Little Lady Diana learning to run with the big dogs

By Lethbridge Herald on May 23, 2025.

Al Beeber
Lethbrige Herald

While trying to find inspiration for this week’s column during a walk around Nicholas Sheran Lake early Tuesday morning, that inspiration found me instead.

It came in the form of an unsettling experience with a person I’d never previously seen as I walked Izzy and Lady Diana among the trees, giving our seven-inch tall chiweenie a chance to explore the smells  and sights off the beaten path and out of the wind.

This person who I spotted out of the corner of my eye walking along the asphalt trail in the distance suddenly ended up behind us in the  middle of the tree line. Izzy, who is as alert as old Rio was, suddenly turned and started growling, Diana’s ears lifted and she  began showing signs of extreme nervousness. I turned and this person was just watching us, not uttering a word. So I just tried to keep walking but Izzy was on high alert and turned again so I stopped and asked this person if something was wrong. Not a word. Just watched. Silently.

After no response, I headed to the parking lot with the dogs having no clue what I had just experienced or why.

Since Ben died, Izzy and I have made the morning jaunt to the lake by ourselves and when I get there on time, we sometimes walk with my lake pal Kevin Nelson or a couple of the other early risers who all have gotten to know each other well.

After months of trying to get a collar on Diana, I finally succeeded about six weeks ago and began getting her out on short exploratory  walks around the block where she’s been experiencing sights, sounds and smells that are clearly new to her which makes me wonder what kind of life this little rescue had before we adopted her.

Even with a sweater on, tiny Lady Di can get cold, but she insists now on joining Izzy and me on every walk. And thanks to Jennifer and Steve, who I know from the Riverstone park, I have a sling to carry her in when those little legs get tired.

But Diana is a trouper and wants to be with the big dogs. And at Riverstone, where I keep the leash on her for safety sake, she’s getting the confidence to romp with the regulars like Cassie, Arya, Loki, Echo and a young Doberman who she’s completely enamoured with.

But like Izzy, Diana can sense danger and occasionally the dynamics at the park change when a dog will get aggressive. That’s when I grab the leash and keep her close to make sure there’s no threat. Everyone who visits dog parks knows there will be times when conflict happens. After all, dogs are like people, they don’t always get along.

Occasionally those conflicts happen when dogs rush to the gate to greet a new arrival which can cause a logjam of legs at Riverstone and maybe at other enclosed parks at well. It’s an issue which could be  perhaps exacerbated by placement of a second entrance away from the  parking lot. This would have a cost attached, one which might be  worthwhile given how popular the Riverstone bark park is.

Excited dogs can have issues and it’s not the fault of the new arrivals, and not necessarily the fault of the dogs rushing to greet them at the gate.

Other times conflicts will happen for no apparent reason – a dog will just suddenly attack another one or several. That changes dynamics of the park instantly and has prompted on a few occasions when I’ve been  there for the park to clear out.

Signs make clear dogs need to be under control. In this opinion any dog which has aggressive tendencies shouldn’t be let off leash at a park. And there’s a difference between aggressiveness and friskiness. Some dogs play rough together which is not the same as a dog lunging toward another with fangs bared and jaws snapping.

Dogs, in my opinion, can be a reflection of their owners. Dogs who are  calm and well-mannered tend to reflect the personalities of their human companions at the parks. And just like we humans can sense when something is off with another person, I believe dogs can – perhaps  even better.

I’ve learned over the years to trust well the judgment of my dogs – if they’re anxious, afraid or feeling protective, I tend to trust them and seldom is that trust misplaced.

Diana, of course, is still scared of virtually all humans which may be reflective of her life circumstances before being adopted. It took a solid two months of me being with her every day before she’d even curl  up beside me on the sofa for a nap. She had absolutely zero trust of human beings. Now she naps beside me, sleeps with me and lets me give her belly rubs all day and night long. She’ll climb onto my shoulder  when I’m on the sofa to give licks which was unheard of just a short  while ago.

She’s slowing coming to realize humans aren’t a threat – well, most humans. But with time, I have no doubt that fear will subside unless  it’s warranted.

And if she feels it is, I’ll trust her judgment as much as I do Izzy’s and all the dogs before her. Dogs are wise creatures and we can learn  a lot from them.