Freedom Park, Medford, NJ

This is a U.S. Geological Survey satellite photo of Freedom Park in Medford, NJ, taken in March of 1995 (a fine example of our tax dollars at work). The picture is from Microsoft’s TerraServer. The complete picture can be seen by clicking here.

Riley and I have been going to Freedom Park for a few months now (as of July, 2001). Initially I was apprehensive about letting him off-leash, since the park isn't fenced and his recall is very selective. As time has passed I've learned to relax and let my dog run and have fun.

There are a large number of regulars who bring their people to the park; unless the weather is horrible, it's rare to be the only ones there. As in most canine/human endeavors, most of the people know most of the dog's names but very few of the people's names.

1. At point ‘A’, we’re still in the car. Riley’s already excited because he knows where we’re going.
2. We drive outside the upper-right corner of the picture and park the car at point ‘B’. The two light colored spots above and left of the ‘B’ are baseball diamonds.
3. Once we enter field ‘C’, the leash comes off. Many times there are a bunch of dogs playing in this field when we get there. If so, Riley runs and romps and wrestles with anyone who wants to play (and sometimes those who don’t).
4. ‘D’ is a stream where lots of dogs go to swim and romp in the water. Riley loves the water. If there’s nobody in field ‘C’ when we get there, he’s headed for the stream as soon as the leash comes off.
5. After some water fun it’s time to go for a walk, so we head for the field marked ‘E’. There’s usually a small pack of people and dogs (four or five of each) making the walk at this point.
6. Then we follow a path through the woods to field ‘F’
7. ‘G’ is another path through the woods. Beside the path is mud hole that draws dogs like a magnet (people pay thousands of dollars to go to spas in California and soak in mud baths; the dogs know a good deal when they see it!)
8. Now we’re at field ‘H’. The regular routine is to walk a lap or two around the field, with the dogs darting in and out of the woods for exploratory purposes, as well as people throwing tennis balls and sticks for the dogs. Just below the ‘H’ (and out of the picture) is a stable with some horses. Riley’s visited them twice (the first time was shortly after I bragged to a friend that he came when called when he was checking out the horses from afar; I’m learning not to brag). Anyway, the people at the stables are very nice, and were understanding about Riley’s visit (they said he was sweet, too).
9. Having completed our lap(s) around ‘H’, it’s time to head back. We go back down path ‘G’ (with another stop in the mud hole) to field ‘F’. On two occasions Riley’s caught a scent of some kind of critter and headed for ‘I’, which is residential housing. On his first visit, the residents found Riley in their kiddie pool. They were very nice and understanding; I’m sure he’s not their first visitor, and he probably won’t be the last.

From ‘F’ we go back to ‘E’, then down to the stream at ‘D’ to rinse off the muck from the mud hole, then it’s back to ‘C’ to romp for a few minutes of drying time, then back to the car and back home with a tired, happy dog.

Addendum: On August 2, 2001 (just two days after I originally posted this on the web site), Riley took off on an unsupervised exploration mission that ended at a shopping center on Route 70 in Medford, NJ. Needless to say, I was in a panic. Fortunately he was found (hot, tired and thirsty, but none the worse for wear) by good samaritan Carol and her Landseer Newfoundland, Echo. They took him home and gave him some water, and when I arrived he was happily romping with Echo in the yard. We haven't been back to Freedom Park since. Instead, we've been going to the newly renovated (and fenced) 'Pooch Park' at Cooper River Park in Cherry Hill, NJ.

Back to home

Last update: March 18, 2002 11:11PM