Tommy Coyote Posted May 31, 2009 Report Share Posted May 31, 2009 There is a letter to the editor in the KC Star this morning from a woman whose golden was killed in the dog park. A man had a loose pitbull and it just attacked and killed her dog. Then the man grabbed his dog and took off so no one got his name or license number. I know a lot of you take your dogs to dog parks but I'm scared to death of those places. One reason is my fear of dog fights - which can start in an instant. And I can't help but wonder how clean those places are with so many dogs peeing and pooping there - even if people pick up the poop the bacteria are still in the ground. Plus disease bacteria and viruses from other dogs. Do they use bleach in those places? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journey Posted May 31, 2009 Report Share Posted May 31, 2009 IMO, DP's are for people too lazy to actually "do something" with their dog and for people who can't be bothered to train thier dog. They think it's cute to see them running in fear or bullying another dog, they (owners) don't know diddly and I can't think of a worse place to take your dog and turn it loose so whatever dog is there can do whatever to your dog w/o you being able to stop it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbc1963 Posted May 31, 2009 Report Share Posted May 31, 2009 Never would I take Buddy to a dog park. He's reactive and stressed around new dogs - it would set him up to have snarking match after snarking match. No point. I've got a friend with a "friendly" dog. She helped build the dog park in her town. She won't go anymore, because there are idiot owners who bring their Buddy-like, reactive dogs there and push them over their threshold until they snark at other dogs. There's one lady who apparently brings her dog and just lets him go at other dogs - she'll remove him from each dog on a case-by-case basis, but not from the park. My friend finally yelled at her one day after watching the dog pursue three separate dogs. Seems to me that dog parks are good in theory, but it's that wacky democratic thing that gets in the way of their success: everyone thinks his dog should be able to use the facilities, and everyone thinks his dog is the "right" dog if there's a problem. (The other dog is always "wrong.") I think too few people read dog dynamics well enough to make a dog park work. Mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ooky Posted May 31, 2009 Report Share Posted May 31, 2009 You have to pick and choose carefully, but if you find the right park (and sometimes the right times/days at the right park), they can be great places for those of us that have limited areas to run off-leash. We go to several dog parks in the bay area and the dogs are well supervised and with their owners - one park has a lot of agility equipment and most of the dogs are right there with their owners, being coaxed to try agility. My take on dog parks is that if things aren't going well and you can't control the situation, as with ANYWHERE you take your dog, you should leave. I'd personally be more scared of getting attacked by a pit bull while out on a normal, on-leash walk. Well, maybe because that has actually happened to us, while in contrast our DP adventures have been low stress and overwhelmingly positive. We know some regulars at each park we go, and people DO pay attention to their dogs' behavior. If the situation Tommy Coyote described ever occurred at one of our parks, there would be signs up in parks and neighborhoods all over the area trying to find that person. Bad things can happen anywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz P Posted May 31, 2009 Report Share Posted May 31, 2009 One of my dogs was attacked by the neighbor's Akita. Another of my dogs was attacked 2 different times by pit bulls released to run on private property (they were trespassing, I was not). Dog attacks can happen anywhere, but I do not go to modern, designated dog parks because I have heard too many stories of dogs being attacked or even killed. In general they are dangerous places, both because of the aggressive dogs with clueless owners and the potential spread of disease. I walk my dogs in more out of the way places or on private property whenever possible. There is only one "dog park" I ever went to on a regular basis. It was not a real dog park, but instead the town beach (lake) with hiking trails in the surrounding woods. There were several dog beaches, well away from the human beach. A very large, prominent sign at the entrance stated something along the lines of... "The Town of Xxxxx does have a leash law that is strictly enforced. Animal Control has agreed to look the other way at this park as long as dogs are under excellent verbal control. All dog waste must be cleaned up to reduce bacterial contamination to the lake. Dogs are not allowed on the human beach or near the snack bar." People defended their hard won privilege fiercely and self policed the park so effectively that idiot owners were virtually run out of there by mobs. There were scuffles, but no one ever dared take an aggressive dog inside the park boundaries. Owners with dogs who were bullies soon found that they were not welcome under any circumstances. Animal Control did make regular appearances during the summer to do spot checks. People risked huge fines if they were caught not following the rules. