STUPID CHOW CHOW JUST ATTACKED MY DOODLE BABY!!!

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

I HATE Stupid dog owners!!! HATE THEM!!!

 

Why would anyone bring a dog to a dog park if they know they have aggression issues?? It was apparantly the first thing this stupid woman said to some of the owners when she came in "my dog is sometimes aggressive with smaller dogs so be careful". SERIOUSLY??

 

So why then, when her dog is attacking my dog does she not get up, put out her cigarette, and pull her dog away? heaven forbid.

 

I don't really remember a whole lot about what happened, but I can still hear my baby squealing and don't know if I'll ever get that sound out of my head. Lucky for her my instincts were quick enough and her skin was not broken by any of the bites. It was certainly nowhere near as a bad as if it were an aggressive pit bull, but still, it was a very terrifying few minutes. Half the other owners in the dog park were in there pulling dogs away, and I had Sophie in my arms before the owner decided to get up and come over. Her dog kept jumping up and biting Sophie's legs trying to pull her back down, each time sophie crying out. Someone finally pulled the dog away, and that's when the owner the decided maybe she should react and take her dog away. I saw her leaving as we were checking Sophie over for any injuries. In then end I think I was far more shaken then she was (thank goodness).

 

Are there laws about stuff like this?? Isn't she obligated to keep her dog under control?? Can't she be fined??

 

In all the chaos I don't really remember much of what happened because of all the adrenalin rushing through me. All I know is my poor doodle wouldn't leave my side or interact with any other dog for a while. I wanted to make sure we left on a positive note so I tried to get her to play again. It wasn't until her friends Abe and Rufus came in about 15 minutes later that she finally started to perk up. That's when Abe's owner pointed out that I was bleeding. I guess with all the adrenalin I hadn't even felt the bite. At some point my left hand got bitten and my arm is badly scratched up. I have no idea if it was the aggressive dog, or one of the other dogs, or even my own.

 

Anyway, I'm ok, and so is my precious SophieBear, thank goodness. But what an ordeal. I'm still shaken an upset. Even though I've been awol from DK for a few weeks it was the first place I came to share my story and vent. Thanks for reading my ramble!

 

 

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

Lemieux island is off the Ottawa river. the entrance is rockey but you can wade in with flip flops. it's both a gradual incline and there is a big rock that dogs jump off of too. So you get both. I've been a couple times this summer and it was great. Lots of dogs on sunny afternoons, but there is plenty of green space and shady trees. Bring something to sit on. I'm likely going on Monday if I can get my hands on a car. Another good swimming spot is in New Edinburgh park along the river, or behind St. Paul's university off of Main street. Both are a gradual slope, but the river bank behind st. paul's is too steep for people to get down safely (dogs have no trouble). I've heard good things about Brewars park but haven't tried it yet.

 

I haven't tried bruce or conroy. I actually don't know how to find them. I'm a downtown girl and don't venture into the suburbs often unless I have a rental, and in that case it's usuall only to find a farmboy or walmart (or sophie's obedience class). I will definitely try them out when my new car comes in, but Hyundai is taking their sweet sweet time...

 

The fenced in downtown ones are Jack Purcell, McNabb, Lansdown (next to the baseball field) at the back of the parking lot, canal side. There's also one between Albert and Slater st at Bay,. next to a highschool. They are nothing spectacular, but there is a nice community feel as you get to know all the local resident dog owners. JP was just renovated and they put in a doggie water fountain which is a dream come true for my doodle.

if Bruce and conroy were closer to me I'd likely be there all the time...

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Yeah I honestly haven't looked into other parks much, since we live about a 2 minute drive from Conroy. 

Lemieux sounds nice - maybe we will make a special trip before the weather gets too cold!

[Elizabeth & Cooper]

Hey! I just happened to see your posts and realized that you're in Ottawa too! I'm a downtown gal without a car so I'm in the same spot as you. I went to Bruce Pit on Saturday (have you been?) and was actually just about to head to Brewer Park for the first time today after work. Perhaps we could split a rental car some time and explore some of the other parks lol. Where do you normally go downtown?

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

I just bought a new car! Woo hoo! I would love to meet you and Cooper sometime. I've been dying to check out Brewar park, I hear that's where all the nicest dogs go :)

[Anna and Achilles]

So Scary! My first doodle was attacked by a Shepard mix while I was walking him one night. Houdini was a gentle soul and did not protect himself. I still sometimes shudder when I think of it. I too was all scratched up, he was bitten and we had to go to the animal hospital. I feel your pain. I think you did the right thing in staying. Hopefully she will not remember it. Houdini would not go for walks for awhile after it. Glad she didn't get hurt.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

So happy Sophie is okay. 

