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Aggressive dogs and dog parks: The risk is always there
By Phyllis DeGioia
April 1, 2009
I seem to have blocked out most of the incident and only remember bits of it. The animal control officer I spoke to said she hears that from a lot of people who file reports.
The big mixed breed boxer type was about 60 to 80 lbs, and it felt like he meant to kill Ginger, my 22 lb terrier mix. I have no doubt that if his two owners and I hadn’t pulled him off, he might have achieved that.
On Saturday afternoon I took Ginger and Dodger to the fenced off-leash dog park, as I do almost every day. Ginger, who will turn 13 later this week, is healthy as a horse and still runs around at terrier speed. I was checking out where Dodger was and thus didn’t see the attack begin, just heard it about 20 yards away from me. I was there in an adrenaline-infused dash.
I think it lasted about 30 seconds, which is an eternity when your loved one is being attacked. I was screaming, Ginger was screaming, the owners were yelling. Everything I know about how to break up dog fights went right out of my head. On sheer instinct I threw my body on the ground in-between them, which didn’t work. I don’t know why I didn’t get bitten. The big dog’s owners were grasping for his collar, which is the worst thing you can do because you’ll get bitten. I remember kicking him. But those two moments are all I remember. In a trauma, time moves abnormally.
After it ended, my instinct was to get space in between her and the attacking dog. I knew she was basically okay because she could walk. The top of her head was covered in mud because he had her on her back. I saw a few drops of blood, but her coat is pretty long now so I didn’t know what had or hadn’t happened. As I walked away, I called out and asked what the owner’s last name was. They said something like Grizzo. I asked if the dog was vaccinated for rabies. They said yes. I got my dogs in the car in a rush, forgetting their car restraints. I called my vet as soon as I was in the car. It was 1 pm on Saturday, and they were going to wait for us. I forced myself to drive carefully, and in total denial on the way over I kept thinking “it’s not that bad, really, we probably don’t even need to go the vet.”
She has eight staples for her multiple puncture wounds. Most of them are on her right shoulder, and the rest are on her throat, over her trachea. Two of the eight puncture wounds have two staples each (including her throat). A couple didn’t need staples. The x-ray showed no internal injuries. They washed the mud off. They gave her a morphine shot and sent us home with pain meds and antibiotics. Ginger spent the rest of the day with little baby basketballs for eyes, terrified and in need of gentle comfort.
Oddly enough, I once wrote about how to break up dog fights. I have broken up other dog fights. I know how to do it – pull the attacking dog away by the back legs, throw water over them, use an air horn. The problem is that you have to be capable of thought to do those things, and when someone you love is about to be killed, whether it’s your dog or your child or your grandmother, you just react. It’s like an out of body experience. Your brain goes someplace without you and it knows what you need to do to survive. Logic doesn’t apply.
Ginger is all right physically. I wish I’d remembered to pull the big dog’s back legs, since I didn’t have water or an air horn with me. Ginger actually seems to be doing better than I am, as she wanted to go out with me and Dodger the next day when I went back to the park to post a sign asking anyone who saw the incident to call. I don’t know how she couldn’t have nightmares after a trauma like that. But she marches on, my little girl mixed with soft coated wheaten and something unidentifiable but small. I am well aware that the outcome could have been drastically different. Ginger thinks there is no point in letting a little mauling stand in the way of dinner. I am overwhelmingly grateful that she is with me.
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Sending you lots and lots of {{{{{{{{hugs}}}}}}}}, and hoping you’re gradually getting over the shakes. I’m SOOOOOO glad Ginger is okay!
I hate even remembering it, but I had a similar - though far less damaging outcome - situation many years ago with my little guy when they were resurfacing the street I lived on and after-work walks were just not going to be very convenient. So I thought as long as I had to get in the car to drive somewhere to walk him anyway, why not try out that dog park in the neighborhood?
Things were going well until an adolescent Lab decided my little guy would make a nice soccer ball (I learned later that Labs like batting things around with their feet - who’d’a’thunk it’d be my five pound dog?!). Just like with you, it all happened so FAST, and before you know it there was a group of dogs out in the middle of the field all rushing in to see what was going on an me - far too far away - screaming to anyone in reach to grab my dog and get him away from the Lab. I was aware of how rapidly the group dynamics with dogs can change in such a situation, and aware that one good “grab and shake” would be all it would take for my little guy to be taken from me forever.
