Several years back, we were apartment hunting. For us, upgrading to a two-bedroom meant more space. For our dog, it would mean a nearby dog park where she would make new friends and get some much-needed exercise.
We also wanted a patio, some green space, and possibly a swimming pool. It shouldn’t be that hard to find, we thought; there are many beautiful apartment complexes in our Philly suburb.
In search of a bark park
Just a two-minute ride from where we lived was a lovely apartment community. It was an unusually warm September morning and the perfect time to check it out. We met the apartment manager who showed us two apartments.
They were inviting–spacious, modern, and sunny. The complex was gated, but the gate was usually kept open. Clearly, this amenity was just for show and probably increased the rent by a certain percentage. But the apartments had no balconies or patios. Strike one. No swimming pool either. Strike two.
But wait . . .
What this apartment complex did offer was a fenced dog park.
Wow . . . we thought. Bryn, our goldendoodle, would have tons of fun here. She would frolic with new four-legged friends and run and play to her heart’s desire.
One third-floor apartment had an expansive view of distant hills; the view even featured the spacious dog park.
Upon leaving, the rental agent encouraged us to take a closer look at the over-sized dog park. And so, we did.
Was the dog park too good to be true?
Once standing in front of the dog park, and no longer viewing it through a third-floor window, we noticed it had some unusual characteristics.
The grassy sides of the park sloped steeply, making the area resemble a large bowl. As a rough guess, I’d say the park was about 200 feet long by 90 feet wide — it was huge! Even a large dog like ours would get quite a workout running around that dog park.
Then we noticed a large, open pipe neatly set in concrete at the flattened, lower area of the bowl.
Hey, wait!
This beautifully fenced-in area wasn’t really a dog park at all! It was a re-purposed drainage basin for the apartment complex! Oh nooooooooooooo!
When good dog parks go bad
Suddenly, I had visions of our goldendoodle frolicking about capturing mice, or even a baby raccoon or two. Clearly, not all the four-legged friends she’d meet would be of the canine variety.
And with all the dampness of a drainage basin, this wannabe dog park was probably a haven for Lyme disease-carrying deer ticks and heartworm-carrying mosquitos. Not exactly where you’d want to visit with your trusting dog for some exercise and fresh air.
We had to admit the property was beautiful, with the hills and greenery in the distance. But we quickly decided to pass, even though a resident was having a great time playing fetch with his dog within the confines of the “dog park.”
We ended up moving to a two-bedroom apartment in the same complex we were already living in. Given everything, it was the best solution at the time.
Did we guess right?
It was one year later, and our lease renewal was coming up again. Another cloudless and warm winter day invited us to chase our dreams.
We decided to ride around and explore some older options before looking at new apartments. We started by revisiting the pretty apartment complex with the large dog park. Who knew what we would find . . . maybe it was re-landscaped and improved for dogs?
When we arrived, we were in for quite the surprise.
The “Dog Park” signs were gone. They were replaced with “No Trespassing. Drainage Basin” signs that were prominently installed by the local municipality. The pretty split rail fencing was still there, but the access door was locked.
Is there a moral here? You bet!
Two thoughts went through my mind as we drove away:
(1) I was sure glad we didn’t move there for the “dog park” and
(2) Yes, things are often exactly as they seem!
