predicted therise of the internet and social media
(15:56):
algorithms or the advent of COVID 19.
But our first place, home, and oursecond place, work, have merged
for so many of us, making the thirdplace more important than ever.
Humans are inherently social.
We're pack animals, and weneed this dynamic in our lives.
Our social capital is the gluethat holds us all together,
(16:19):
benefiting not only us and ourdogs, but our communities at large.
Our need for third places isresilient and dog parks create a
shared sense of belonging bringingus together in a crucial way
Thank you for listening to this episodeof dog parkology I'm, jenna blum
(16:41):
your narrator This show was createdby as it should be productions the
creators of dog save the people anddog walk meditation podcasts with
executive producer scott banalioAnd producer and editor Jack Summer.
Be sure to check out the entireseason of dog parkology by following
(17:02):
the show on Apple podcasts, Spotify,or wherever you get your podcasts.
You can follow us on social media atdog parkology and dog save the people.
You can visit our website, dogparkology.
com to learn more about the show.
And to buy custom designmerch, like our t shirts.
If you know of any great dog parksin your area, or you've created your
(17:24):
own dog parkology moment, you canemail us at dogparkology at gmail.
com.
We'd love to hear about your experience.
And if you've enjoyed listening to thisepisode, please share it with a friend.
Enjoy a trip to a dog park today,or wherever you go with your dog
to appreciate nature, meet others,and make a better life together.
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