Fortunately someone was able to catch up with the group and grab my guy and return him to me. The Lab’s owner was notably NON-apologetic. And in retrospect, my going there was probably a bad idea in the first place. But we all know about hindsight.
Anyway Phyllis, all I had to contend with was a slobber-soaked Papillon and a monumental case of the shakes that returned at unexpected intervals for days afterwards. I’m so sorry your situation was more serious, and please know I’m holding you and Ginger in my thoughts.
Comment by The OTHER Pat — April 1, 2009 @ 5:39 am
Poor Ginger! And you! I’m so glad she’s okay. Hugs to all of you from all of us.
Comment by Kim Thornton — April 1, 2009 @ 6:21 am
So sorry to hear about this.
I had a incident that could have been much worse with a “pack” of boxers. Only their owners could have cared less that they had Kasey pinned to the ground. I threw my gallon jug of water at them and left with my dog, who only seemed to wonder at why were leaving so soon.
Comment by Original Lori — April 1, 2009 @ 6:28 am
I guess that’s why police and military have such intense training, because you just have to react with no time to think. There’s a saying about all you have in the end in your training.
After finding out that a dog I’d thought of adopting had been returned to the shelter and killed because he’d gotten into a fight (new owners allowed him off-lead the day after they got him, WTF) and had bitten the owner when he stuck his hand in to separate the dogs (let’s do EVERYTHING wrong), I realized that to stick one’s hand in among fighting dogs was folly.
So, now that I have a dog, and being an artist who needs to take care of her hands, I have mentally schooled myself and visualized stepping in between and taking it on the leg if necessary to defend my dog in the event of an attack. We’ve been through three, no harm done, partly due to his big collie shawl, and that’s what I’ve done every time.
But I’m going to visualize grabbing the hind legs now, too. That’s a really good idea.
Comment by Susan Fox — April 1, 2009 @ 8:01 am
The one time a dog was coming at mine — mine was on a leash, and the other dog was loose and coming hard and fast — I screamed. Like a horror film scream. I have no idea where that came from, and I didn’t even know I could scream like that.
Many years ago … I was in high school. But the attacking dog stopped, looked at me with shock and surprise. I then yelled at him to GO HOME!!! and … he did! Whew.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — April 1, 2009 @ 8:06 am
The really sticky wicket I’ve found is when there are two dogs who live together and are a “pack”. One comes in from the front, while the other tries to come in from behind. I’ve learned that when two dogs approach to always watch the second dog.
The first attack was a dalmation-lab mix who I thought was being friendly, right to the point where she went for his throat. I didn’t know at the time that friendly dogs come in sideways, nose to tail. She came from behind, along side, head to head, tail wagging (but up), no body tension that I could see. And then she went for him…and got a mouthful of fur. Quite a tutorial I got. No dog is allowed to approach that way anymore. Thoughts? Have I interpreted what’s going on correctly?
Comment by Susan Fox — April 1, 2009 @ 8:18 am
Horrible horror! Phyllis—you describe your traumatic terrible incident so clearly!
I asked my vet what I should do if my neighborhood dog goes after me. He suggested carrying around a small spray bottle with one part vinegar and two or three parts water (I forget the exact mixture). If you can get it in the offending dog’s eyes, it would stop him from seeing temporarily.
I dunno—I have stopped many a cat fight in my time with just plain water from the hose or spray bottle—no vinegar. Dogs are something else so take my advise with a grain of salt—no vinegar.
I am so glad that you little one survived the attack—the owners of the other dog were cowards or worse!
Comment by Colorado Transplant — April 1, 2009 @ 8:23 am
Susan Fox—There are better people than me on this, but I think you’re right about the approach. Except maybe for younger pups who haven’t learned the rules of the road yet, just like kids can be socially rude without realizing it. I know Kasey used to just bound up to dogs to play, but he learned quickly.
Comment by Original Lori — April 1, 2009 @ 8:32 am
Ginger is doing well, clearly better than I’m doing. I’m having a bit of trouble eating and sleeping. She’s herself. I can’t take her for a walk because a collar or harness would rest over staples, so the back yard will have to do. She’s feeling feisty and this morning was getting Dodger to play with her. Dodger keeps trying to lick her shoulder staples (no surprise there).
I took Dodger to the park - that’s the nice thing about working from home, you can go off-times and there were only two other dogs there. Someone took one of the phone numbers off my sign but no one has called yet. Nothing yet from animal control and unlikely to be.