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweet_ceana Posted May 31, 2009 Report Share Posted May 31, 2009 We only go to the dog park during very slow times, when there are no dogs, or very few. There is a lady with a great dane who does the same thing and she works on obedience. The dog park is longer than a football field and has an additional smaller area with agility equipment. Both areas are fenced separately and we usually take one side and the lady with the Great Dane will take the other. While we have a fairly decent sized area for a back yard, but the massive running room is nice to sometimes go and let the dogs chase the frisbee as far as we can throw it. Once I tried Poke on the agility equipment, while he was happy to amuse me, it was only because I had the frisbee waiting to be thrown. "Yeah, yeah, jump, jump, tunnel. Can we go back to playing frisbee now??!!!" *** We go to the dog park when there are few people and dogs because there have been numerous times when people have brought their children into the dog park. I do not want my dog to be the one deemed dangerous because someone's child takes toys from the dogs and then runs away with them. I have seen this happen more than once, and now when there are children I don't even risk it.*** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildFlower Posted May 31, 2009 Report Share Posted May 31, 2009 I have never taken Daisy to a DP and I don't think that I ever will. I have to agree with many others opinions on them as places which **in most cases** are a bit unclean, possibly crowded, and unsafe due to irresponsible owners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertranger Posted June 1, 2009 Report Share Posted June 1, 2009 I'm very leary of dog parks. Jin caught parvo at one. Two of the local -parks are known for being unhealthy. Generally speaking I only go to a dog park if no one is there. Otherwise I go to the regular park early in the morning where we know the few other dogs there or out into the desert where the risk is from snakes and coyotes which are less of a hazard that the dog parks themselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinKate Posted June 1, 2009 Report Share Posted June 1, 2009 I am with Journey, people who are lazy. Of course not everyone, but people just want somewhere to turn their dogs loose while they sit on their butts and the dog burns energy. If they can go the the dog park once a week, how come they can't find an agility club once a week? How about a herding clinic? People are stupid let's face it. I am suprised we don't hear more than we do about attacks. Personally, I am (obviously) very anti dog park. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
border_collie_crazy Posted June 1, 2009 Report Share Posted June 1, 2009 I go to ours all the time, HOWEVER our dogpark is NOT the smallish, fully fenced area with benches and tables etc.. that I have seen. nope, its an 18 acre feild fenced on only 2 sides, no benches no tables nothing, the only amenitys are garbages and poop bags(a sack of old grocery bags clipped to the fence!) because of the way our park is set up, it does not tend to attracts idiots, if you go to the dog park, you are going for a little hike WITH your dogs. if you want to let your untrained dog go and ignore them? chances are you be be leaving without your dog because it is VERY easy to slip around the 5 foot completly unblocked sections between the fence and the creek lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anda Posted June 1, 2009 Report Share Posted June 1, 2009 IMO, DP's are for people too lazy to actually "do something" with their dog and for people who can't be bothered to train thier dog. They think it's cute to see them running in fear or bullying another dog, they (owners) don't know diddly and I can't think of a worse place to take your dog and turn it loose so whatever dog is there can do whatever to your dog w/o you being able to stop it. I am with Journey, people who are lazy. Of course not everyone, but people just want somewhere to turn their dogs loose while they sit on their butts and the dog burns energy. If they can go the the dog park once a week, how come they can't find an agility club once a week? How about a herding clinic?People are stupid let's face it. I am suprised we don't hear more than we do about attacks. Personally, I am (obviously) very anti dog park. I disagree with these general statements. If they're lazy, they leave their poor dogs in the back yard - that's why they have a yard, right? If people are lazy, they don't get in the car and drive 30 minutes just to spend 2 hours in the sun and