As a person who grew up with dogs and does not have one for the first time in my life,  I especially  love to observe the dogs in The Villages.  I have come to the conclusion that they are the luckiest dogs in the world…they are walked, trotted and run,  up and down the recreation trails, they have more grooming appointments than I have, they go for golf cart rides and I’m told they let you know if the rides not long enough.  I’ve seen them in raincoats and boots, with ribbons in their hair, and I have even seen them in strollers.  I’ve seen them at Hagen Daz.  I’ve seen  more breeds of dogs than you can imagine.  I get a kick out of watching them take their daily walk or run.  Some are lazy and stroll along, others are in a real hurry and seem to want to trot….when the owner is running with a small dog the dog’s  little legs are going a mile a minute, and when a big dog is running,   their owner’s legs are going a mile a minute.  Years ago we just let our dogs out the back door and they barked to come in.  Unfortunately that is not the case anymore.  In The Villages dogs have to be on a leash, however like everything else in the friendliest hometown, provisions have been made for them to run loose, and  even socialize with other dogs and their owners.  There are three dog parks for their pleasure…Paradise Dog Park next to the bridge over Rt.#441,  Mulberry Dog Park off Belle Meade Drive at the Springdale Recreation Trail and the Brinson-Perry Dog Park on the corner of  Bonita Drive and  Buena Vista Blvd.,  you enter off Bonita Drive.   I happened to be in the area and I went in and took a look at it…it is sectioned according to small dog..big dog, as are the other parks as well.    The dogs were being very social, running around and playing and I have to say the owners were too, not running around or playing but were socializing.  Seeing the owner’s in their lawn chairs chatting was reminescent  of the days when my sons needed supervision at the lake and we Mothers  sat around in beach chairs socializing.   It was a great life then, and is a great life now,  for residents and dogs alike.