They’ll never know why I love the park so much. Everyone I know has their own theory—but none of their guesses are quite right.

For starters, our dog sitter says that the crunchy leaves seem to be my favorite. Year round, you can find them pushed to the edges of the sidewalks, piled as high as my snout. And yes, it's fun to walk through these crinkly reminders of fall . . . But that's nowhere near the reason why the park is my favorite.

Now, our neighbor says the jogging track is my favorite. From across the street, he can look out the window and see me run with Danny as I wag my tail and loll my tongue out of my mouth. But as much fun as this can be, you will certainly be surprised to hear that it's still not my favorite part of the park.

Our mailman has a different idea. “I’m always seeing that dog chase squirrels,” he says, “and the park has plenty of them. No wonder it’s his favorite place.” The mailman sure is onto something--the squirrels are compelling. But at the park, even those frisky creatures don't quite make the top spot.

Actually, the closest anyone's ever gotten to guessing correctly is the girl we met at the park. She kneels next to me while I'm lying down at the edge of the pond, looking towards the water. "His favorite thing is the water," she observes, "I bet he wants to swim!" I give her a doggy smile. She's so, so close to hitting the nail on the head--but I better explain . . .

The very first time Danny walked me by the pond, a hint of orange flashed out of the corner of my eye. I thought, What was that? Something moving in the water? I pulled my leash closer, and to my great astonishment, there were little, smooth animals dashing around in the water. Later, I grew to know them as fish. I was amazed with their agility and speed. So on every walk we take now, I pull Danny to the pond where I can peer into the water and wonder at the fish.

I don't mind that nobody knows this is why I truly love the park. Let them keep guessing. The important thing is that I found the fish--and sometimes, it seems like they are gazing up at me, with their wide, unblinking eyes that make me wonder if they might even be curious about me.