dirt with their dogs. They turn their BBQ on, open a beer and stay in their yard. I don't think you have to be enregimented in an organized sport/activity in order to "do something" with your dog. I've tried both agility and working stock. The first wasn't as fun as everyone makes it look - probably because of the instructor - and the second one, though we both loved it, is just too far and too inconvenient to adopt as our regular activity. And don't forget - dog parks are much less expensive than these activities - all you need is a park permit ($65/year) and you're good to go whenever you have time. The only place I can take my dog to swim is a dog park - well, two, to be precise. I don't have my own pond, like some people here have, and I don't live anywhere close to an ocean, not the last time I checked. There are crazy dog parks, in the middle of the city, the kind that are fenced in, no grass, just dirt and pebbles and mud, with 60 dogs of all sizes and temperaments crammed inside, and with owners who sit on benches reading their paper or text messages while their dogs run around amok. Those, I agree, don't get my approval and scuffles happen there. The one thing I've seen there was one pitt bull (mix) who was an absolute ass and after picking on a bunch of dogs, all the other dog owners told the owner of the pitt to leave the park. And he did. Ohh, and another thing - this kind of dog parks are free, so you get a lot of non-regular visitors, many not used to the etiquette. The ones I frequent are huge areas dedicated for dog training, part of state parks (requiring annual permits or daily entry fees), with ponds and creeks and tons of space for dogs to run and not run into each other. Dog density depends of the area you chose to walk your dog in. And yes, you HAVE to walk with your dogs, given how large those parks are, you cannot just sit in one place. Well, I guess you could, but no one does. I haven't seen any dog fights in such parks. Not saying there aren't, grouchy or asshole dogs are everywhere, and so are their owners. But because they're so spread out, there isn't an acute personal space issue among dogs. It's terrible what happened to that Golden Retriever, and I feel imensly sorry for his owners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy Coyote Posted June 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2009 It would be absolutely horrible to lose a dog like that. You would never, ever get over it. But then one woman took her chihuahua to the dog park and it got eaten by a golden (who probably thought it was a rodent of some kind). Who would take a dog that small out around big dogs in the first place? I used to drive up to Smithville Lake every weekend to let my dogs run - there are just miles of grass up there. But I eventually quit. Too many close brushes with disaster - people are such slobs. There was garbage and fish hooks and just about anything. Plus we kept having run ins with the wildlife. I've never really thought of dog park people as "lazy." I think here in the city they are just people trying to find some place to go with their dogs. The only other option is just to walk on the city sidewalks. But I don't think a lot of people realize just how dangerous thos parks can be. Most people don't realize just how fast a bad dig fight can get started. And it probably never even occurs to them that the disease factor out there is huge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agilityrunningdogs Posted June 1, 2009 Report Share Posted June 1, 2009 When a dog park first opened in the park across the street, I would take my gang there at least once a week. However, as it become more popular and crowded, incidents began to occur. Since then, I have stopped. Now, I take everybody to the baseballs fields (fenced in) or I take the Border Collie to the soccer fields (excellent recall). We can only go early in the morning or after a good rain and practice is cancelled. A dog park is currently being built elsewhere and hopefully that will alleviate some of the crowds. Our backyard isn't that big and while we do agility and go hiking on the weekends, sometimes they just want to run and stretch their legs and Mal loves playing with other dogs. Last year, somebody took a 6-week old lab puppy to the dog park! First, that pup shouldn't have even been sold at such a young age and 2nd, he is way to young to be there. So, I am not totally anti-dog park, I think that they do serve a purpose, but you have to excersise caution and know what is best for your dogs. If you are uncomfortable, then just leave, don't even risk it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
