Meghan Martin, a member of Fenner Conservancy’s Communications Committee, is our guest blogger today. She writes about bringing her dog, Texas, to enjoy our trails!
As a Lansing
resident who lives in the city, I get really excited to find new and
interesting places to take my dog, Texas (or just “Tex” if he’s not feeling
fancy), for walks to “stretch his legs.” While our little yard works for him,
it is nothing compared to the sights and sounds we find at Fenner Nature
Center. We recently made a trip together to visit Fenner and see our longtime
friend, Katie, now that Fenner allows guests to bring their furry family
members. As we pulled in, Tex was ready to get out of the car STAT, because it
was an especially hot day and he was excited for a new place to roam.
On hot days
like this, it is important to remember water for your dog. While the Nature
Center has multiple bodies of water there may be, like in this case, low water
levels—this gets water-loving dogs like Tex very MESSY. Also, if your dog is
roaming in the water, you may miss some of the wildlife that lingers there. Tex
and I happened upon a crane while we were there, but it unfortunately flew away
before I could get a shot of it with my camera.
This may be
a good time to point out that, if you choose to bring your dog to the Nature
Center, be sure to put him or her on a leash. Your dog should be on a six-foot
leash and be under control at all times (so, as smart as your doggy may be,
don’t let him “walk himself”). As was the case with Tex, we found out that he
really likes getting up close and personal with wildlife at Fenner—he nearly
introduced himself to a wild turkey roaming around the picnic tables next to
the Butterfly Garden. I don’t think Tex had ever seen a wild turkey up until
that point—it was quite the discovery for him!
I was happy
that Katie was able to walk around the trails with us, because she gave us a
lot of insight as to what we were looking at—well, Tex was looking at squirrels
and sniffing shrubs, but I was interested! I had no idea the history that was
in that area; remnants of the Turner farm can be found in the form of old foundations
along the trails, and it was neat to hear about the property’s role in the
founding of Lansing. We got to talking ghost stories and she showed me the
creepy baby doll that somehow ended up in a tree, some fifty feet or so in the
air….Maybe we’ll come back around Halloween and take a “haunted dog walk”
around that area…
One of the
best parts about our visit was seeing the vast size of Fenner. It’s nice to know
that the next time we visit we can take an entirely different route through the
paths and see completely new aspects of the park. This time we cut it a bit
short because it was so hot, but maybe next time we’ll take a long meander
through the trails—there were so many options on which trails to take!
After we
said our “farewells” to Katie and I packed up my pooch, we left Fenner with
hopes to come back soon. I thought of all my friends with dogs that would enjoy
what we call a “Doggy Date” there. I can imagine that Tex was thinking about
how much he enjoyed our walk there, but I think he was focused on the woodchuck
that crossed our path on the way out. Seriously, he almost jumped out of the
car. You’ll have to look for him next time, Tex!
Side Note: Please pick
up any unwanted “donations” left by your little friend. There are doggy deposit
bags and receptacles throughout the park.
