During our years in State College, we made regular trips to Tudek Dog Park with our dogs Sportster and Barkley. It was especially fun when I met up with longtime friend Jamey Perry, an academic advisor extraordinaire at Penn State, and we would catch up on family, work and Penn State sports. We’d laugh out loud as our dogs frolicked around the park. Jamey was a bonafide “dog whisperer,” passing out treats to all the dogs, and always seemed to know many of the local people (and their dogs) who frequented the park. It’s part of our State College experience that we genuinely miss.
Since moving to Sun City Hilton Head in South Carolina, my daily trips to our dog park have become a welcome addition to my routine and I have made many new friends because of our shared love of our dogs. It’s the place to go to learn what’s going on not just in the canine world but the real world as well. Need a recommendation on a veterinarian or kennel? Need to know the latest going on with our home owners association? Then you need look no further!
Quite simply, visiting the dog park is a respite, not just for our furry friends, but for the owners as well. While Fido gets to run free off leash to socialize with other canines, we owners get the benefits of spending time outdoors to socialize with both four-legged and two-legged friends.
When I return from the dog park, my wife always wants to know what I learned. In reality, most of our discussions are not so lofty and are more likely to focus on our dogs, what’s new in Sun City and the Lowcountry, scores of our favorite sports teams and, for several of us, a recap of our recent pickleball matches and softball games. Occasionally we will delve into politics and other real-world issues, but it’s kind of an unwritten rule not to push the envelope too far. We are there, after all, for our furry friends.
When we first moved here in September 2022, Jack Higgins, a native of Boston, was one of the first neighbors that I met at the park. Of course, we were able to immediately share stories of Boston Bruins hockey as my favorite player of all-time remains former Bruins great Bobby Orr. I soon learned that Jack, and his golden retrievers Murphy and TJ, were the unofficial ambassadors of the North Dog Park. While TJ and Barkley would go running off to play, Murphy became my buddy and loved sitting next to me and letting me scratch his ears.
As newbies to the neighborhood, it was great to find someone who knew the ropes and could help us navigate Sun City, especially when it came to the dogs. Jack was a longtime softball player and manager both in Hilton Head Plantation and in Sun City, where softball isn’t just an activity; it’s a way of life. I soon met Jack’s good friends Chet Uliasz, Will Blemlek, John Crecy and Rick Ward. Of course, for the first few weeks I really only knew them as the owners of Cassie, Mac, Mojo and Allie Mae. I didn’t realize it at the time, but it was getting to know these gentlemen and some of my neighbors on my street that a long dormant passion for softball would suddenly be rekindled. If someone would have told me that at 63 I would be playing softball more often than golf, I would have had a hardy laugh.
Barkley, who is now 6 years old, was actually born in South Carolina and sent north to Centre County PAWS in September of 2017. After losing Sportster, our family dog of 16 years, we all said never again, as it was too emotional for all of us. With our two oldest kids off to start their careers, it wouldn’t be a good idea to get another dog, we rationalized. That lasted all of three weeks and the great staff at PAWS helped us to meet and quickly adopt Barkley.
Just like us, Barkley was in a whole new environment and a little stressed out when we moved. Well, the dogs and dog owners of the Sun City dog parks were just what we needed to lighten the burden of socialization in our new surroundings. Besides the four dogs named above, we now have a roster of dogs (and their owners) that we have come to know, including Haley, Baxter, Luka, Cooper, Mumford, Mabel, Wally, Ringo, Enzo, Wendell, Memphis, Milly, Izzy, Albert, Buddy, Coco, Archie, Coda, Tank, Muggsy, Kolbe, Gracie and our next-door neighbors, Sue and Larry’s dog, Heidi, Barkley’s new girlfriend. There are many breeds represented such as golden retrievers, yellow Labs, chocolate Labs, black Labs, cocker spaniels, basset hounds, King Charles cavalier, pugs, boxer, shar pei, Australian shepherd, corgi and, of course, the always loveable mixed breeds.
Back to Jack’s story. He grew up one of five siblings just south of Boston and was an accountant by trade for Lockheed Martin, Target and a few smaller businesses. I learned that Jack had lost his wife, Nancy, in 2014 and that his dogs meant the world to him. Everyone at the dog park loves Jack and his golden retrievers. His good friends Lyn Denny, Sue Horan and Will Blemlek organized a surprise 75th birthday party for Jack and many of the guests were members of the dog park family.
Lyn Denny (Baxter’s owner) has a special bond with Jack because both have raised golden retrievers for quite some time. Lyn described Jack as a gentle spirit, and a lovable gentleman, with the perfect temperament for a dog owner. “Jack is simply universally loved by everyone.”
Jack’s good friend Will Blemlek’s wife passed away in February of 2021 and Will’s son Greg (a frequent visitor to our dog park) and other family members told Will he needed a dog. Along came Mac and in April of 2021. Will and Mac met Jack, Murphy and TJ at the park. Since Jack had also lost his wife, the two became very close friends. They go to church together and helped each other during recovery from surgeries.
Recently, Jack has had some difficult challenges come his way. In a matter of weeks, he found out that TJ (6 years old) had a tumor that is cancerous, and the prognosis is not good. While trying to digest that news he found out during a veterinarian visit that Murphy (10 years old) also had advanced cancer and unfortunately passed away shortly after Jack received the diagnosis. On top of this, Jack was dealing with his own battle with cancer, with surgery on the horizon.
Enter his dog park family. Once again Jack’s good friends Will, Sue and Lyn quickly organized a fundraiser to have a photo of Jack and his dogs enlarged and framed and a donation made in their name to the local Jasper Animal Rescue Mission (JARM). Once the photo was finished and wrapped the word went out for everyone available to casually gather at the dog park to surprise Jack. At first, Jack didn’t realize that the group was gathered there on his behalf. We corralled the group and Will delivered a short but emotional message and the small family of dog owners broke out in heartfelt applause.
Jack came through his own surgery with flying colors in early December, remarkably returning to the dog park two days after major surgery. I asked Jack if he would get a new dog anytime soon and he said matter-of-factly that he absolutely would. I said I assumed he would adopt an already trained rescue and he said, “Not necessarily. Gotta have a golden!” He said he’d consider going to a breeder and even training a puppy. If so, he’s a braver man than me.
Jack has become a fast friend and I’ve met so many other amazing people at the dog parks in Sun City in the past 15 months. It never surprises me when you learn their varied and unique backgrounds. We joke around about being the “Island of Misfit Toys” and P.I.P.’s (previously important people).
Admittedly, not everyone who comes to the dog park is as welcoming as Jack. I will say that you will meet more friendly and kind people there than curmudgeons. You will also see far more tails wagging and playful barking than hear angry growling. We are so blessed and fortunate that the tales (and tails) at the Sun City dog park have helped with our transition to life in the Lowcountry.
