Pandemic Pups Hit Dog Parks
2021-02-22
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1When many people in the U.S. were forced to work from home in the early days of the coronavirus health crisis, they decided to get a dog.
2People say having a dog offers companionship and a reason to get exercise.
3After all, dogs need to get outside and walk.
4Adriana Magarin is a new dog owner in Houston, Texas.
5She said she got a dog because, "you can only read so many books, you can only listen to so many podcasts."
6In most cases, dog owners take their animals for walks with a leash.
7But in some places, there are open spaces where dogs are permitted to play with other dogs without wearing a leash.
8These places are called dog parks.
9Expert dog trainers say social activities that can happen at dog parks are important for the animals, especially young ones, known as puppies.
10However, putting a young dog and a new dog owner in a completely new situation -- like a dog park -- can be frightening for both.
11Some owners worry about letting their dogs off their leash.
12What if the dogs do not come back when called?
13One woman, Josslyn Shapiro, had an idea for getting her dog, Appa, to come when called.
14"If I bring chicken, he's OK," she said.
15Darris Cooper is head of national training for pet supply company Petco.
16He said Shapiro's idea is exactly right.
17The chicken pieces act like a magnet for the dog.
18Here are some steps to get your dog to come when called.
19Put a treat near the dog's nose. Then walk away.
20Call the dog with a repeated noise, like whistling or making another kind of sound with your mouth.
21As the dog starts in your direction, make sure to give happy praise, like "good girl!" Then give the dog a food reward.
22Tim Steele is a dog trainer in Sacramento, California.
23He suggests practicing such steps repeatedly and giving the dog a reward for obeying.
24If this is repeated a number of times per day, Steele said, "you should have a solid recall in about three weeks."
25New dog owners also face other problems at the dog park.
26One question that often comes up is how to tell whether your dog is playing or fighting with other dogs.
27How can a new owner tell the difference?
28Experts say it is important to try to learn the dog's body language.
29For example, Cooper said if a dog has his tail down, "it's best to end" any contact with other dogs.
30He added that if your dog jumps at or bites another dog or person, you should seek help from a trainer.
31All this may seem like a lot of effort and concern for a pet.
32But one expert notes that for Americans, dogs are like members of the family.
33Ashley Valm is the director of pet placements for the Humane Rescue Alliance, an animal protection organization in Washington, D.C.
34"What people tend to value about their relationships with their pets is unconditional love, right? That comes with no strings attached. No judgement, no hesitation, right? That you get home and your animal is just thrilled to see you. And it can be this pure companionship that can be hard to find."
35And if you feel like your dog is a member of the family, it makes sense that you would want to be careful when offering a new situation to a young dog.
36Valm said a lot of people came to her organization looking to bring a dog into their life at the start of the pandemic.
37But some were worried that dogs might take too much responsibility.
38At the same time, her organization was concerned it might have to help dogs whose owners did not have the money to keep them because of problems caused by the pandemic.
39But Valm said she later realized that most people are willing to sacrifice things in their own life to remain dog owners.
40"People will figure it out. They have a pet in their home and they love it. They do everything they can to make sure they don't have to give up their animal."
41They also do everything they can to keep their dogs safe at the dog park.
42Once new dog owners and their dogs feel at ease, the dog park can be a great way for both of them to make new social connections.
43Ted Hausman said he is happy to see new owners bringing their dogs to his local park in Brooklyn, New York.
44"It's nice people are experiencing the joy of dog ownership," Hausman said.
45"It's a good silver lining to the pandemic."
46I'm Dan Friedell.