Comment by Phyllis DeGioia — April 1, 2009 @ 9:53 am
Susan, the side by side is a way for a dog to “lean” on the other dog and see how it measures up. It’s not a friendly gesture! I’s a way to determine who is dominant and unless one dog is very submissive will almost always lead to a confrontation. Even a dog being submissive may not save them from an attack. Dog’s who make their introduction that way are in an aggressive frame of mind.
The second I see it it’s time to split them up, if there’s time.
The worst attack I ever had involving a dog I did not know was the insecure “shy-sharp” male lab mix the neighbors brought home. He saw my dog and never hesitated, hit him from behind while we were walking and put his teeth right through my dogs thigh. I kicked him in the head at that point, hard. And roared. The dog took off almost before my poor guy knew what had happened. No stitches but a drain for a ruptured anal gland and three weeks of antibiotics and a dog who was a wee bit reactive around his rear end from then on.
I know that people love the dog park and that people absolutely should be able to take their dogs there to have fun, but there are too many people who bring unsocialized, untrained dogs for my comfort, my dogs get to go to the feed store, the hardware store and then run off lead at home. No dog parks for me anymore.
Comment by JenniferJ — April 1, 2009 @ 9:59 am
Ya’ll are not going to believe this, but we just got back from walking Niki and experienced a two dog attack.
80+lb. lab and a 45-50 lb. lab/pit-type mix. They have been aggressive fence fighters when we’ve walked by before, so I was on the lookout, just in case.
Sure enough, I saw they were loose where they could come down the,currently ungated, driveway, barely got Niki’s leash on and handed him off to my husband and we were in it. David blocked for Niki, keeping him close and I stayed farther out and reacted to whichever dog tried to move in, keeping myself between them and Niki. The were totally focused on Niki and only wanted to get around me to get to him.
The lab mix got in once to Niki’s backside, but I was otherwise able to hold them off by making sure I anticipated where the dog behind me was likely to be. They had the team effort down cold. Based on what I’ve seen on Dog Whisperer, they were red zone. A loose dog without backup might have been killed.
The guy came running and was able to call them off. And then yelled to the woman (wife?), who was still at the far end of the drive something about “Your dogs are loose….”, with a note of exasperation.
She came out and said something like “I suppose you’ll call animal control who will kill them.” I said, “No, they’ll have one strike against them. Two more and there will be a vicious/dangerous dog hearing and they’ll have to stay on the property/wear a muzzle, etc.”
While I was trying to get through to sheriff’s dispatch, which will send out an AC officer, my husband heard the guy mutter, almost pleadingly, “Call Animal Control”.
Think there might be some intra-couple issues here? Maybe this wasn’t the first attack? Owner in denial about her,”But they’re really sweet!” doggy-woggy furkids?
The young woman (both of them seem to be in their late 20’s) started to cop some defensive body language, but the guy offered told me his name and offered to get his driver’s license.
So, I expect to hear from one of the ACO’s at some point and the owner will be educated and warned about her highly dog-aggressive dogs and possibly cited. That may depend on her attitude and what the ACO thinks it will take to get her attention.
There will be a record of the incident and probably a recording of my adrenaline-charged voice, which I wanted in case she tries to make it sound like it was no big deal. Thank the doggy gods we carry our cell phones.
Niki’s fine. Dogs do live in the moment and his main concern was how long he had to heel nicely on lead before I let him off to go sniff again.
Comment by Susan Fox — April 1, 2009 @ 10:21 am
Thank you so much, JenniferJ, that’s exactly what happened.
There was a second incident a few weeks later with the same dog. She charged out from around a garage with no warning and put Niki on the ground. It turned out that the b—— thought she owned the street and had been in multiple, violent to the point of injury fights with a GSD before we moved into the neighborhood.
And the owners whined about how they couldn’t keep her in the yard. The ACO clued them in and there have been no more problems. But I gave them a pass the first time, which I regretted, since that would have given her a well-deserved two strikes.
Didn’t make that mistake this morning. And won’t again.
Comment by Susan Fox — April 1, 2009 @ 10:29 am
When I walked dogs where I used to live, in an interestingly diverse part of the city, I carried pepper spray. Never had to use it, though. :)
Frankly, I used to think about carrying a Tazr, and wouldn’t hesitate to use it against anyone, man or beast, who put me or my dog in danger. But thinking about it is as far as I got. With my natural coordination, I’d Tazr myself.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — April 1, 2009 @ 10:43 am
Wow Susan! something in the air maybe? I am so glad that you guys are OK.
