Although socializing pups — especially young ones — is still as important as ever, the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has presented challenges for some dog owners.

Fortunately for members of the Wareham Pack Walkers, the group continues to provide opportunities to both exercise and socialize dogs of all sizes. The owners at a small dog playgroup on Friday, March 12, couldn’t say enough positive things about the playgroup or about any of the Pack Walkers’ other events.

Carolee Burgess said she’s been bringing her 11-month-old shiba inu, Naito, to the Pack Walkers’ small dog playgroup off and on for three to four months. 

“I’m just trying to get him socialized,” Burgess said, noting that it’s important to expose shiba inus to the interaction with other dogs and people. “Especially with people, he can be a bit standoffish.” 

The groups have been perfect for that, she said. 

“I think it’s really good,” she said of the group. “And I think it’s really helping to socialize him so that he won’t grow up to be a jerk his whole life.”

The small dog playgroup is usually held on Friday mornings at the West Wareham tennis court on Carver Road. The court is just after Pond View Terrace road on the right if you’re coming from Main Street or, if you’re coming from Cranberry Highway, past Church in the Pines and on your left.

Barbara Semple said it was her first time bringing her dog, Ginger, to the small dog playgroup, but the pair had attended the Pack Walkers’ Wareham Crossing walk in the past. 

“That particular walk was so great because [Ginger] hasn’t been socialized because of covid,” Semple said. “We haven’t gotten to meet a lot of other people and dogs.”

Semple adopted Ginger — a golden doxie (a mix between a golden retriever and a dachshund) who is now a year and a half old — in October 2019, just before the pandemic. The walks presented a perfect opportunity to socialize her new pup, she said.

At the walks, she said everyone gets together in an orderly line to explore with the dogs. There are many dog-friendly shops and vendors at Wareham Crossing, she noted. That walk is open to all dogs.

“It’s real friendly,” Semple said. “Dogs of every size, shape, color and breed.”

After successfully joining the walks, attending the playgroup was an extension of the Pack Walkers experience and community.

Jenny Cipriani started the Wareham Pack Walkers group about five years ago, and she said people with dogs of all sizes are welcome to join the group on Facebook. There are weekly walks and playgroups for all sizes, which get posted in the group. 

Cipriani is also a dog trainer who offers a number of classes, which many Wareham dog owners spoke very highly of. At its largest, the small dog playgroup had about 15 canine participants, and many of their owners said their dogs had been part of Cipriani’s classes.

Dog owners in Wareham and the surrounding communities can join the Wareham Pack Walkers Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/WarehamPackWalkers