UD Style - Dog Runs

Being cooped up in a small apartment all the time is no way for man to live, or man's best friend. So if living in the Big City has Fido going stir crazy, take him out to the dog park.

Los Angeles, chock full of small overpriced apartments and no yards to speak of, has dog owners finding a new way to get their pets a little more fresh air than their nightly 10 minute walk provides. Dog runs are becoming quite the social hang for man and beast.

Two of the most popular include the centrally located scenic park of Mulholland and Laurel Canyon. A large, spacious park, it's loaded with rolling hills, a nice view and loads of green grass for dogs to run and play. Plus, there's a special doggy watering hole where mutts can share a toast of cool refreshment out of a large silver bowl. And it isn't just the dogs socializing, these parks are a friendly environment catering to people and dogs from all walks of life. It's not uncommon to see a preppie mom conversing with a guy covered in tattoos about brands of dog food.

As I made my way through the crowd of Rastafarians, the slow moving traffic of baby carriages, the clusters of chess game watchers, I heard them; barking, yapping, laughing, talking, the dogs and their people. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon, and George's Run, the Manhattan dog run with the most sociable reputation was packed. The types of people gathered at the site in Washington Square Park rivaled the variety of breeds of dogs running around carefree and leash-free in the summer sun.

This run is by no means the only run in NYC, there are numerous runs, with the biggest and most popular being First Run at Tompkins Square Park in the East Village that is home to a crowd as diverse as the east village: including the pierced, tattooed, students and artists: those for whom art is a profession or life is an art form. Another big run is Dog Hill, near 105th Street in Riverside Park which attracts a crowd reflective of the Upper West Side: a bit older, intellectual, and more politico.