Between yours and Phylllis’ experiences (thank heavens Ginger is going to be OK too), it reminds me that being wary around the neighborhood isn’t paranoia, it’s commonsense. Especially when some dog owners seem to be lacking much sense at all.
Dr Khuly had an entry a few days ago on the excuses vet’s hear about aggression at work. Seems like the same litany from the owners of dogs behaving badly anywhere….
Comment by JenniferJ — April 1, 2009 @ 10:46 am
For me this morning, things were going way too fast for either. I had to stay focused on the two attacking dogs. But I’m sure open to suggestions.
Might have tazered the idiot owner though, by mistake of course.
Comment by Susan Fox — April 1, 2009 @ 10:47 am
Another good idea I’ve heard is a closed umbrella (automatic-opening type). Pushing the button to spring it open in the face of an onrushing dog will often startle them into stopping (at least temporarily) and giving you time to react/defend.
Comment by The OTHER Pat — April 1, 2009 @ 10:51 am
Jennifer, I do wonder sometimes.
Is because he’s off-lead and the other dog thinks his territory is being invaded? I know on or off leash has a lot of meaning to dogs. Wouldn’t mind a discussion of that.
The first two, with the dal/lab mix, were almost three years ago. The third was over a year ago and was a neighbor’s dog who had watched her buddy get attacked at the beach the day before and who, we feel, wasn’t taking any chances on it happening again. The meet and greet started ok and then Piper, yellow lab, went for the side of his throat.
Do labs hate collies because they’re so pretty? ;-)
Now this. I haven’t had anyone to run any of this by to get insights and information, so really appreciate this post, Phyllis, although I’m so sorry for the incident that prompted it.
Maybe we can come up with an “early warning signs” list to help head off an attack, like what Jennifer said about the side to side approach. I would find that helpful since I’m trying to figure out if there is a pattern that I’m not aware of or even if what’s happened to me and my dog is unusual or to be expected, since he’s my first dog.
Comment by Susan Fox — April 1, 2009 @ 11:05 am
Susan, oh my God…I’m so glad Niki is all right. Thank goodness the husband had some common sense.
It is clear to me that no matter where you exercise your dogs and how careful you are, there is a risk, and the best approach is to lessen your risk as much as possible. Ginger has been to the dog park most days of the past 9 years and never had an incident before.
Comment by Phyllis DeGioia — April 1, 2009 @ 11:12 am
I’ve stuck my hands in the middle of a dog fight (between my own dogs) and gotten bitten even though I absolutely and completely know better. But when your dogs are going at it, it’s easy to lose everything you “know” out the window. Thankfully none of us were hurt seriously, though I had some interestingly colored bruises for awhile.
I would never take a dog to a dog park. There are just too many scary stories. I have two pits, so they’re out, but I also have a Border Collie pup who would probably love to run with dogs in a dog park, but I’m not willing to take those chances. One of my pits is horrendously leash-reactive now because he was attacked a couple of years ago by an off-leash dog while we were out walking. I had both of my dogs on leash and my hands full and there was nothing I could do until the owner finally showed up (he was in the house) and got his dog. It was horrible, just horrible. I carry pepper spray now, and I’ve not used it, but I’ve come close a few times.
Comment by katie — April 1, 2009 @ 11:12 am
ACO just called. She’s been out to talk to them. Nice married couple, took total responsibility, were sorry, said their dogs were in the wrong and allowed as how they could act like jerks. ::eye roll:: But no attitude. Isn’t that refreshing?
So, I can have a friendly chat with them next time I see them. No meet and greets, though.
Comment by Susan Fox — April 1, 2009 @ 11:20 am
My dogs are trained to “watch me” and ignore anything else. If I put them in a sit and say watch me, thats what they are supposed to, and almost always, do. It generally prevents the escalation of conflict through the dogs making eye contact with an off leash dog and I can then diffuse the situation. Most of the time. Being in the boonies, there are a number of dogs who run loose. I know most of them and because they are used to being social farm and family dogs they are very rarely confrontational, most often simply joining us while we skirt the edge of their home property.
If the off leash dog or dogs are committed to aggression, it becomes a matter of doing what you have to get to a defensible position. When the crazy old bastard down the road decided to let his pack of semi-feral dogs run the hill, we all started carrying either pepper spray or a good long heavy stick. AC was able to approach his daughter who came up with her husband and helped fix both fences and persuade her dad to fix dogs too and the situation is better, of course yesterday i had their six horses in my driveway.
Comment by JenniferJ — April 1, 2009 @ 11:37 am
wow very scary experience with your dog. Glad everything is ok physically, hopefully you can psychologically recover as well. Lots of great dog aggression tips here.
Comment by Erika Berry a.k.a. CleanyBeany — April 1, 2009 @ 11:41 am
Animal control just called. They can’t find any name similar to Grizzo or Rizzo in their database. However, one woman called AC to say she’d seen the incident and said that the big dog was running around out of control and attacked Ginger. She didn’t hear their last name either.
I don’t care about being reimbursed, but I really want this incident on that dog’s record, and I want him banned from dog parks. Not that that will stop them from bringing their dog, but I want him banned so that they can take action if those people are stupid enough to bring him again.
Comment by Phyllis DeGioia — April 1, 2009 @ 11:47 am
Jennifer, you’ve just reminded me of something one of the ACO’s told me, when yet someone else in the neighborhood (rural residential, half acre minimums) wouldn’t/couldn’t/didn’t keep their dogs contained and one cornered an elderly man on his porch.
Carry a stout stick or walking stick (or I guess it could be an umbrella). The idea is that if you feel threatened enough to wield it, then that takes the incident to another level as far as the ACO’s are concerned. At least here where I live.
Erika, I’m fine, thanks. Volunteering at our shelter and working with lots of dogs, some very fractious, is good training for staying calm and keeping one’s wits about one. I’d like for the incident to be useful as a discussion springboard for helping other owners, which is why I posted about it.
Comment by Susan Fox — April 1, 2009 @ 11:55 am
I wonder if one of our fine journalists might be able to interview an ethologist like Turid Rugaas as background for such an entry?
Comment by The OTHER Pat — April 1, 2009 @ 12:08 pm
I’m an avid cyclist and have had lots of interesting experiences with dogs. Squirting an approaching dog in the face with a water bottle startles them long enough to get away.Of course, that’s not going to work if you have to stand your ground and protect your dog. There’s a product sold in bike stores called “Halt”. It’s a pepper spray in a small container. Not very practical at the dog park, but when walking the neighborhood it might be very effective.
Comment by C.L.H. — April 1, 2009 @ 12:24 pm
Re: The Umbrella, or, the Day Job comes in handy!
Utility workers (meter readers, etc.) carry umbrellas just for that reason: To snap it open in the face of an oncoming dog and provide enough of a shield and enough time to get the heck over the fence.
Has saved many a metter reader from a nasty bite — or worse!
Anyway … glad all the pets are OK. And hope the attacking dogs’ owners catch a bloody clue.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — April 1, 2009 @ 12:43 pm
I carry pepper spray when I bike or hike. Haven’t ever had to use it. Off topic a bit - but one time hiking on BLM land in Utah, we were confronted at a stream bank by a rather angry steer.
My hiking partner was all set to pull out the Mace - but I decided that if we went a little downstream we could cross out of his visual range.
Once over we saw he was guarding a cow and calf drinking down at the stream- so I’m really glad we didn’t Mace a good Dad, LOL.
Comment by 2CatMom — April 1, 2009 @ 1:07 pm
Awwww.
Comment by Susan Fox — April 1, 2009 @ 1:09 pm
I wonder if one of our fine journalists might be able to interview an ethologist like Turid Rugaas as background for such an entry?
Comment by The OTHER Pat — April 1, 2009
Could do. :)
Comment by Gina Spadafori — April 1, 2009 @ 1:55 pm
Trust me - 1000 lbs of snorting pawing horned steer is not an awww… but could have been a major oowwwwwww!
Comment by 2CatMom — April 1, 2009 @ 5:07 pm
Phyllis — so sorry to hear what happened to you and glad that Ginger is okay.
Our dog park has both a Large Dog Area (30 pounds and up) and a Small Dog Area (30 pounds and under) just to prevent this type of incident. There are just too many young goofy Labs around here who have never seen a Toy Poodle before and think it must be a squeaky toy.
I also went over the “grab the hind legs and move in an arc away from the other dog” way of breaking up dog fights with all of our dog park’s Board members. We’ve never had to use it, but at least it’s been drilled into us so that we can if we have to.
Our problems have come from small dog owners saying that their little dog likes big dogs (so they don’t go into the Small Dog Area) and from people with agressive dogs who show up when there aren’t a lot of people there and bully those who are.
