The sight of a toddler wrapping her pudgy arms around a leggy, energetic yellow Labrador is common at the grassy dog park in my neighborhood.

Residents are well acquainted with the antics of the regular four-legged visitors--among them a pair of elegant Great Danes, a shaggy gray terrier, a handsome red Doberman, several Shelties and border collies (I can never remember how they differ), a couple of miniature dachshunds, a French bulldog, a pug, fluffy Pomeranians, a Shih Tzu, and spaniels of all sizes, some impeccably groomed, others not.

Originally constructed to accommodate the dogs living in Rockwater Village, the park's gate has gradually opened to pets from four nearby upscale apartment complexes and a growing collection of town houses. That's when the adventures began.

More dogs mean more playmates, more neighbors getting to know one another, and more opportunities for youngsters to discover that large dogs are often the gentlest ones.

The park runs almost entirely on neighborly good will.

A bin hanging on the white picket fence........

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