Gone to the Dogs

An Arden Pug

We first understood how Ardenites felt about their dogs when we came down to Arden in 2010 see the Shakespeare play As You Like It. Arden showcases this play every ten years because this is the play that gave the village its name; Arden Forest is the setting of As You Like It. In the play, characters leave notes for one another in the forest.  Think Tree-mail. As we always did, Mark and I hiked in the forest with the kids while we were here. During the run of the play, the people of Arden left notes for one another all over the woods. Some of the epistles hung from branches in plastic baggies. Others were in containers, glass jars and metal Altoids containers. And some were just tacked to trees. But the most delightful of the notes we witnessed were between two dogs who obviously used the woods for their liasons. I'm not sure which dogs they were. Had I known we would move down here three years later, I would have paid closer attention.

And then there was the pug. The first time we were in Arden, Mark and I took a grand looping walk around the three villages and encountered a pug in a fenced in yard. Being pug lovers, we stopped to talk to its owner about her dog and life in the Ardens. That interaction was very warm and inviting. We were strangers, but it didn't matter. When we moved here four years later, we tried to figure out who it was that we had talked to and where this house was. All our memories from our first visit were fuzzy because we had met so many people and had so many new experiences. A couple of weeks ago, I was out walking with the Misty Morning Walkers, and we had strayed from our usual route in order to explore one of the forest paths. When we came out of the forest, there it was--the pug house. Except this time there were 4 or 5 Frenchies in the yard. Linda told me that they used to have a pug. Then she told me who lived at the house. Mystery solved. Our pug owner was no other than Pat Morrison, wife of the newly elected Ardencroft Town Chair. I can't wait to relay the story to Pat when next I see her and tell her that she was one of the friendly faces who convinced us that the Ardens were the place to be.

Dogs have great stature in the Ardens. At an appointed dog park hour people bring their dogs to the Green to play. Folks let their dogs off leash to bound around on the forest trails, much to the chagrin of the Safety Committee and a vocal few on the Ardenistas Facebook page. Another Facebook page exists so we can introduce our pets in case someone spots a dog or cat on the loose. We have identifying pictures with which to compare. The most heartbreaking sign of Arden's love of pets is the fact that animals get dumped in the Ardens with the hope that they will be adopted and cared for.

I have an interesting perspective on dogs, having an elder pug who thinks he is an all-terrain dog at home and a walking gig with a year-old Golden who is as trail-ready as they come. It makes for many different kinds of interactions. I've even tried walking both of them together in Arden Forest in the iciest of conditions. This led me to carrying the pug, letting the golden off leash so he wouldn't pull me over on the ice, and looking desperately for one of those famous Arden shortcuts out of the forest. Spoiler alert: we found one, and I survived the undertaking.

I know that we villagers are not alone in our love for dogs (and cats). The love of a pet is universal. Perhaps this compassion for animals is more visible because of our open green spaces, the closeness of the community, and the fact that we have a forum for grumbling about and defending the off-leash dogs on Facebook. But what I do know is that Eli (our pug) feels very welcome hither.