Last weekend while I was sitting at Starbucks enjoying my coffee and perusing the Arts & Leisure section, I overheard the most curious conversation. An attractive woman in her early thirties was telling a friend how irritating it was that her friend Molly was onto a third date with Edward when she, by her own admission, was dateless. I wondered who this Edward was...an ex-boyfriend, an ex-husband or maybe she simply had a case of the “ bitter single girl blues.” Two Mocha Frappuccino’s later, I came to learn that Edward was not an “ex” of any kind. Edward was not even human. He was a flirtatious four year-old Boston terrier and Molly, his significant other, a sassy two and half year-old Lhasa Apso!

I decided to play amateur detective and scout out the places where all these Upper East Side dogs were apparently leading a very swinging social lives. I probed the neighborhood dog walker, a woman I’d seen tangled amongst six to eight dogs at a time, where the hot spots were and then embarked upon my joumey.

She pointed me towards the lovely Carl Schurz Park situated right behind Gracie Mansion and surrounded by the Upper East Side’s most astronomically-priced real estate. After passing a troupe of rosy-cheeked uniformed school girls on 84th and East End Avenue, I entered the park in search of the dog scene. I quickly discovered a huge party of diverse canines all blissfully frolicking together. There along the beautiful landscape of the East River, pups of all sizes, colors and breeds were having their own version of “Happy Hour”. Poodles chased Puggles, Schnauzers tousled with Cocker Spaniels and a doll-sized Chihuahua shared her water bowl with one very amorous French Bulldog.

As my eyes moved from the circus of dogs to their owners, I realized what an obvious mecca this situation presented itself for those in search of love, companionship or simply, neighborly friendship. Attractive single men and women from their 20s to 50s chatted away. Some exchanged important veterinary advice, others swapped dogwalker’s phone numbers, got the latest scoop on kibble brands while others squeezed in job networking and even a bit of matchmaking. Had dog runs replaced the bar scene? It was so refreshing to see so many people enjoying themselves in the fresh air without the ubiquitous cell phone cemented to their ears.

I spoke to a woman in her late-thirties who recently had met her significant other at the 60th Street Pavillion dog run.“I was a very social person, I had tried online dating, went on countless blind dates, wine tastings and even a few gourmet singles groups, but in the end, it was Sparky who led me to love, laughed longtime Yorkville resident, Elyse Dollinger. Another man I spoke to, told me he had serendipitously met his girlfriend when his overly frisky Collie had to be pried away from her Maltese. In addition to these romantic tales between neighbors, I also met a woman who had acquired a job referral and secured a babysitter from one quick trip to the dog run after work.

While you can never place a guarantee on finding true love, bringing along your furry best friend might just narrow the odds in your favor. So, forget speed dating, shutdown your computer and ditch the cell phone — grab Fido and hit the local dog run...love might just be around the corner!

Multiply your dog’s circle of friends...and yours too!

Check out these other great East Side Dog Runs: