Horrific First Dog Park Experience

[Jenna & Cider]

I can't stop crying, I'm so upset and shocked.  Today we took our  4 month old doodle to a reputable dog park. A girlfriend of mine takes her dogs there and recommended it to us. Our doodle has been in puppy training with other dogs and our neighborhood has a lot of dogs that we encounter on our walks....I felt like he has had a good amount of exposure to other dogs. He just got his last set of shots a week ago and we were looking forward to taking him to the dog park and let him play and run around.  He's 36lbs of sweetness. He has never showed any aggressive tendencies. He typically will stop, sit and watch another dog if he sees one.  My girlfriend took her pups to the park when they were 3 months and never had any problems so we figured he was going to be fine and it'd be good for him to get more socialization.

The park has 2 sections, a 20# and under section and a 20# and over. Cider is far beyond 20# so we went to our designated section.  As we walked in, he was so happy! A couple people walked by with their pups and they sniffed eachother. Cider doesn't wander far from us, he walks about 10 feet and waits for us before he walks further. George and I were laughing because Cider would run and stop and look at us to make sure it was ok. He started running around with a retriever mix and we thought....this is great for him!  He followed the retriever over to a group of other dogs that were playing and all of a sudden we heard him yelp and was running towards us.  He's still clumsy, he's growing and getting so tall but he's not used to these long legs yet and he stumbled.   6 dogs chased him down and were attacking him. One pit mix had hold of his side and was trying to get his neck.   Everyone was just standing there while George and I were trying to get Cider who was pinned on his back yelping. George had to tear the pit off of him while I lifted him up. I'm 5'0..not very tall....so while George was trying to get the dogs away from me and Cider- another dog jumped up on me and grabbed Cider's rear. George got him off. I was holding Cider and shaking and crying.....Everything is a blur now. 2 men started fighting because one man pulled the other man's dog off Cider. George got knicked by the pit when he pulled him off.

What is most disturbing to me is how little the other dog owners did. There were a couple folks who tried to help but if it were not for George I do not know what could have happened.  I read mixed things about dog parks on this site. I decided to give it a try based on the glowing reviews from my friend. I feel like I am the worst mom ever. Cider is laid back, doesn't bark at other dogs, not very assertive. Maybe he was too young? Maybe he is too timid to be in that environment... I think maybe the other dogs sensed he was a little nervous/fearful and went into attack mode. The aching in my heart is so intense because I feel like I put my pup in harms way and it's all my fault.

When we got home, I gave him a bath and gave him another inspection to confirm there was no broken skin. Thankfully he is such a fur ball that it appears that they mostly had mouths of hair. I don't think I will ever forget the sight of looking down and seeing my dog's rear in the mouth of another  dog yanking.  We are going to the vet today just to be sure he's fine. I'm freaked about about George have a cut from the dog. Today has been a disaster :( 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm sorry this happened to Cider and I hope that the vet visit will confirm that he is fine. I hope George will be fine, too 

 

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I'm so sorry....dog parks can be frightening places. It does sound like he will be okay, thank goodness.  I hope you get good news at the Vet.  Please let us know.

[Becka]

I'm so sorry you had such a bad experience and glad to hear that your puppy is ok. While Sadie and I love to go to the dog park, it's definitely not for every dog. I also think that weekends are the worst time to go because that's when the park is often too crowded and often has too many people who don't pay enough attention. If you feel like trying again, late morning or early afternoon might be a better time. If you think it's something Cider might benefit from, in terms of socialization ( and just as an opportunity to wear him out), consider trying again during one of those off-peak times. But if you decide it's not your thing, that's obviously OK too.

[Carol and Banjo]

So Sorry Jenna.  I hope the vet confirms all is well with Cider...he is such a cutie!   I can only imagine how upsetting this incident was for you and your DH.   I'll be Cider is already over it....which is a good thing.   Please don't be too hard on yourself....many of us have struggled with the whole "Dog Park" thing....to go or not to go.   There's no way of foretelling what may or may not happen.    If you have friends or relatives with dogs that may be a better option in the future so that you don't have to worry about a repeat of today's nightmare.    When Banjo was just a little guy a pit mix attacked him in our own driveway....he never suffered any trauma from it....but it did take me a while to recover.   

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

first of all, im so very sorry this happened to you, Cider and George.

Second, it sounds like Cider will be OK physically, but good idea to go to the vet for a check. I would also report the bite George got. Hopefully Cider will be ok mentally too. make sure you take him out on walks and let him greet other dogs as soon as possible so that he doesnt become fearful.

[Becka]

I agree--please try to report the bite if you can. At our park, dogs are banned after a bite has been reported And in our county, dog bites must be reported, and if a dog bites a second time the county may euthanize it. Sad, because most likely the the owner is at fault, not the dog.

[Holly Paterniti]

I am so sorry to hear about Cider's experience :(  That is horrible that the other owners did not do anything :(  I hope all is well with Cider......please keep us updated :)

[Christine & Camus]

I hope Cider is okay, and George as well.  Dog parks can be a mixed bag.  I seldom take Camus to a dog park, and  when I do if there is anything that gives me pause (inattentive owners, aggressive or seemingly aggressive dogs, dogs showing dominance) we leave immediately.  When I do take him to a dog park I prefer the little dog side, but always ask those that are there if they mind since Camus is 80+ lbs. He actually seems to like the small dog side more and plays well with the little ones.  There was only one time when someone objected.  Since Cider is a puppy there is a chance the people at dog park in your area would not mind.  

[F, Calla & Luca]

Sorry to hear you had such a bad experience . Many of us have been turned off by various things in dog parks. I don't go anymore.

[Martha & Cooper]

Wow,  I am just so sorry to hear this story.   Cider didn't deserve this and neither did you and your husband.   This is why I don't take Cooper to the dog parks anymore.   I have heard too many of these stories.  I hope Cider is ok.  He may be like my Cooper and just too timid for a dog park environment.   Cooper is super friendly and  agressive dogs like to dominate him.    I found it was best with him to introduce him to a Day Care Group, where he is in a small group of dogs that he sees regularly and they were all tested to be together and supervised.    In that environment, they call Cooper the "Mayor".   Cooper doesn't go every day or even every week, just when we have a need for him to be there, but the dogs remember each other and I try to make it at least once or twice a month.  

[Wynn, Fudge, and Willy]

We had this very thing happen to us on our first visit to a dog park with Fudge. No one stepped in to help us either.
It took Fudge at least a year to get over being afraid of big dogs and Fudge is a big dog! He is fine now and enjoys all dogs, but we never went back to a dog park. I did not want to keep him away from other dogs, so we made or own play dates where they played off leash. We also took him to places where dogs had to be on a leash. I cannot bring myself to go back to a dog park. I have a fear that my dogs could be servearly injured and I could not live with myself if that happened. I understand how you feel. Don't be hard on yourself. You only meant good for your doodle. This was not your fault. I am glad he wasn't hurt and I hope your DH is OK.

[Adina P]

I'm sorry you had such an awful experience.  Sadly a dog park is only as 'reputable' as the mix of dogs that happens to be there the moment you and your dog are there.  It's a very dynamic place...constantly changing from moment to moment and you never know how it will go even if the majority of the time it's fine.  I haven't gone in over 2 years.  I think there are only a few dogs that really, truly, are made to play at dog parks. The rest are just not cut out for it (and I'm talking about the ones that can be triggered to play too roughly or even aggressively).  What would be cool is a dog park for dogs under a year--such dogs probably would play the best.