Yesterday (2015 April 3) we took our dog out for his daily walk, to one of our regular areas – Buena Vista Park. It had been a while since I’d visited that area and I was reminded of 2 things:

1. How lucky we are to have off-leash dog parks in Edmonton
2. How happy dogs are just to be outside running around, playing and socializing

We usually get to Buena Vista via Hawrelak Park and the pedestrian bridge spanning the North Saskatchewan River between the parks. At the southwest side of the bridge is a “beach” that is a favorite of dogs and their human companions – in the summer. Or so I thought. I wasn’t expecting the river to be accessible or any canines to be in the water at the beginning of April but sure enough there were a number of dogs frolicking at the edge of the river.

At the River Edge in April

Icy Edge and Open Water

I didn’t want our dog in the water so we headed on down the trail to the large open field part of the Buena Vista off-leash area. I t was not as wet and muddy as I feared but there was still a largish pond of melt water on the grass, much to the delight of many dogs.

A Spring Gathering at Buena Vista

Pond Reflection

Although the area is drying up nicely there were still some wet (and muddy and icy) sections on some of the less sun-exposed trails (not that this seems to be of any concern to a dog).

Wet/Muddy/Icy Trail