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 :( 

[Lori, Rooney & Zuzu]

That is awful!! I'm so sorry!!  I would have been so upset.  This is exactly why I am still undecided as to whether or not dog parks will ever be in our future.  So far, we have been able to set up playdates with dogs we know and running around in backyards seems to be plenty fun for Rooney and his pals.  He is always wiped out after an hour or so of play so it also seems to be a great energy burn too. 

I also made sure to enroll Rooney in a Beginning Obedience class that still gives time for the dogs to just play.  Rooney loves it so much that I knew he would be bummed if we went to a training class with a bunch of other dogs and he never got a minute to meet them and play.  That too has been a good socialization experience in a safe environment.

I'm just so sorry... this sounds so scary.  I'm so glad Cider is okay.

[Jenna & Cider]

Thank you everyone for your comments and advice. I feel like I'm able to exhale. These are all very good suggestions and I will take note. He's running around and playing in the house right now so thankfully he seems to be himself. I think about these things and in hindsight, I knew better. A saturday afternoon with gorgeous weather...doesn't take a genius to figure out that there are many owners like me who would think " hey, this is perfect weather to get my dog out and let him run around". I was hesitant to go in the big dog area because he is so young but I'm such a rule follower that I didn't even think to ask the small dog owners if they mind if he played in there. The dogs in his training class were smaller and he was so good with them. He's such a sweet pup. He doesn't bark at other dogs, he doesn't run up to other dogs. He observes and allows them to approach him.  I am so worried that he's going to be fearful of other dogs from now on but we will walk him around the neighborhood still and he'll get to see the dogs he's familiar with.  

Thank you all so much for your comments and support. We try to be good parents, we thought we'd be doing something good for Cider.  We didn't want to wait too long to get him around other dogs and we just wanted him to let loose and run.  I'll keep ya'll posted about the vets.  Enjoy your Sunday afternoon.

Jenna & Cider

[Adina P]

Just so you don't think he was necessarily permanently traumatized, remember that MANY dogs don't get their bark until after a year...as he matures into adulthood, he could very well start barking more and it's normal.

[Rachel and Ollie]

This is helpful information. I didn't realize this and wondered why Ollie went from a non barker to now an occasional barker. 

[F, Calla & Luca]

Cider is a very handsome pup.

[Jenna & Cider]

Thank you! He's a lover, not a fighter. :)

 

[Lynda Kamrath]

So sorry about your experience at the dog park.  On the weekend is probably not the best time to get your dog introduced to the dog park.  I take my boys there sometimes and Harpo loves it, especially if there is a wrestler in the park.  He loves to wrestle and doesn't hurt the other dog, but does take him down and pin him (his tail wagging the whole time).  Groucho is not so playful and is protective of me and Harpo.  He doesn't like any other dog approaching me.  It makes for some trying times in the dog park.  I always take the dogs in on leash and after we check it out I will take Harpo off leash, but sometimes just leave Groucho on leash the whole time we are in the park.  You have to learn how to evaluate the park before letting your puppy out to play with the other dogs.  Harpo never wanted to go in the small dog park, even when he was a puppy.  Don't be totally turned off to dog parks from your one experience, but do evaluate the dogs that are there (and the people who came with them) before you trust your puppy to be with these other dogs.  I hate to sound prejudiced, but many pits are that way.

[Cyndi, The Boys & Callie]

We go to the dog park rarely and, we do, it's very early in the AM.  Most of the people are very nice as are their dogs. I've noticed the nicest people with the nicest dogs are like us.  They come very early and leave when it starts getting busy.   But there are always exceptions to the "nice" and usually involve people more interested in talking than watching their dogs.  Tank takes care of himself and is very confident but Sully is very submissive.  I have to watch closely the dogs that want to "play" too rough with him and "nudge" them on their way to other activities.  It does not sound like Cider was harmed (thank goodness) and your intentions were the best.  Sorry you (and Cider) had the bad experience but so glad that everyone (except for George with his cut) made it through OK. 

[Jenna & Cider]

Thank you! I try to be a good mommy, but I'm a newbie. Learning things all the time and this was a very difficult learning experience. 

[Katie and Sophie]

I'm sorry it was a bad experience for you guys!  It really is unfortunate that some people abuse the dog park.  It is usually the most inattentive people who have the most poorly behaved dogs.  We are lucky because we have a small dog park that is just for the use of the residents of our neighborhood.  Its really nice because you get to know each dog and how they interact with your dogs.  However, we do like to visit another dog park near us that is HUGE and has a big lake that our girls love to go swimming in.  When we go there we always go on the off times, like early in the morning or early afternoon.  We always avoid weekends and the after work crowd.  It sounds like you guys are doing the right things and I know you just want the best for your little guy.  Puppies are resilient and he should be able to move past this just fine!  He is an adorable boy!  

[Jenna & Cider]

Thank you so much. We really did have the best intentions. We just wanted our boy to stretch his legs and continue his socialization. We researched reviews on the park, we had our friend recommending the park, we walked him in on a leash and after seeing him interact with the first several dogs, we thought he was totally fine.  But I am a newbie and while to me it didn't seem too crowded because the park was large, there were about 15 dogs there and that's just too many. I was so intent on watching Cider that I didn't pay attention to the other owners to see how well they were watching their own dogs. I think we'll stick to play dates with dogs of our friends for a while to get his confidence back. Thanks for your feedback :) 

[Sue & Lily Grace]

I am so sorry for Cinder and you and DH and your horrible experience at a dog park. I would love to think that everyone that has a dog would be a good and responsible person, but I know that for many people dog parks are about their own entertainment. A meeting place for humans and the dogs are just incidental. These are the same people that do not pick up after their dogs and allow them to run free and will not even thnk about neutering them. Until we decide that owning a dog is a responsibility that we willingly accept and not an accessory to our household we will always have to be wary about dog parks. I hope Cinder just shakes this off and goes on his Doddle way.