Raising Markus is the series where we share stories about our time raising Markus. Said to be aggressive and having gone unadopted for over a year, Raising Markus is the story of a rescued dog from Korea given a second opportunity, now in Vancouver, Canada. This series will include the lessons, joys and struggles of dog owners fumbling our way through our first adoption. The hope is that if you're considering rescuing a dog of your own, our stories are useful to you.

It's snowed in Vancouver since the last update, so Markus has had some fun in the snow. Despite the snow, the weather's actually held up this the past month and we've been able to visit quite a few parks. 

Playing in the Snow

We had our first snow day of the year and we surprised Markus with it. From the windows, we saw it coming down so we let it accumulate a little bit before letting him out. We intentionally didn't let him see out the windows either, so it was a complete surprise to him and we caught it all on video.

We also got him playing fetch in the snow.

And trying to catch a ball mid-air.

And catching snowballs in slo-mo.

Visiting Local Parks

Markus has gotten a lot better walking in public so we've been taking him out to more parks that can get busy. Our training with him is really starting to pay off and although we still can't go off-leash (unless we're in an enclosed area), it's been nice going for walks at busier and popular local parks.

For this update, I'll be giving teasers of the parks we've been going to and we'll do a deeper dive at each of these parks in upcoming posts.

Garry Point Park & Steveston Village

Garry Point Park is a large and beautiful waterfront park with plenty of beach access for people and dogs. With picnic tables and benches scattered throughout the park, it is a great spot for families to spend an afternoon with a picnic or a barbecue. People also come here to enjoy the beach, the fields or to fly kites!

We love bringing Markus to Garry Point because there's so much for him to explore. When I was growing up, we used to have treasure hunts with my classmates and we'd be digging in the sand (when really, the treasure was hidden behind a rock). It's fun bringing Markus here and watch him dig the same beaches that I dug as a child.

Scattered throughout the park, there are a lot of washed up driftwood and grassy areas for dogs to explore, but if that's not enough, Steveston Village is a few minutes walk away from Garry Point Park. Steveston Village is next to the water and it is a hot tourist spot where you can purchase some of the freshest seafoods in the world that you can buy right off the boat!

You can read our full breakdown of both Garry Point Park & Steveston Village here.

Renfrew Community Park Dog Off-Leash Enclosure

The Renfrew Community Park Dog Off-Leash Enclosure is one of the newer dog parks in Vancouver and it has quickly become one of our favourites. Located right off of Renfrew St., this off-leash dog park can be very busy, which is great if you're hoping to tire out your dog.

What's unique about this park is that it is split up into four different terrains: grass, sand, wood chips and crushed gravel. There are plenty of areas for your dog to explore and even though it's not the largest park, there are also quieter areas for dogs who may not be as ready to play.

You can read more about the Renfrew Community Park Dog Off-Leash Enclosure and if it's appropriate if you have a reactive dog here.

Stanley Park

Stanley Park is a beautiful public park known around the world that gets 8 million visitors or tourists a year. It is home to thousands of trees with trails, beaches, lakes, play areas and the Vancouver Aquarium. Right along the border of downtown Vancouver, Stanley Park is surrounded mostly by water which makes for a beautiful walk, run or bike ride around the outer path of the park, also known as the Seawall.

Our group of dog friends met up for a walk around the Seawall - our first one here with Markus - and it did not disappoint. The Seawall is not a trail walk and it is paved the entire way, but there are plenty of grassy stops along the way for dogs. You can read about our time at Stanley Park here, which tends to get extremely busy over the weekends and how you might be able to avoid the crowds.

Fraser River Park

The Fraser River Park has become one of our go-to parks because of its proximity to where we live. We discovered the park on one of these days where we didn't have time to take Markus somewhere far, but wanted to do something better than walk around our neighbourhood. We were lucky enough to come during one of those famous Vancouver sunsets.

Compared to the other parks on this list, this is one of the smaller ones, but it's definitely enough for Markus to get his sniffs in and interact with other dogs.

You can read more about Fraser River Park here!

We’re so grateful for your support of The Markus Project. We mostly choose our locations through searching and word of mouth. If you know of a park, trail or location you think we should check out, please share it with us. We’d love to know!