Sunday, June 3, 2012

Cleary Lake Regional Park

    Our journey to Lakeville to obtain Erika's license plates for her car from the dealership lead us to take Aspen to a dog park we never been to before. In Prior Lake Minnesota there is a beautiful dog park part of the Three Rivers Park District named Cleary Lake Regional Park, 28 acres of fenced off leash dog utopia. If you plan to go the park it does cost $5 if you do not have a $35 annual pass. The dog park is in a prairie setting with a few young trees and many mowed trails to walk along. It features a bathroom, potable water and a small swimming pond that is thankfully gated off. I say this because there are times when going to a dog park with water when you want to keep your dog out for reasons of algal blooms or you just don't want to handle a wet dog. 

   Aspen is no stranger to water, just not water deep enough where he actually had to swim. A tall Bernese  Mountain Dog is entertaining to watch to say the least. While labs with their webbed feet gracefully doggy paddle under the water, Aspen paddles like an old steamboat paddle slapping the water surface. I assume he is trying to stand on his hind legs and keep his head above the water surface. When he does reach a shallow enough area he tries jumping through the water to get out. Thankfully he is not afraid to swim and enjoyed going in and out of the water.

  Eventually we plan to visit more dog parks on our ventures and with the Bernese Mountain Dog Club of the greater Twin Cities, Play Pals events.

Aspen paddle boats through the water. 
Aspen paddles through the water.
Aspen thrashes through the water.
Dogs run around the pond area.
Aspen chases other dogs around the pond at Cleary Lake Regional Park.