claire24 Posted June 1, 2009 Report Share Posted June 1, 2009 I am with Journey, people who are lazy. Of course not everyone, but people just want somewhere to turn their dogs loose while they sit on their butts and the dog burns energy. If they can go the the dog park once a week, how come they can't find an agility club once a week? How about a herding clinic?People are stupid let's face it. I am suprised we don't hear more than we do about attacks. Personally, I am (obviously) very anti dog park. Some people can't afford an agility club or herding clinic or even a fence for their back yard, assuming everyone has a back yard. I take my dogs to the dog park for this reason. I'm extremely cautious of other dogs, and we almost always stay in the "little" dog area which is usually empty. I like to take them early in the morning too, since it isn't so hot and crowded. My dogs are vaccinated, I clean up after them, and they get baths as soon as they get home to get rid of any fleas. I've definitely had a few bad experiences, and avoid certain parks (and people) for these reasons. I also exercise my dogs regularly on leash, but they need to stretch their legs sometimes too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DTrain Posted June 1, 2009 Report Share Posted June 1, 2009 I will not subject my dogs to a dog park environment. I have other options to work and play with them that is much better. I have made an effort to find situations for them. When we moved from the west to the east I evaluated the dog park in our new community. Basically a useless piece of land was put aside for the park. The areas is too small and offers little in the way of stimulation for the dogs. As a result I found that there is a lot of negative encounters by dogs and people. I also found that the vast majority of people who frequent the park have completely untrained dogs and no clue. Their purpose is to simply let their dog run wild and chase him down when it is time to go home. There appeared to be far too many fights between dogs and idiot dog owners. I evaluated the park as being stressful and of no value to my dogs in any way. I am sure this is not the case with all dog parks but it appears to me that most dog parks I have evaluated are of this same nature. In general I do not like the concept of a dog park. Regardless of the intention and the effort made to construct a park they always seem to be a confrontational environment and at least in my case and for my dogs this makes the park useless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MicheleS. Posted June 1, 2009 Report Share Posted June 1, 2009 Personally speaking, my dogs would never see the inside of a dog park. I've felt that way ever since I owned dogs. I have enough family, friends and classmates with dogs that I know and trust with which my dogs can and do play and socialize. Michele & Gypsy & Chase Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PSmitty Posted June 1, 2009 Report Share Posted June 1, 2009 If we had dog parks like the kind Anda describes, we'd most likely go...that sounds nice! But since our dog parks are like the others described (small, fenced in, clueless/inattentive owners) we don't step foot in it. I wish, wish, wish there was a place for my dogs to get off-leash exercise around here, but the dog park ain't it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anda Posted June 1, 2009 Report Share Posted June 1, 2009 In the spirit of full disclosure, accidents happen even at the big dog parks. Such as Saturday, when there was a Viszla convention (not kidding) at the park and about 50 Viszlas overrun the park. All happy peaceful, but not mindful of traffic. And this is how fender benders happen - Ouzo got his nose twisted in a speeding Viszla's behind Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy Coyote Posted June 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2009 In the spirit of full disclosure, accidents happen even at the big dog parks. Such as Saturday, when there was a Viszla convention (not kidding) at the park and about 50 Viszlas overrun the park. All happy peaceful, but not mindful of traffic. And this is how fender benders happen - Ouzo got his nose twisted in a speeding Viszla's behind That is the funniest dog. Or is it just that you always manage to take the funniest pictures? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anda Posted June 1, 2009 Report Share Posted June 1, 2009 He does help a lot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy Coyote Posted June 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2009 He does help a lot He is hysterical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ooky Posted June 1, 2009 Report Share Posted June 1, 2009 I really have to agree with Anda on this one - I think the DPs you people are talking about and the ones we go to are quite different. Maybe it is also the basic mentality of dog owners in Denver and the Bay Area that is different. Honestly, even the owners I consider "clueless" are out there with their dogs, supervising them and staying with them, and bonding with them. The parks we go to are large as well, our favorite encompassing about 40 bayside acres. One thing I've seen over and over at our DPs is that more experienced owners will talk to less experienced owners and teach them all sorts of things about dogs in general. I think this is actually