A doggy oasis in the midst of suburban sprawl

While some of their fellow pooches might be lounging on the couch at home, a group of regulars was hanging out at the local swimming hole on a recent Tuesday morning.

A couple of beagles, three retrievers, a border collie, one chubby cocker spaniel, a skinny poodle and a miniature pointer named "Rat" were picnicking by the lake.

Part of the Lake County Forest Preserve, the Independence Grove Dog Exercise Area near Libertyville is like a doggy oasis in the midst of suburban sprawl. Sitting just far enough from busy Milwaukee Avenue, you can barely hear the traffic.

Soaked, dripping and panting, the canines bound in and out of the lake like little kids at the beach. It's a place for pups to size each other up, sniff each other out and take a dip too.

David Yacker brought his two golden retrievers, Bob and Oz.

Yacker has been spending more hours than usual at the park. The 53-year-old computer programmer from Beach Park lost his job a few weeks ago.

"These guys are like family members," Yacker says as he hurls a tennis ball into the lake. Doing what retrievers do best, Oz paddles out to the floating ball.

Oz wandered into his backyard about six years ago when Yacker was living near Dallas, Texas. "He was a discard," Yacker said. "He just showed up one day. No tags, no collar. He was about 40 pounds and had a beautiful temperament."

A list of rules is posted at the entrance. But one command is prominent.

"DROP, STOP and SCOOP. Owners are required to clean up after pets. Bag provided."

Pausing in between her mom chores, Jill Danly brought her dog, Beckett, for a quick swim. The Canadian golden retriever batted at some passing blue gills while splashing around in the clear water.

"He fishes a lot but hasn't caught anything yet," she quipped. "He's my mellow man. He doesn't have any Alpha in him."

Benny, a miniature poodle, couldn't wait to get out of Kevin Quirk's SUV and into the water.

"He's my trained killer," Quirk said of the less-than-strapping 17-pounder. "They say poodles are really smart. I'm not sure what that means. I think he trains me more than I train him."

Residents can purchase a daily permit for $5. Nonresidents pay $10. Or, if you and your pooch will be regular visitors, annual passes are also available.

Leslie Lewis decided to adopt Ratatoulle ("Rat" for short) after fostering the little guy for about two months. She said the 11-pound miniature pointer was found wandering in a schoolyard in Waukegan. He wasn't up for a swim today, but hung out by the shore.

"We think he's a pointer," she said. "It's kind of hard to tell, but we love him."