In mid-June, two dog-owners met in a local off-leash park in Airdrie and spent an hour exchanging life stories as they walked around the park with their pooches.
Having thoroughly enjoyed the conversation and the commonalities he experienced with the woman, Brandon Paris, a 49-year-old Airdrie resident, visited the East Lake Avenue dog park nearly every night at 7 p.m., (the time the two originally met) for the next few weeks, hoping to reconnect with the woman he felt a spark with. However, she didn't return.
Recently divorced, Paris did not want to let an opportunity for love pass him by. Shifting his strategy, he posted a flyer in the dog park, which included information about the pair's conversation and details about the mystery girl that he recalled from their chat.
“I feel like I can’t just let it pass by because the chances of meeting someone in person that you get along with so well is one out of several thousand,” Paris explained in an interview on July 29, after being contacted by the Airdrie City View.
After the City View's story about Paris went viral, the girl from the dog park reached out to him, having come across the online article.
In an interview with the City View, Lacey Christiansen, the woman from the park, said she also felt a connection with Paris and found his attempts to find her after the encounter endearing.
“I talk to people all the time [at the dog park], I make friends there,” Christiansen said.
She added she thought Paris’s actions in searching for her were very sweet and organic. Although she was seeing someone at the time of the encounter, Christiansen said she recently realized that she may not be in the right relationship and would possibly be open to either dating again or being single.
“We did have a great conversation and it was easy and that was obviously felt both ways,” she said. “I think it was sweet. It was really romantic. I appreciate that kind of connection."
Although Christiansen was not looking to connect with a stranger, she said she was happier to meet someone in person rather than through an online app.
“I can see the romance and I don’t think there were any red flags. Obviously, if there was, I wouldn’t have reached out [to him],” she said. “I think it was done very respectfully.”
“I would prefer someone reach out to me like [this] than just a message online or see a picture of me and it’s like, ‘I want to try to get to meet her.'"
Regarding Paris publicizing her personal information and adding it to his flyer, Christiansen said that if she wanted to keep such details about her private, she would not have opened up to a stranger in the park.
“[This] is good for people to hear. I think more people should reach out like this,” she said.
The pair are meeting in person again later this month, according to Christiansen.