1When many people in the U.S. were forced to work from home in the early days of the coronavirus health crisis, they decided to get a dog. 2People say having a dog offers companionship and a reason to get exercise. After all, dogs need to get outside and walk. 3Adriana Magarin is a new dog owner in Houston, Texas. She said she got a dog because, "you can only read so many books, you can only listen to so many podcasts." 4In most cases, dog owners take their animals for walks with a leash. But in some places, there are open spaces where dogs are permitted to play with other dogs without wearing a leash. These places are called dog parks. 5Expert dog trainers say social activities that can happen at dog parks are important for the animals, especially young ones, known as puppies. However, putting a young dog and a new dog owner in a completely new situation -- like a dog park -- can be frightening for both. 6Some owners worry about letting their dogs off their leash. What if the dogs do not come back when called? 7One woman, Josslyn Shapiro, had an idea for getting her dog, Appa, to come when called. "If I bring chicken, he's OK," she said. 8Darris Cooper is head of national training for pet supply company Petco. He said Shapiro's idea is exactly right. The chicken pieces act like a magnet for the dog. 9Here are some steps to get your dog to come when called. 10Put a treat near the dog's nose. Then walk away. 11Call the dog with a repeated noise, like whistling or making another kind of sound with your mouth. 12As the dog starts in your direction, make sure to give happy praise, like "good girl!" Then give the dog a food reward. 13Tim Steele is a dog trainer in Sacramento, California. He suggests practicing such steps repeatedly and giving the dog a reward for obeying. If this is repeated a number of times per day, Steele said, "you should have a solid recall in about three weeks." 14New dog owners also face other problems at the dog park. 15One question that often comes up is how to tell whether your dog is playing or fighting with other dogs. How can a new owner tell the difference? Experts say it is important to try to learn the dog's body language. 16For example, Cooper said if a dog has his tail down, "it's best to end" any contact with other dogs. He added that if your dog jumps at or bites another dog or person, you should seek help from a trainer. 17All this may seem like a lot of effort and concern for a pet. But one expert notes that for Americans, dogs are like members of the family. 18Ashley Valm is the director of pet placements for the Humane Rescue Alliance, an animal protection organization in Washington, D.C. 19"What people tend to value about their relationships with their pets is unconditional love, right? That comes with no strings attached. No judgement, no hesitation, right? That you get home and your animal is just thrilled to see you. And it can be this pure companionship that can be hard to find." 20And if you feel like your dog is a member of the family, it makes sense that you would want to be careful when offering a new situation to a young dog. 21Valm said a lot of people came to her organization looking to bring a dog into their life at the start of the pandemic. But some were worried that dogs might take too much responsibility. At the same time, her organization was concerned it might have to help dogs whose owners did not have the money to keep them because of problems caused by the pandemic. 22But Valm said she later realized that most people are willing to sacrifice things in their own life to remain dog owners. 23"People will figure it out. They have a pet in their home and they love it. They do everything they can to make sure they don't have to give up their animal." 24They also do everything they can to keep their dogs safe at the dog park. Once new dog owners and their dogs feel at ease, the dog park can be a great way for both of them to make new social connections. 25Ted Hausman said he is happy to see new owners bringing their dogs to his local park in Brooklyn, New York. "It's nice people are experiencing the joy of dog ownership," Hausman said. "It's a good silver lining to the pandemic." 26I'm Dan Friedell. 27Beth Harpaz of The Associated Press wrote this story. Dan Friedell adapted it for Learning English. Bryan Lynn was the editor. 28What would you do to make sure your dog was safe at the dog park? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and visit our Facebook page. 29_______________________________________________________________ 30Words in This Story 31pet- n. an animal (such as a dog, cat, bird, or fish) that people keep mainly for pleasure 32companionship- n. the good feeling that comes from being with someone else 33leash -n. a long, thin piece of rope, chain, etc., that is used for holding a dog or other animal 34treat- n. something that tastes good and that is not eaten often 35recall- n. the ability to remember what has been learned or experienced in the past 36no strings attached- n. something that carries no special conditions 37hesitation - n. a pause before during something 38thrilled- adj. very excited or happy 39figure it out -v. to understand or find (something, such as a reason or a solution) by thinking 40joy- n. a feeling of great happiness 41silver lining- n. something good that can be found in a bad situation