Saddle Oak Club getting back to normal

Greetings from Saddle Oak Club! Can spring finally be here? We did have some chilly days this winter, but I guess we should be thankful we don’t live in California! Can you believe the snow there?!

We’re finally getting back to a normal schedule here at Saddle Oak. Water exercise classes are back on at 10:30 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Gee leads a great class, so if you haven’t tried it, come on out. Get your day started right with exercise.

This past week, Saddle Oak held its men’s breakfast at Mama B’s, its ladies luncheon at Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, and our St. Patrick’s Day corned beef dinner at the clubhouse.

Our yard sale is upon us! It’s from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 18. Tables inside and out of the clubhouse are available, along with a bake sale, breakfast and lunch items, including grilled hot dogs. Lots of great items are for sale. Don’t miss it.

We’re having a blood drive from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on March 23 at the clubhouse. Reservations can be made at www.oneblood.org or just walk in. Your contribution is always appreciated.

Debbie Liggitt is organizing donations for the Domestic Violence Center in Ocala. This shelter provides for battered women and their children. She’s collecting clothes, linens, cosmetics, cleaning supplies, money, etc. She can be reached at 352 598-4993. The website for the center is Ocaladvshelter.com

Tails of the dog park

Dog parks offer our community so much! It’s a place for our pets to exercise and socialize with other pets and for the owners to socialize with others. It’s a great place to discuss issues of the day.

Let’s talk about that hyperactive cavapoo that comes through the gate full of energy and gets all the dogs all wound up – Rudy. His “free spirit” owner follows him through the gate, so proud of herself that she got him to sit long enough to unhook the leash before letting that little fireball in.

The other dogs there were having a nice time, but now … it’s on! They all race around the park in a big circle. No reason. We’re all just glad they’re getting some exercise.

Next comes the pointer, Norah. She comes through the gate stepping very gingerly surveying the audience of dogs. But really, she’s only looking for one. The big furry one named Champ, a collie, that she enjoys humping to show her social dominance. Her owners, Sheri and Jerri, try to curb her appetite for humping, to no avail. So the humping continues, even when they try to distract her by playing with the balls or frisbee – she always comes back to Champ.

This humping is a social dominance thing that goes on with dogs. Champ is very laid back, so she has to show her dominance on him.

Next comes the golden retriever named Bailey. Bailey is an older guy, but Norah stirs that interest in him to hump her. It’s “Porn in the Park” when those three go at it. Bailey’s owner is so determined to keep him from humping Norah that she mainly keeps him on a leash. Although lately, she’s been letting him do his thing, yelling at him to get down when he’s caught!

Oh my, what’s this? A small dog dares to come into the dog park while the big dogs are there? Yes, it’s Liala. She’s not afraid of those big dogs, but her owner is. Lynn constantly snatches up her baby when the big guys race, led by Rudy. This little dog smiles at everyone with a permanent smile on her face. She’s so precious and loves to come by and say hello to everyone.

We also have another little poodle that comes occasionally with his mom. His name is Poppy and his mom’s name is Kat. Poppy is a nice little guy, but rumor has it he’ll be leaving us soon for North Carolina. So sad to see them both go.

Lastly is me, Pat, and I own Champ, the collie. Champ used to be a show dog, but I decided we would have a lot more fun staying away from the show rings. He’s a beautiful guy but lets the other dogs push him around too much. Not a mean bone in his body … and they all know it. He and Rudy hit it off from day one and have been good friends ever since!

I also have another little dog, a Lhasa Apso named Koda. Koda thinks he’s human, so he sits in a chair while at the park.

That’s pretty much the lowdown on the dogs. They all have their own personalities and think the dog park is a “free” area so they don’t have to listen or mind! We’re not sure why they have this idea but it’s true across the board.

Discussions about the community are always high on the list of things to talk about. Lately, it’s been the addition of 16 more units and how it’ll affect the community. Everyone has their opinion, but the consensus is that it’ll stretch the limits of the park, amenities, traffic, etc.

And what about the houses that back up to the dog park area? Those residents will lose their easy access to the dog park. Some bought their homes there just for that reason!

I understand the latest rumor is that the dog park is going to be relocated to one of the retention pond areas. We only have a few requests: as long as it’s at least as big as it is now and has running water! Many of us bring water to the park but it gets warm. Running water would be so nice! And shade.

We really need a dog park for small dogs and one for large dogs. There are so many small dogs here that are scared of large dogs. My big collie would never hurt any of them, but they don’t know that. They really do need their own area.

So, if the dog park is moved to make way for the new homes, I would just like to make sure we get what we need: a large dog park, a small dog park, running water in both and shade!

Thanks for reading!