One thing that Scout misses about living in the city is the opportunity to spend time with his dog friends. About fifty yards from our old condo was a blacktop that provided communal space for all the neighborhood dogs. It wasn’t exactly legal to let them off the leash, but the area was gated, and off-leash dogs were common. The off-leash factor was the lure of the place, really.
In Oak Park, such de facto dog parks had sprung up over the years. Early on Saturday mornings, dogs ran free in Ridgeland Commons. Even though it wasn’t exactly legal to let dogs off the leash, the village had agreed to look the other way.
Cook County finally cracked down on this practice. As Scout’s terrible luck would have it, the crackdown happened on one of the few days we actually made it over there early enough to play.
A Chicago Tribune photographer was there to record Scout’s disappointment. So when we opened the paper this morning, this picture was on the Metro page. Here’s the story, if you’re interested. We’re not quoted, which is probably a good thing, given the choice words Francis had for the County.
