The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted yesterday to spend $300,000 developing a dog park in LA Crescenta.

The 1.5-acre dog park, the first to be added to the county park system, is expected to open next summer in the northwestern part of the 32-acre Crescenta Valley Community Regional Park, according to the Crescenta Valley Dog Park

If you’ve ever had your dog off leash among other dogs and worried about when you should step in and when you should leave your dog be during an encounter with other dogs, check out Robin Bennett’s and Susan Briggs’ book, Off-Leash Dog Play: A Complete Guide to Safety and Fun. The short book is filled with photos of dog behaviors — lip licking, pawing, ear positioning, tail positioning, facial expressions and greeting behaviors — with brief explanations and recommended responses.  A pocket guide version of the book is also available. 

This is one of the best books I’ve ever seen for teaching a dog owner how to read a dog’s body language and prevent trouble before it begins.