a force of good in the local community. I have a question about the "disease" factor as well: what diseases are we worried about here, if you have a HEALTHY, ADULT, fully vaccinated dog? (DR - you know I hate what happened to Jin but every dog park I go to will not allow puppies under 6 months old for exactly that reason - parvo). LizP would know much better than me, so I am especially interested in her opinion. My dog is an urban dog and comes into contact with lots of other dogs and ground contaminated with other dogs' leavings in just the course of a normal city walk, which we take twice a day. I imagine this is different from many of you whose dogs rarely leave your farm, or who live in low-density areas. To me, it seems that exposure like this will actually strengthen a normal immune system. For example, when I started teaching, I was sick the entire first year, being around 65 kids who were living in dorms for the first time and were always sick themselves. The next year, my new crop of freshmen were still "sickly" but I was practically invincible - for example all my friends might get sick but I would not, never sick after riding on a plane, etc. Most other teachers I know have had this exact experience. Also, I know from working with several diseases when I was in medical research that many viruses do not survive for long (like more than 5 min) outside the body. There are some exceptions, like Hep C. But on top of that, UV radiation kills a lot of things, and the sun puts out a ton of UV... Finally, I have to agree with the cost issue. I don't even have to pay $65/year - every DP visit I make is 100% free. If there are other members here that take their dogs to DPs that they feel are as safe as a public place can be expected to be, like Anda and I, I don't think they should feel like they are "lazy" or wrong for doing so. It is something DH and I love to do with a weekend afternoon, on TOP of all the other stuff we do with Odin, including stock lessons. Re: dog attacks - I guess the only surefire way to prevent one of those is to never leave the house. As I said before, the only place I've been attacked has been on an on-leash walk near my house. And if you go to your local dog park and it is 1/2 ac with no grass and 50 dogs, that is NOT the experience I'm talking about at all; I agree that sounds like a really dumb idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eclare Posted June 1, 2009 Report Share Posted June 1, 2009 As an urban dweller the dog park question definitely hits home. We go to our little fenced in half acre park several times a week for the sole reason that it's the only place within a reasonable distance where Daisy is allowed to run. When we do go, she could not care less about the other dogs - all she wants to do is play fetch. This actually caused some problems in the early days as she absolutely could not tolerate other dogs interfering with her very important job of chasing down that ratty old tennis ball, but a combination of training and management has made that a non-issue nowadays. I do flyball and obedience (although not on a competitive level) with Daisy, and I take her jogging on a semi-regular basis, but the only time she gets to engage in the flat out sprint that she absolutely loves is when we play fetch. And unfortunately, for the time being at least, the only place to do that is the dog park. (Which reminds me, if anyone knows of any all-breed lure coursing opportunities in the Mid-Atlantic region, that may be the solution!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Posted June 1, 2009 Report Share Posted June 1, 2009 I guess I feel lucky where I live. Although I'm pretty much in the city, I have a provincial park about a 10 minute walk from my house. It has a huge lake with about an 8km (5mi?) trail around it. It's completely off leash except May to June, where the main people beach is off limits. My dogs can run full out through the trails and woods, and although I do agility and flyball, that doesn't give them the chance to really let loose. We also have a separate beach for the dogs, and most people know everyone else and their dogs. Once in a while there is a disagreement over who owns a particular ball, but I've never seen a full out fight. I also have 4 or 5 different ocean beaches within 15 minute drive, all allowing off leash play. I've never seen a dog park that is a pay park, or enclosed, but our city is pretty dog friendly and has dozens of areas for dogs to go. We also have lots of pitbulls in our parks, and I have to say, they're generally the friendliest dogs we meet. For me, the worst dogs to run into are the Jack Russell Terrorists, they're always trying to mix it up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy Coyote Posted June 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2009 Wow. How great is that? We have some nice parks but you can't have a dog off leash in them. And I think they are strict about that regulation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.