I am so sick of my dog being attacked at the dog park.

[undeterred]

Why do people bring aggressive dogs which have a history of attacking other dogs to the dog park? My 8 month old puppy was just attacked for the 3rd time in a month at the dog park. By "attacked" I mean pinned beneath the dog, with his jaws at their throat and my dog squealing. Ollie is friendly and playful and does not have any aggressive tendencies toward dogs or people. In each case the owner was not close enough or not in control enough of their animal to break up the attack and I had to do it. And none of the owners ask if my dog is ok or apologize- they just act like its no big deal.

If I had an aggressive dog I would get training for it or get rid of it. I wouldn't bring a dog who does this even once back to the dog park again. But these people don't consider it a problem- its my problem if I don't like seeing Ollie pinned with his throat being chomped by a dog 20 lbs heavier.

And there is nothing I can do- the dog park is an "area of known risk". So my dog has to risk his life because somebody else's dog likes to attack younger dogs.

I am so incredibly sick of having to rescue my dog from aggressive, out-of-control dogs whose owners don't give a damn. But the local dog park is full of them.

:rant:

[BrklynLiberal]

1. When I used to go to Prospect Park, they had separate areas for big dogs and little dogs.

Maybe that is a plan there... Try bringing a water/squirt gun. See if you use it on the aggressor they will back off.

[undeterred]

3. There is a separate fenced in area at most of our parks

that is labelled for puppies and geriatric dogs. But my dog is almost 60lbs so he's bigger than most of the puppies people bring in. Given the choice between a young puppy and an adult, he will choose the adult dog every time. I don't mind him playing with adults at all- most of them like it. But there are a few that are puppy aggressive.

I thought about getting a can of whatever it is the mailman carries to ward off dogs - I just don't want my dog to get sprayed accidentally.

[BrklynLiberal]

6. Maybe a water pistol would be good. No harm if your dog gets hit as well...

[InvisibleTouch]

2. My dog park has a big sign at the entrance with a bunch of rules...

...No aggressive dogs, no bitches in heat, no unattended kids, that kind of thing. But what can they really do to enforce it? Nothing. People don't even pick up after their dogs like they're supposed to, even though there are plastic bags and trash cans available at every corner.

The best you can do is try to go at a time when the park is relatively empty. Don't risk your pup's life if there are aggressive dogs who frequent the place. I don't know what kind of legal options you might have; you can probably go after a careless owner after something happens, but by then it's too late. Don't take the chance.

[undeterred]

4. People don't obey the rules.

Even the people with well behaved dogs ignore the rules. There are parking lots at our dog parks and one of the rules is that all dogs are supposed to be on leash until they are in the park (or in the car). But this is the most frequently broken rule. Even if your dog generally stays with you, I can't see it when I am backing up my car. The rule is for the dogs safety but people ignore it.

There is so much dogshit in the parks right now- I would be surprised if half of it is getting picked up.

And I see dogs running around without a collar all the time. One of the parks I go to is not completely fenced in because it is on a lake- and when its frozen over the dogs can leave the park. When the snow is as high as it is now, some of the dogs can easily go over the fence. I know of someone whose beagle went missing a few days ago and it does not have a collar on- so even if it survives this extremely cold weather it would be hard for someone to catch and identify. The dog is chipped, but the chip is supposed to be a backup to a collar and tags!

Basically rules without enforcement don't work. People treat the rules as "suggestions". I don't know anyone who has ever gotten in any trouble at all for breaking them. There was a dog killed in a dog park in a neighboring city last year- that's how bad it has to be before the police get involved.

All of the bad incidents have happened at the park closest to me. There is another park where I've had few problems and Ollie has some good wrestling buddies. So I may have to just go to the other park and keep closer to him. I wrote my alderman about what happened today and I have a list of other city officials I plan to inform.

