Community building #3: Dogs, social bridges, dog parks, and rescue adoptions

This morning while walking to the Metro, a lady was walking a dog.  It turns out she is a volunteer at the Washington Humane Society's shelter on Street, which is a few blocks away, and she was walking one of the dogs there that hasn't been adopted.

WHS has a big RV and they do adoption events at various places across the city, such as at the Big Bad Woof pet store in Takoma.

... but I suggested to the lady that they consider working with the burgeoning collection of dog parks across the city, and do events there, promoting the idea of dogs and dog walking as a neighborhood community building activity.

There are 11 dog parks in DC right now, and 2 sites with pending applications.

-- DC Department of Parks and Recreation Dog parks page

See "Dogs and the city" and "Dog parks and National Park Service installations" for discussions about dogs as "social bridges" or ways of getting neighbors to meet and become acquainted when they otherwise may not, as well as dog walking as an element of "eyes on the street."