So, are you going to teach the kid to fetch?

Gawd. Breeders have invaded my apartment block again, displaying typical breederish behavior.

There is a nice dog park next to my block of units that sees heavy use. It was expensive to install, causing a rent increase for folks with animals and a hefty non-refundable fee.

Up until the time I'm able to have my pupsters here, I sometimes walk over and watch the dogs being exercised, taking a moment to pay special attention to the small dogs. Today, I walk back from work and prick my ears at the squeal of a kid, coming from the direction of the dog park. Instead of the usual hipsters exercising their dogs and texting, it's a dad with a large chocolate lab and a little girl of about three. The kid is in the dog park, picking up pieces of bark to throw at the dog. Now, people are good about picking up crap, but still ... the dogs pee freely and there are still bits of dog feces in there. The dad is allowing his little girl to play with that stuff? :crz

I stand at the fence and say nothing; a lady who lives down the hall is bringing her Shitzu-mix over and I hang around to give it a scritch. She gives me a dubious look as she opens the gate to go in and says to the dad "excuse me, I wouldn't be allowing your pretty girl to pick up that stuff. It probably has dog doo on it." Dad stares around like he hadn't even noticed what the kid had been doing and waves her over to him to make her stop. Shitzu-lady hands him a couple of wet wipes to clean the kid's hands.

Being a nice spring day, the first in several months, I'm not ready to go inside and hang around. An interesting conversation ensues. Shitzu-lady is very polite and welcoming to everyone; she engages Dad about being new to the neighborhood, filling him in on the closest stores and stuff. Dad remarks that he's glad that there is a dog park for his big Lab but "it would be nice if the apartment village would put in as nice a playground for kids." I straighten up and glare, but Shitzu-lady fields the comment gracefully, saying "I know there's extra room at the back of the complex, maybe if enough of the parents asked, something could be done. I'm not sure what extra charges would have to be added to pay for it, though." Dad shakes his head and says "hell, I had to pay extra for the dog, I don't think it would be right to be charged extra for my kids, too. Kids are different. 'sides, a playground would make this place more attractive to families. I'm only here because it's a better kept complex than the other ones in this part of town. There sure aren't many kids here."

I had to walk away before my eyes went into permanent spin mode.

There aren't many kids here; never have been in the almost three years I've been a tenant. I think that is probably the aim of this complex, accomplished through subtle measures like no playground. The occupancy rate of the best complexes is pretty high so there has not been a need to do anything special to attract tenants. The dog park went in chiefly to help contain the dog traffic to a specific area. That is one bad side to a lot of the tenants - they don't clean up after their dogs. However, the dog park was paid for by the people who use it. I'm going to have to pay a $500 non-refundable fee and an extra $20/month once my dogs come to stay. I figure that if people with kids want a playground, they should pay extra, same as we dog folks do. I know that if a playground is ever erected I am gone. There has been an explosion of new construction in the last year. Most new complexes have pools, dog parks, but no playgrounds. The only complexes with those kind of facilities are the older, more seedy places. I'll know that this village is sliding downhill if they ever make the move to put a kids' play area in.

Dorisan, you have my sympathy ~

I have not noticed sim in 'my neighborhood' - not yet. I have been here apx 5 years. We're packed in like sardines here. You do have a small back yard and there are public parks so maybe people take their kids there. ?

It's relatively quiet here.

There are some Breeders down at the other end of the block. The ones I've probably mentioned before who had one of these - things -

http://www.toysrus.com/buy/safety-equipment/step2-kid-alert-visual-warning-signal-2605813

Stuck out in the middle of the street!

They must've got lectured about that because they stopped it. Stopped putting it out in the street, anyway.

I mention this also because - the other day I was out for one of my 'exercise walks' - and I notice said Cow has a "Daycare" sign out front. ? I thought Cow was thus running a day care, which - how that'd fly here is anyone's guess - since everyone is trying hard to be a Snob and there mustn't be allowed Commercial into the Residential, oh My, No!

So I decided to take a closer look at this sign - and it isn't 'her' / 'their' daycare sign - It's an advert for St. Somebody's Catholic Church Daycare Program.

This struck me as - ? I don't know. Kinda weird.

There are few Famblees / Breeders around here, and these people are down at the other end of the street, so - they are not an immediate bother to me.

I thought it kind of weird to put a Church advert sign in your own yard though ~

?

Had I seen something like that in the middle of the road I would have run over it, backed up, and run over it again.

Ooops didn't know it was a sign ^_^.