Dog, love and family. John Katz

Carolyn Wilkie is a true friend and passionate advocate for a better relationship between man and dog.
“It started with my dog, she is no longer alive, but all her long life she looked at me with the brown eyes of my father – loving, understanding, insightful and mournful; her eyes were no different from her father's, except for the ability to glow in the dark.
From The Return by Maxim Kumin

Introduction
Densely overgrown Mills National Park stretches along the crest of a hill that serves as the northwestern border of Montclair, New Jersey. Hundreds of paths scatter through the park like a web, and from some corners you can see Manhattan, located to the east, just half an hour from here. The park, designed by the illustrious Frederick Law Olmsted, covers an area of ​​157 acres.

In northern New Jersey, every surviving corner of nature is under persistent siege by real estate developers. Every month, at the edge of the park, another ugly, frighteningly expensive house grows, as if out of the ground. And the park itself is becoming more and more crowded - parents with children and retirees flock together to Mills, seeking to enjoy exercise in the bosom of nature and find a quiet place where you can sit and look at the majestic horizon that opens over the Hudson.

Among other things, Mills is the unofficial residence of the thriving Montclair canine community. The first wave begins to arrive at dawn: these are loners, limited to the company of their four-legged friend; these are the owners of large or unpredictable dogs that need to be taken for a walk while the park is still deserted; these are those who need to manage a walk before leaving for work; these are groups of dog breeders, hung with bags of treats, toys and water bottles (for dogs), who come together to give the animals the opportunity to play and run with each other.

Rescuers stick to narrow, less busy paths and keep a close eye on dogs recently adopted from shelters or picked up from the street; these dogs were saved from death, cruelty, betrayal, and now they are undergoing rehabilitation - both physical and emotional. Rescuers constantly talk with their wards, especially with those who are characterized by increased nervousness, assess the state of newly admitted, observe whether signs of illness or other disorders appear; they teach dogs to new nicknames and commands.

Rush hour comes after the end of the working day, and until dark, the air in the park rings with incessant barking. Dog breeders walk along the paths and introduce their dogs to each other, although they do not necessarily get to know each other themselves. Nevertheless, when they meet, this public exchanges information in a friendly manner about their discoveries - lakes, paths and groves where you can let the dog run. After a few visits to the park, the dogs become more friendly to strangers whose pockets are stuffed full of biscuits.

Mills, like a microcosm, reflects the entire canine world of America: there are more and more dogs, and there are fewer places where they can walk, as well as opportunities to make contact with the outside world.

All dog breeders, with the exception of newcomers, can be considered hardened veterans of the ongoing war waged between dog lovers, "civilian" populations and local authorities, periodically making futile attempts to press dogs and their owners, or at least contain their advance. In our metropolises, all natural manifestations of canine nature - the desire to run free, communicate with their own kind, play catch-up with each other, show their sexuality or wallow in foul-smelling garbage - are considered illegal or cause disapproval.

According to the Humane Society of the United States - in my opinion, this is the most accurate data - the number of families in which there are no dogs exceeds the number of families of dog breeders in the ratio of sixty to forty. Perhaps this fact should be considered the reason why dog ​​lovers constantly lose battles in the merciless war waged over leashes, muzzles and other restrictions.

However, dog owners are a stubborn people, and Mills is one of their last redoubts. By turning it in, they will deprive their dogs of the opportunity to run free and play with other dogs. Mills accepts everyone - labradors, terriers, greyhounds and whippets, poodles and pit bulls, rottweilers and mutts of unknown origin. Here, purebred and show animals run and play with yard terriers, while trained working dogs sniff with lap dogs. pets.

In Mills, you can always meet a deaf Ginny - a pit bull breed - a survivor of a headshot. Her owner, a lawyer named John, can't stand dogs. Ginny was hit by his car while wandering the streets of Belleville, injured. He took the dog for himself - to his own amazement and the indescribable horror of his wife and neighbors - and now she does not have a soul in her. However, he himself continues to repeat that he hates dogs even more, he just loves Ginny.

Watch how John communicates with Ginny - he stomps his foot on the ground as she feels the vibration, and then carefully gestures, while she keeps her loving eyes on him and, wagging her tail, learns to perform the commands "sit" and "stand" moreover, it reacts faster than most dogs with normal hearing, and a window opens in front of you into the whole universe of emotions in which these people and their pets live.

You will meet Sadi, a one-eyed mongrel, shepherd and husky mix who was thrown off a bridge onto a highway. The dog was thrown by a car and landed on the hood of a BMW driven by an ABC News producer. This man did not spare $ 4,000 for a surgical operation - Sadi was saved, and the place where the lost eye was located was sealed with a phosphorescent plaster; - now the dog is perfectly visible during an evening walk, although its appearance sometimes unnerves passers-by. Sadie and Ginny become friends. Anyone who has ever seen them jogging side by side along the path of the park will hardly be able to forget this sight.

Also here comes Shadow, an English Shepherd who arrived from Europe. She walks ceremoniously on a leash, proud of the numerous rosettes that adorn her collar - these are prizes received in the field trials of shepherd dogs. And how not to mention Dietz - that is the name of a tiny chihuahua, imperturbably mincing between the paws of Muse, a powerful, wise bullmastiff. Muse is not to be confused with another bullmastiff who appears in Mills accompanied by a bright red parrot, who, sitting on his collar, showers curses on the dogs he meets.

However, it was Rushmore and his owner, Kate De Land, who planted the seeds of the idea that gave birth to this book. I stumbled upon this pair on a clear autumn morning when I came to the park with my two border collies - the dog and her owner were standing on the edge in obvious confusion.

Rushmore is a classically beautiful, blue-eyed dog of the breed German Shepherd - did not even look at my dogs and, as it seemed to me, was intently examining something that was right behind me.

“Sorry,” Kate called out to me, braver than her dog. We are here for the first time and I don't know how to behave. Are there any rules here?

Her outfit—well-fitting wool trousers and an expensive sweater—looked rather out of place, and she didn't have the usual equipment without which no true dog breeder appears in Mills.

Kate was right: life in Mills was subject to a complex charter, consisting of many unspoken rules and conventions, the knowledge of which is necessary for every dog ​​breeder living in an overcrowded city or suburb. For the sake of their own well-being, conscientious dog owners adhere to this harsh code.

To begin with, I told her that the residents of rich houses standing on the edge of the park do not like it when so many dogs run around their property, so they often file complaints with the police.

The police, in turn, periodically raid dog breeders - the police hide behind trees and suddenly appear right in front of you. When they spot a dog without a leash, they scare the owner with warnings or issue a $150 fine. The entire park is littered with signs prohibiting walking dogs.

However, dog breeders are resilient and never give up. They think there are other parks for those who don't like dogs. They know that the local cops are working hard and will not be able to divert reserves to patrol the park for a long time. In addition, dog lovers have long been accustomed to martial law.

At the sight of the police, they blow a whistle or give a signal by shouting. Two groups have even acquired walkie-talkies and stationary transmitters, with the help of which they notify like-minded people about the arrival of the sheriff's officers, so that each dog owner has time to take his pet on a leash.

I explained to Kate that safety should be considered the main criterion - only dogs that have proven their trustworthiness are let off the leash: they should not pose a threat to others, including other dogs, be obedient and know the basic commands. Owners should clean up after their dogs and, if possible, avoid gathering in crowded areas of the park. At meeting with the elderly, the disabled, small children or people showing even the slightest anxiety, it