First Trip to dog park

[Kimberly Keenan]

So we finally got to take Bailey to a dog park. Bailey is 1 1/2. We are a little behind because we wanted to wait for her to get spayed and then we had the snowiest winter ever. We were so excited because she loves to run and run.

Bindi, our other dog, is a mama's girl and when we go to the dog park she sticks by my side, most of the time. I mainly do it for her to socialize & be around other dogs. Bindi & her cousin are 30 lbs or less & Bailey is little dog trapped in a big dogs body. She is 50 lbs.

So when we go to the park Bailey has to go to the big side of the dog park. Well, of course Bindi had to be with me & I wanted to be on the big side with Bailey & my daughter even thigh my daughter is an adult. We go in the park and we only go about 50 feet and these two huskies go at Bailey. They grab her & pin her to the ground by the neck, poor Bailey starts to cry & this brings other dogs over. I grab Bailey while holding Bindi's collar & I give my daughter Bindi & I take Bailey out. My daughter took Bailey & started walking her & I went in the small dog side with Bindi. Later we brought Bailey on leash on the small dog side & she sat their so well. After the park started to clear out some, my daughter started walking Bailey on leash inside the park around the fence. Som of the dogs came up to her & she let them smell her. The park finally only had 3 dogs and the one owner said we could let Bailey off leash since they had big dogs at home. Bailey was so gentle with the dogs. There was a little poodle and she played so good with her.

So as we were in the dog park the huskies took down at least 3 or 4 more dogs. They didn't break the skin but I still feel this is a little rough & so did poor Bailey. We are going to go to another dog park with a friend, she goes to a park & the dogs are not as rough during certain times so we are going to try it again at that time.

Are we over-reacting or is that rough play? Because my sister overheard some say "if she's afraid she has no business being here."

What do you think?

Sorry to be so long!

[Julie and Max]

No you are not over reacting and those people who said that about being afraid are ridiculous. The dogs should not be running up and pinning another dog down, this is one of the reasons I don't like and no longer go to dog parks. Some people don't understand what is and what is not appropriate and won't keep their dogs under control.

I am lucky that my doggy daycare has a playday on saturdays where I can stay and watch Max play, and the dogs are not aggressive. I've also had great success with setting up play dates for Max, with BG and some other people I know with dogs. 

I am sorry that poor Bailey's first time to the dog park was not very great. :(

[Stephanie and Ragley]

You are definitely not overreacting. The owner(s) of the huskies should have come over to control the dogs. If someone is going to be irresponsible with supervising their dog, then THEY have no right being there. A similar experience happened to Ragley at her first trip to the dog park. We have been working on getting her used to "dog crowds" ever since. It is a shame for poor Bailey. I hope she is able to recover well and have better experiences in the future. 

[Kimberly Keenan]

The next dog park we are going to is more restricted. You have to pay a yearly fee. If there are too many complaints about a dog they are restricted from the park.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I don't take my fdog a to dog parks anymore. I felt that unsupervised, aggressive dogs were there. I also had one time where a woman brought a sick dog. And there is one of me to look out for two dogs, too stressful.

[Stephanie and Ragley]

It is yet another example of how much of a shame it is that a few irresponsible people can ruin what would be such a wonderful thing for many well-behaved dogs. 

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

That's the problem with dog parks...soooo un- predictable. We usually only hit dogparks when there is a Romp. Then we have Doodle backup!
Keeping a leashed dog in the dogparks is a real no-no.....the leashed dog is at a distinct disadvantage and an aggressive dog knows it.
One of our favorite walks is a leashed dog beach here in So Ca. I don't have to worry about Enz being attacked and the people and dogs are far and few between.

[Lonnie & Libby Lu]

Wow!  Telling you she has no business there is so WRONG.  Actually they have no business being there since they are not controlling their dogs when they attack another dog.  Whoa!  I have a hard time with that one!  Libby has only been to a dog park twice and that was enough.  She actually did not like it and stayed by me both times.  She is very social with other dogs, but just did not like the park, either did I.

[Dee & Chloe]

I am sorry Bailey had such a poor experience at the dog park and I hope she was not  traumatized. You are not over reacting at all. The same thing happened to Chloe at the dog park about  1 1/2 years ago. She was attacked by two larger dogs without provocation. She had puncture wounds which required a trip to the vet and antibiotics. I reported the incident to the park director and the dogs were banned from the park. There should some way to report these dogs as that is NOT acceptable behavior. We still go to the dog park 3-4 times per week but I go later in the day when there are not as many dogs. I also got permission for her to be in the small dog area, since she is totally submissive. I do let her in the large dog area only after I have checked out the dogs and their interaction with the other dogs.  Since I don't have a large enough yard for her to run in, I need to take her to the park. I normally just hit tennis balls to her and she gets a lot of running in that way. I hope you can find a solution to enable Bailey to run.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

You were NOT over reacting.  We go to dog parks for romps and when we are traveling.  We have encountered unfriendly dogs and uncaring owners - when we do, we leave.  We have also encountered friendly dogs and friendly owners who enjoyed talking "dog" with us.  Ned is a small guy, usually minding his own business.  Gordie is in his own world sniffing the ground and rarely does a dog confront him.  Clancy is not aggressive, but will not back down when confronted.  As he has matured, Clancy feels that he needs to 'govern and organize other dogs and keep them from getting too rowdy.  He is pretty funny to watch, but it can appear confrontive.

[Elizabeth, Bailey & Bruin]

Sorry Bailey had a bad time..  It's the husky breed...  We have had a run in with them before at our dog park. 

[Crazy Doodle Lady]

Bear went to the dog park for about a year. It was a park with an expensive membership and "temperament testing." My co-worker also went to the same dog park with her doberman who attacked her daily. He was so aggressive he had to go into his own section of the park. Had someone let their dog into this section without knowing about him it could have been horrible. Yet the park allowed him there.

On our last visit to the park a chocolate lab came running up to Bear and bit him so hard in the nose that there was blood EVERYWHERE. The owner did not care whatsoever and never even came to check on Bear. I found out later that this wasn't the first incident this dog has had and yet nothing ever happened and the dog was still allowed to be there. I cancelled my membership immediately.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I would react the same way....that is too rough in my opinion.  That's the problem with dog parks.  I've been at times when there were balanced dogs all interacting appropriately....but all it takes is one dog who doesn't know how to relate to the others and there's trouble.  I can usually observe for a few minutes and tell how the "pack" is behaving.....then I decide if we'll go in.