Cooper and Mitchell loved it. Cooper ran with the big boys and Mitchell motored along the perimeter, always checking to see where we were.
Cooper was a youngster when we joined, and Mitchell a nice, well socialized male. Both were intact.
CooperEventually a time came when Mr. Cooper answered the call of the Testesterone Howl and decided to be King of the Park. This was not acceptable and that was the end of their association with the dog park.
Recently, the Village here took the lousiest (almost) tract of free land they could find and turned it into a dog park. It is about one block walking slowly from my house. You do, of course, have to pay to join.
I have an acquaintance who has Belgians and she lives quite near the park and so belongs and periodically I wander past the park and she is there as she was a couple of evenings ago when I took Conley for a very short walk. I was sick and couldn't go far, and as it happened, so was he, altho I did not know it until 3 this morning.
We do not belong but we stopped. There were two Belgians, a pit, a large terrier mix and a Harelquin Gt Dane. They were all friendly but Conley was not especially interested, even on the far side of the fence.
The one person told me how her collie had drowned a few weeks earlier in a pool. The dog was 13. She said "Well,, she WAS 13..." as if in my imagination that made the increasingly weight of the thick wet coat easier to manage, as if in my imagination it made it easier to think the dog was not thinking WHERE ARE THEY? WHAT DO I DO?? I AM SO TERRIBLY TIRED......
The Gt Dane owner told me how his other dog had died. I had known that, known about the other dog. I asked if they had simethecone all over the house and was told no, they probably wouldn't need it with this one, and the other didn't bloat. I nodded. Yes, ok, yes I see.
Then the pit owner stood and waved her arms INSIDE THE PARK and said "Doggies, I have chicken!!!" She got lucky. The dogs were very well behaved. I recounted the number of times my friend Taffy's dog was attacked and nearly killed in her dog park-- a big red Dobe, afraid of her own shadow....
I asked if anyone had seen the woman walking her two dogs, Presa Canarios. Yes, yes they had. The dogs were wonderful. They had attended obedience at Pet Smart but now were not allowed in the park anymore. Oh. Why not? No one knew......
But on our way home we passed the house where the two Presa's live and as we went by one tore down the curtains screaming at us.
I do not think Conley and I, or any other of my dogs, will be joining that particular dog park. Or any other.
Maybe they are not all like that.....
They are all like that. Mostly full of clueless people with dogs who may or may not be safe. A disaster waiting to happen. At least the 4 near me anyway. I only go if no-body else is there, or if I know the people there.
ReplyDeletelike all things..parks, pools, beaches, anything that has the potential to be used by people it has the potential to be used by the clueless amongst us.
ReplyDeletei have been going to dog parks for about 10 years. yea there are some very stupid people there..but there are some amazing folks as well. sometimes the amazing ones educate the stupid ones.
my dog park is under the county park system..the rangers will respond if they are called but mostly it is self officiating. yes there have been some nasty fights & scuffles (some even involved the dogs). incidents are managed & dealt with. i use it to socialize my dogs, & foster dogs & meet with my friends & use it to train dogs & other owners if possible.
education..a set of posted rules & guidelines, strong reliable people who are responsible who frequent the park & if need be enforcement by park officials help to make it better.
my park limits intact dogs to under 6 months. believe me we pester owners of those dogs until they fix the problem.
you will always have problems in any public area. be it with dogs, a beach, campground, what ever. the trick is education, good people skills & decent enforcement.