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Community Corner

Great Escape: Bring Your Four-legged Friend, not Your Wallet, to This Place

Head outdoors this weekend, stay local and have fun with your canine pal.

Is that a 60, as in 60 degrees, I see in the weather forecast for this Saturday?

In the  past, the Great Escapes column has involved some form of indoor activity. This weekend the best activity of all will simply be to enjoy the outdoors.

If you have a dog that loves to go for walks, this Escape is made especially for you.

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Tucked in the back of (near the baseball diamond park) is the Sammamish dog park. As you enter this dog playground, two gates offer a choice: little dogs on one side, all dogs on the other. This option, as well as the wood chip-filled fenced area, makes this one of the nicest dog parks around. Get inside the fence and let Fido go free. You'll enjoy chatting it up with the many other dog-friendly owners and you'll have a chuckle as you see the true meaning of a "pack of dogs." If you don't have a dog, or maybe are considering adopting one, this dog park is fun to visit as a spectator as well.

Toward the back of the dog park, a hidden trail awaits. It is also fenced, so you can feel like you are going for a short hike but can keep your dog off leash. When you do tire of watching the dogs play, click the leash back on, head out the gate to your left and continue down the path that parallels the dog park. If you keep walking up the hill, the path will connect through the forest and will end up at the Beaver Lake and Lodge. Follow the rest of the path around and you'll arrive back at the dog park area exhausted but happy.

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Take a rest and  enjoy watching some youth baseball at the diamonds in Beaver Lake Park.  

After living in Washington for seven years, one saying that sticks with me is Carpe Diem - Seize the Day! Washingtonians do just that. When it is nice outside, we don't waste a minute but instead head on out to enjoy the sun's rays. This weekend,  grab the sunscreen and include your dog in your adventures. 

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