[InvisibleTouch]

5. Glad you have an alternative park, even if a bit farther away.

Your thread raises good points, though: what really can be done to enforce dog park rules? I can't think of anything short of having sentries stationed at the front gate, coming around and evicting people who don't pick up after their dogs. And I don't see that happening. None of the rules at our park are at all unreasonable - they're designed for the safety of the dogs, and the common enjoyment of the park. There are no breed bans, no restrictions on unspayed/unneutered animals (unlike at some other parks), no one checking shot records at the door, no entry fees, just basic courtesy, safety, and common sense. And this is a nice park, with benches, running water in the summer, and a nice tall sturdy fence. In the beginning people realized they were lucky to have the park and took pride in it, picking up after themselves and keeping it nice. These days, not so much.

I'm open to any suggestions as to what could be done, especially in situations such as yours that involve aggressive dogs.

[undeterred]

8. We have an annual registration and fees

per dog to enter the dog parks as well as to take the dog in a state park (on leash, of course). My suggestion is going to be that license plate number be included on the form, so that there is a means of reporting an aggressive dog. I'm certainly not going to try to grab the collar and read the tag of an animal who just attacked my dog, but I would follow the owner to their car and get a plate number. And there should be a standard means of reporting an aggressive incident. The owner gets a warning and if there are too many reports the dog and its owner are banned.

Other than that, there needs to be enforcement, at least of the rule that dogs in the park have to be wearing collars and registration tags. If you go to a state park and your dog is unleashed, the chances are about 50% that you'll get caught by a park ranger and assessed a $150 fine per dog. If you go to the dog park and your dog is unregistered and misbehaving, the odds of getting a ticket are about one in 1000. So there is no incentive for people to buy an annual tag and follow the rules. Absolutely nothing bad will happen if they don't do it. You get that "my dog is above the law" attitude and people start telling you the preferences of their snarling, aggressive beast.

Even if only one person per week was written a ticket/fine at a dog park, compliance with the rules would probably go up tremendously.

Edit: I've also gotten the names of some trainers who specialize in aggressive dogs, and I will post their business information at the dog parks.

[MountainLaurel]

14. One thing that's happening here in New Orleans

With a new dog park being built is that you have to have pay an annual fee to get in. I think the hope is that people will be more invested in it financially and thus will care more about upkeep and such. Although this city has a fucked up relationship with trash (i.e., most people don't see a need to actually put it in trash cans or bags, as opposed to tossing out your car window or your neighbor's yard), which spills over into attitudes about cleaning up after your dog.

[undeterred]

16. We already have an annual fee

There are some people who take ownership, especially about picking up poop, but that doesn't mean they follow the other rules. There is a ranger who checks for tags... but only in the summer.

[BrklynLiberal]

7. In Prospect Park they had Park Rangers..on horses...and they were

making sure the rules were being followed.

[IndyOp]

9. If you take your dog to a place where his life is at risk, that is your choice.

I think it is a poor one.

If you can't take action to make your local dog park safe, then stop taking your dog there.

I've had to make this choice myself and I am still angry that a safe dog park is not an option for my dogs, but it isn't and I'm not going to risk their lives.

[lukasahero]

10. Are you 100% sure you're reading the interaction accurately?

You said something about these dogs having a history of aggression - do you know that for sure? If so, how? How many other dogs are getting attacked at the park? Is it always your dog being pinned or do these aggressive dogs go after other dogs, too? If so, what are their owners doing about the attacks?

Your dog is young and young dogs learn their "manners" from older dogs - sometimes in ways that seem harsh to humans. If an older dog has a younger dog 'pinned' by the neck but the younger dog walks away unscathed, I'm not inclined to believe the older dog was trying to hurt the younger one but rather saying "Enough!" A lot of young, large dogs are just rude because they've never been taught what's polite.

I do agree with IndyOp, however, in that if I felt my dog was at risk at the park, I would not bring her to the park. Period.

[undeterred]

11. I'm not the dog park monitor

and many people do not readily admit that their dog has a problem with aggression. However, I am a dog park "regular" so I know who most of the animals are, and believe me, dogs get a "reputation" if they are aggressive.

Category 1: Aggressive dogs with responsible owners. There are dogs that selectively show aggression towards other dogs. After the first incident, the owner of the aggressive dog keeps their dog on a leash whenever my dog (or one of the other dogs it doesn't like) is around. Typically the dog is growling at mine as soon as he sees him and keeps growling. The owner keeps talking to the dog and keeps it on a leash. No incidents happen after the first one.

