dog park - be vigilant!
First, I think there should be a "medium size" enclosure, not just large and small, at the dog parks. A Corgi is right on the cusp, and plays too rough with some teeny tiny dogs,which means I have to put him back on his leash when they show up... But, I can't take him in the BIG dog enclosure, as there are sometimes 40+ dogs in there, and most are pit bull mixes, dobermans, etc. Doesn't seem safe.
Well today something happened that was an eye opener. Suddenly a person in the big dog enclosure standing near the fence said "is that your black and white dog out there?" SOMEONE let my dog out through TWO gates. Well, thank goodness for the observant good Samaritan, and I immediately went outside the enclosure and called Bogart to me...but...that was scary!
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Natalie, Lance &Tucker on
-
ohh, glad someone noticed and told you!!! WHEW!!!!
-
Permalink Reply by Laura and Tommy Jefferson on
-
Glad you're safe, Bogart!!!!
-
Permalink Reply by Mai on
-
I always follow my dog around at the dog park. I'm not glued to his side but, I'm usually near enough to reach him quickly if anything happens or is happening. Most owners just bring their dog, let them loose, and just sit back to socialize or be on their phone. I don't like to do that even though I want to but, I prefer to be aware of what's happening with my dog to minimize any problems that may occur.
I didn't have any problems with big dogs. I went to a dog park that was a free-for all, there were no size separations or anything like that and we never had a problem because I was always there to stop anything from escalating. Most dog owners don't pay attention to their dogs at the dog park so, they have no idea what their dogs are doing or if they're misbehaving so, most of the time I have to step in between my dog and their dog to tell their dog to back off.
-
Permalink Reply by Melissa and Franklin! on
-
I don't go to dog parks anymore. I too am a vigilant owner and always stayed close to Franklin but didn't do any good when an irresponsible owner let his two Great Dane mixes loose in the park. They went straight for Franklin and mauled him and me against 2 hundred pound dogs didn't work. Franklin got his foot broken and a lifetime of emotional damage. This is a park where I had been going for over a year and knew most of the dogs. Not worth it. Dog parks are so uncontrolled and in a split second things can go bad.
-
Permalink Reply by Bogart the Cardigan on
-
UGH! That's awful! One more reason to stay on the small dog side... I guess play dates in the back yard are the safe way to go...
-
-
Chuckie and I don't always have great experiences at the dog park but, I just refuse to let somebody drive me away from doing something that Chuckie enjoys. I also don't like to nurture Chuckie's fears so,if we did have a bad experience, that's even more of an incentive that we go back just so he learns not to be afraid of the place.
We actually have more bad experiences just taking a walk because most dogs tend to be very territorial when it's their home turf and are super aggressive when they see us near their home.
Same thing for my sister-in-law. She and her dog got attacked twice while walking her chihuahua and unfortunately, both of the times they got attacked it was by pit bulls. The first time it happened they had already walked past the dog and the family that owned it when it rushed in from behind and grabbed her dog's whole right hind leg in it's mouth. Fortunately, her dog reacted fast too and turned right around and bit and held onto the skin above the other dog's eye so it wasn't able to kill my sister-in-law's dog. My sister-in-law was beating the pit to try to get it to release her dog while the family that owned the dog just stood there. Eventually, it released my sister-in-law's dog and the family that owned it took it and hid the dog because when animal control arrived they denied that it belonged to them and never produced the dog. My sister-in-law was stuck with a $500+ vet bill.
The 2nd time she got attacked was quite recent. She was walking the same dog and a pit/lab mix came at them and wanted to KILL my sister-in-law's chihuahua. The dog was walking off-leash with this guy. My sister-in-law picked up her dog to try to leave but, the pit/lab mix wasn't going to let them leave and jumped up onto my sister-in-law and bit the back of her arms. My sister-in-law's a short person, she's only 4' something inches. Eventually, a couple of teenagers walking by stopped to help and hit the dog with a stick before it stopped. Animal control came, took the dog, the guy denied it was his dog, and my sister-in-law ended up with stitches. The bite was pretty gross, in my opinion. I was gonna post up the pic but, I didn't want to gross people out.
-
-
After being severely mauled Franklin will no longer even enter a dog park. Unfortunately with a broken leg and bite wounds he was not able to go right back to the park and have a good experience so when we were given the ok to go back 10+ weeks later he was nervous. I now take him to off leash dog areas because those tend to be where more responsible dog owners go. Many of the dog owners at our local dog parks are too lazy to actually walk their dogs so they plop them in the park and then ignore them for an hour then leash them up and leave. I've seen several fights break out at dog parks so I've decided to go a different route and allow Frank to play in a more controlled environment (I know off leash doesn't sound controlled but I've found owners to be much more interactive with their dogs and on top of potential fights).
I carry pepper spray on my neighborhood walks to prevent an attack by loose dogs on walks. I work as a vet tech so see more than my fair share of dog attacks and its got me terrified of a loose dog getting ahold of Franklin. I've had two dogs charge Franklin and threatened the owner that if they didn't get control of their dog I would spray it in the face with pepper spray, if nothing else it makes owners actually take some responsibility for their aggressive animals.
-
-
Thanks Mai, you can be sure I will be "glued" to Bogart at the park from now on. I was actually not on the phone or talking to anyone, just watching other dogs playing. It was an important lesson!
-
Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on
-
Glad you're safe and someone let you know!
-
Permalink Reply by David DiPaola on
-
My dog can handle her own in the big section of the dog park.
-
Permalink Reply by Diane&Dakota on
-
I've thought the same thing at dog parks. My little guy needs a medium dog area as the little dogs are scared of his overly friendly enthusiasm. But he sometimes gets intimidated by overfriendly big dogs. Go figure. I totally agree with your comments. I doubt a medium dog enclosure will happen though. We're lucky to have small and large. And I'm glad you got your dog back. That is scary. I don't really take Dakota to dog parks any more, since a relative's dog got a new bad strain of parvo the shot doesn't help. And concern for a few of the dogs running loose in the larger section. But don't really need to. We are a large family and everybody has dogs. We just go visit each other and let the dogs and kids have their playdates. They are all best friends and love to see each other (people and dogs both). We also live in the desert and have ample opportunities to go places better than the dog parks. It's a great dog life. :)
-
Permalink Reply by Amanda Conrad on
-
No one ever goes into the small dog area at our park. Plus, the small dog area is way too tiny for our corgi to run around in so we always take her to the large dog area. She LOVES big dogs. Sometimes the large dogs accidentally step on her but she's fine. She zooms around the big dog area while the large dogs chase her. She can definitely outrun them :) I'm glad your dog is ok and no one got hurt!
Rescue Store
Stay Connected
FDA Recall
Canadian Food Inspection Agency Recall
Groups
We support...
Badge
© 2024 Created by Sam Tsang.
Powered by
