SOUTH OGDEN -- Here on this grassy playground, every dog has his day.
Tall and lanky, short and squatty, spotted or plain. Longhaired, shorthaired, barely haired at all.
Ears a-flopping and tags a-jingling, the pupsters race their way through a dog-day afternoon at South Ogden's off-leash dog area, tucked away in a corner of Club Heights Park.
Time to relish one last romp in the autumn air before the park shuts its gates for the season. And time for us to introduce you to ... The Dog Park Dogs.
Cowboy
"The Chaser"
Age: 6 or 7 (rescue dog, exact age unknown)
Breed: Shepherd-Husky mix
Favorite pastime: Chasing the other dogs, be it his "sister" Savanna, a rusty-red shepherd mix, or his park buddies, who include a pitbull and an Akita.
Oh, and Cowboy also likes to "mark" the park -- "every single thing he can find."
Personality: Mellow and friendly, says owner CJ Jacobs.
"We were not looking for an older dog," says the South Ogden resident, but, "He just grabbed us from the get-go."
Suki
"The Explorer"
Age: 2
Breed: Lhasa Apso/dachshund mix
Favorite pastime: Heading off to the park's wooded area, up on the hill, to explore the trails and trees on her own.
Nickname: "The Bearded Lady," thanks to one nifty goatee.
Personality: "A princess, definitely," says owner Jamie Dickamore of Roy. Not only does Suki have the princess walk, at home she's more than happy to claim her share of the pillow.
Fred
"The Herder"
Age: 7
Breed: Border collie
Keeps company with: Housemate Wilma, 8, a tricolor border collie whose day at the park isn't complete until she bounces her soccer ball off her nose, like a seal.
Favorite pastime: A former New Yorker, Fred stays busy doing what any self-respecting border collie would do -- circling and circling, trying to herd all the dogs into one area.
Knows it's time to go to the park when ... "Mom" Phyllis Hundertmark, of South Ogden, starts singing that song: "To the park, to the park, to the park, park, park; where you can bark, you can bark, you can bark, bark, bark ....."
Molly
"The Greeter"
Age: 1 1/2
Breed: Flat-coated retriever
Favorite pastime: Every time a new car pulls up, Molly is off to the park gate, to watch for the newcomer and welcome him or her into the pack.
Although this long-haired black dog has a big fenced yard at home to run in, owner Shawn Nelson, of North Ogden, says socializing with the other dogs is the name of the game for Molly.
Get-to-know-you time: 1 to 1 1/2 hours per visit. On a "good week," Molly is happy to be here five or six days.
Porter
"The Frisbee Dog"
Age: 1
Breed: Part Lab, part Husky, part "question mark." Adopted from a shelter in Wisconsin, Porter just moved to Ogden a couple of months ago and has been coming to the park for a week.
"He already knows 'dog park.' 'Dog park' -- I'm in the car," says owner Stefanie Miller, of Ogden.
Favorite pastimes: Jumping for his yellow Frisbee, playing ball and most of all, running.
Post-park activity: Dinner -- a homemade mix of dry foods, tuna and meats, cooked eggs, peanut butter and pumpkin -- and then crashing into his bed, known as "The Nest."
Pancho Villa
"The Couch Potato"
Age: 4
Breed: Chihuahua
Favorite pastime: Just what he's doing today -- snoozing on a comfy human body.
"Pancho doesn't play -- he goes from lap to lap," says Jaime Dickamore, of Roy.
Maybe it seems safer up there, out of the tumble of large, playing dogs. But Dickamore adds, "If the big dogs scare him, he'll bite their ankles."
Personality: "He has little-dog syndrome, where he thinks he's the boss of everybody," Dickamore says of her 4-pound pooch.
Quade
"The Cop"
Age: 4
Breed: Bansenji
Favorite pastimes: Quade and his "brother" Quincy are the "cop dogs," says Jim Dodge of Ogden. These two "bookends" hang out on the edges of the action.
"They sit and watch what's going on. If trouble starts, they try to stop it," he says.
BYOW: Bowls are provided for four-legged visitors, but Dodge and other pet owners bring along their own water. Quade and Quincy "prefer ice water," he says.
No barking: Basenjis are African barkless dogs, but Quade and Quincy aren't always silent.
"They can howl like a coyote, they can 'baroo' " -- Dodge demonstrates with a "ba-roo-roo-roo" -- and, "They can yodel."
Maggie
"The Ball Player"
Age: 1 1/2
Breed: Lab mix
Favorite toy: The Chuckit, a long stick-type device used to pick up and throw balls. Playing ball is pretty much all Maggie wants to do, says owner Shawn Nelson, be it retrieving tennis balls or flipping around half-deflated soccer balls.
And, "She likes to drop her ball in everyone's water," the North Ogden owner says as he spies Maggie doing just that, plunking her toy in a bowl on the hill.
Marley
"The Runner"
Age: 1 1/2
Breed: Siberian Husky
Best time to visit: "When she's tearing the house apart," says Chris Parrish of Ogden, who explains his dog is "pretty amped most of the time."
Favorite pastime: No toys necessary, Marley -- named pre-movie, by the way -- lives to race with the other dogs around the 2-acre park.
Down and dirty: This Husky can find the park's muddy spots; once she got so covered that only her bright blue eyes still looked like a dog, says Parrish, adding, "She rode in the truck on the way home."
Time to go home when ... Marley stops running, and actually lies down.
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If your dogs are after you to go to the park, here are two canine-friendly places to visit.
South Ogden Off-Leash Dog Area
- 4150 Palmer Drive, South Ogden (Part of Club Heights Park, behind Shopko on Riverdale Road)
- Hours: Dawn to dusk daily, April 1-Oct. 31
- Things to know: Cleanup bags and trash cans are provided; bring your own water and toys. Dogs must have a current license and be up-to-date on vaccinations. Aggressive dogs are not allowed. A complete set of rules is posted at the park. There are some benches and chairs for people to sit on.
- Information: (801) 622-2949
Roy Off-Leash Dog Area
- 3260 W. 5700 South, Roy
- Hours: Dawn to dusk daily, year-round
- Things to know: Cleanup bags provided; bring water and chairs. Park is a grassy area about 1 3/4 acres; there are no trees.
- Information: (801) 774-1048
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