[Jennifer,Chloe & Myla]

I'm so happy you and Sophie are ok, what a scare! There's always one stupid owner in the crowd.

[T Eaton]

What an awful experience!I had a similar experience with a chow at a dog park. It was a dog we had previously played with and then one day it just turned and pinned my boy to the ground by the neck. I kicked him so hard I knocked the wind out of him...as the owner said "I don't know what's wrong with her lately, she is so agressive" I told her she better find out soon!

I know how you feel, it is so scarey! And I can't imagine being bit as well! A few days later, the groomer discovered several marks on him so I told her what happened and she responded with "I won't groom chows....they are too unpredictable."

One good thing that came out of it for us, is that when I yell "leash up" at my boy, he runs to my feet immediately and sits for me to put the leash on him. He seems to know now that it means mom is scared, get over here now! I hope you baby gets the postive effect from this too!

[Traci -Bexter & Maggie]

That is terrible!  I am so sorry for you and your poor little baby.  I always have thought about taking Bexter to a dog park, but after reading so much about them, I'm not really sure I want to risk it.  I don't even think I'd enjoy myself because I'd be worried the whole time.  Hope you both recover physically and mentally from this experience.

[Jena ~ Dublin]

Good thought to leave on a good note, I would have wanted to RUN out of there.  I know CHOW CHOW's are an agressive breed, yes as you stated, not as much so as PitBulls but agressive.  I would try and find out who she is and see if it was her dog that bit you,  If indeed it was, there are laws about that, most dog parks are use at your own risk and owners are responsible.  I am not sure where you are, but in my county, we are required to register our dogs, is that so where you are? 

Glad you both are ok otherwise.

[Trudy Harlow]

Boy, what a discussion!

First, you should never pick up a dog that is being attacked -- you are likely to get attacked yourself.  Most dogs are better able to take care of themselves than you can take care of them.

That said, my suggestion -- if you really like taking your pup to this dog park, and I do believe that dog parks are useful opportunities for dogs to socialize -- is to organize the owners so you can work with the local government, or whoever owns the park, to develop some behavior guidelines.  That's what we have done at Paddy's and my fave dog park.  You can check out our website at a href="http://www.madisondogs.org/index.html>" target="_blank">http://www.madisondogs.org/index.html>;.  Now, all the "members" help police the park.  There's another "authority" if there's an altercation.  "Bad" dogs really are banned from the park, with the county's support.  We are comfortable calling the police if there is a serious problem.  We have work days to keep the park clean, and we have an email list to alert members to problems, problem dogs, and problem owners (only dog names are given out).

Sometimes dogs just don't get along -- there can be personality issues between 2 dogs.  When we have had that happen, the owners have worked together to divide the hours so they are never at the park at the same time.  This has averted many problems.

Sure, it's some work, but if you like your dog park and your dog enjoys the social time, it's well worth it.

For what it's worth, my doodle is a wuss, so I do try to go at times of the day when it's least active.  Usually that's early afternoon.  I find the dogs that come late in the day have usually be confined for too many hours and are a bit wild, plus their owners tend to stand around finishing up their day's work on their phones and are not paying attention to their dogs.  On the weekends, there are lots of people there with their dogs who are not regulars -- they don't know the rules of the park (nor do they read them, although they are posted in several places), they often bring unruly kids and they're paying more attention to the kids than the dogs, and they don't realize that their dogs aren't well socialized.  So we pretty much stay away during those times.

Be careful intervening in dog fights.  The only dog-human bites that have happened in our park have occurred when owners try to break up fights.  Your park should have a couple of long poles available to use to break up fights safely.  Either that, or you should grab the hind legs of the dogs -- like Cesar Millan does -- and drag the dogs apart that way -- but keep in mind the dog can turn around and bite you because at that point, s/he is not thinking straight.

Just my two cents!

[Becka]

Trudy, this is awesome! It's so nice to hear about a group of active and responsible dog owners taking charge to make sure that dog park time is enjoyable for everyone. Late in the day is not our favorite time at the park either--both the dogs and the people seem a little too stir-crazy for comfort. The morning crowd is usually the same, though, which is nice for us and for the dogs.

Thanks for posting this!