Category 2: Adult dogs playing with a puppy decide to "teach him a lesson". This has happened to Ollie a couple of times. Typically the dogs are larger adult dogs who are not known for being aggressive, and it starts out as play. Then it escalates to rougher play and eventually the puppy gets pinned. This situation happens gradually, and usually I am able to extricate Ollie from it before it gets alarmingly violent. That is what you are describing - and its not what I am talking about.

Category 3: Aggressive dogs with irresponsible owners. A dog I've never seen before comes from across the park and pins my dog on his back by the throat in a matter of seconds. There is no escalation or provocation or history. The owner is not near enough to break up the situation and the aggressor dog is too worked up to even hear a command. I have to physically break it up. Eventually the owner shows up and grabs her dog, and her chief concern is not whether my dog is ok, but that I understand her dog's psyche. That happened this weekend. That is an aggressive dog- I don't need to take a history. It should not be allowed off leash in the dog park.

Sometimes this kind of dog has a muzzle on. An aggressive dog wearing a muzzle because he has previously bitten other animals and people is still an aggressive dog. It may be even more frustrated because it is wearing a muzzle. A muzzled dog came from across the park to throw my dog on the ground and pin it- no history or provocation. If you are ever close to this dog when it is being walked, you can hear that it is growling and snarling ALL the time. This dog is a menace and should not be brought to the dog park at all. Unlike the dog in Category 1, the owner is not trying to work with and correct the dog. She thinks putting a muzzle on it is enough.

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

12. I don't take mine to the dog park.

My younger dog doesn't like people when he first meets them. My older one doesn't like other dogs - except for my younger dog. So we don't go to the dog park and after reading this, I'm glad we don't. I leash walk them on the green, along the shore, to downtown, etc

I'm not sure what the answer is to the ignorant dog owners you are encountering, but writing to the powers that be is a good start. I like letters to the editor, too.

[MountainLaurel]

13. 'Cause some people are just stupid and oblivious

One of the dog parks in Portland had this guy who brought his two dogs to the park all the time and freely admitted that one of them had an issue with aggression. In his case, I think the amount of meth he was doing probably had something to do with it.

[undeterred]

15. Or just in denial.

This morning I went to the "good" dog park where I have fewer problems. There was a big aggressive dog there who has shown aggression to Ollie before. He growls as soon as he sees my dog, and if he is not on leash he will attack and bite.

I saw them there after I had already let Ollie off leash. But during the first couple of encounters the big aggressive dog did not growl or show aggression. I thought maybe it was because Ollie has gotten so much bigger. Then they ignored each other and my dog played with a weimaraner most of the time we were there. Eventually the big aggressive dog and mine came into proximity with us again, and this time the big aggressive dog growled. The owner checked his leash and scolded him.

So I started talking to her about her dog's aggression problem. I asked if she had been working with him because he seemed a little bit better at first. She said "oh, he doesn't have an aggression problem... I think when he does that he is trying to teach your dog something or give him a warning". She said she was bewildered by his behavior. Meanwhile, the weimeraner walked past, and the big aggressive dog lunged at him, snarling. The weimaraner is 3 years old and started cringing - there was no physical contact, but the dog was clearly intimidated and wouldn't walk to the gate until his owner came and got him.

So owner of big aggressive dog put her dog in a down position. After she let him up, her dog lunged at my dog, who was standing still facing the other direction. There was no provocation or interaction- he just attacked. He bit Ollie on the side and he squealed, but because he has a heavy coat there was no wound. Owner of big aggressive dog asked if my dog was ok. Her dog (who is large enough to pull her when he wants to) was leashed when it happened; my dog was not, but he wasn't even interacting with hers at the time of the bite.

I guess if you can frame that as a "teaching moment" instead of "problem aggressive behavior" you can walk away with no guilt and let the same thing keep happening over and over again.

[Stinky The Clown]

17. This stuff pisses me off

We have a yard for our dogs, but when one of them was with my son, he used a dog park a few blocks away. Some morons seem to think its a place where they get to feel big by the actions of their dogs.