We also posted at the entrances to both Areas that people should unleash their dogs and walk into the dog park first with their dog behind them — this had helped cut down on “rushing” at the gate and seems to give the dogs a chance to calm down, rather than mob or be agressive to the new dog in the park.
Comment by Dorene — April 1, 2009 @ 5:33 pm
Phyllis and Ginger, Susan and Nikki, I am so glad that Ginger and Nikki are going to be fine! What a relief.
Where I used to live, the only open spaces to run my dogs were large parks frequented by idiots, and after a close shave with a so-called trainer and his aggressive crew, I stopped going, preferring the trails near my house with coyotes and coyote traps to the unknown dangers of the dog park. That combined with the jogger who kicked out at one of my dogs( and missed) as I was in the process of recalling them made me realize dog parks were not where I wanted to be with my crew. I have trained my dogs to be uber friendly around strangers and children, and am not interested to have all my work undone at the hands and feet of the Ignorant.
I searched long and hard for a house to move to, and at the present time am very fortunate to have access to a small 10 acre pasture with a brook, and a 40 + acre pasture with a pond, turkey scat, Canada geese, deer scat and coyote peemail. Dog heaven.
Comment by Anne T — April 1, 2009 @ 6:51 pm
So glad everyone’s pets are okay. Can be very scary. There’s a walking path near me and one evening I was walking my male Eski and this even smaller dog came charging up. I grabbed my boy and in his squirming, his halter came off but I managed to keep a grip on him. Then the other dog’s guy came running up and said “Oh I didn’t see you”. A.H.! I saw him when I got on the path and that he didn’t have his dog leashed. There’s a huge sign stating all pets must be leashed and also owners must clean up after their pets. But over and over, this goes unheeded. Now that I have 3 pets, we won’t be walking. There’s no way I could protect my pets if some A.H. had their dog unleashed.
Comment by VJ — April 2, 2009 @ 5:08 am
If that steer was the Daddy, then the calf must’ve been named Jesus Christ.
Comment by H. Houlahan — April 2, 2009 @ 7:23 am
If that steer was the Daddy, then the calf must’ve been named Jesus Christ.
Comment by H. Houlahan — April 2, 2009
Oh you smarty-pants, laughing at us city-slickers. :)
Steers are castrated bulls.
When I went to visit my rancher friend in TX, she worked me all weekend long. (Ranch chores don’t wait for company.) One of the things we did was take three Beefmaster bull calves to the vet’s to be castrated. Took about 90 seconds per, and the vet tossed the removed bits into a bucket.
“Want ‘em?” he said, acknowledging that “Rocky Mountain Oysters” are considered a treat by some in cattle country.
“Pass,” said Mary, and then she turned to me. “Let’s see: You’ve helped pick up and unload a ton of feed, taken bull calves to be castrated and the day’s not half done. Do I know how to show company a good time, or what?”
I voted for “or what.” I had taken a red-eye from California and hoped to take a nap in TX. No such luck! We went back to the ranch, unloaded the newly-steered calves and then started training the retrievers.
We finally stopped at nightfall, when Mary threw a frozen pizza in the oven and called it a day.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — April 2, 2009 @ 7:25 am
I thought I saw him walking on water, LOL! What a bunch of bull! (Man, I am a city slicker).
Comment by 2CatMom — April 2, 2009 @ 7:29 am
I was always told that pepper spray isn’t a good idea to carry while walking your dog because if you have to use it it’s just as easy to dose yourself and your own dog as it is the attacker. I was always told that a better otpion is an air horn.
Comment by Sarah — April 2, 2009 @ 11:48 am
Great site! I’m rethinking the dog park too, since my collie mix was bitten yesterday by some sort of large (and then I noticed afterwards, unneutered) mastiff looking dog. There was another male that she had played with before and she took off running with him toward the mastiff dog and then he started running her down agressively, knocking her over. She got up, ran and he chased—she yelped like a terrified pup, which I’d never heard her do before . . . finally the owner caught up to his dog and grabbed him, apologizing, “I think he just scared her . .” Unfortunately, it wasn’t til today that I noticed the raised and crusty spot on her rump which was a tooth puncture wound until this morning. I’m mad at myself for not forseeing the danger and checking her out more thoroughly last night and not realizing that the yelps were the pain of being bitten, not just fear . . .
Comment by Theresa — April 10, 2009 @ 7:24 am
My girlfriend got attacked the other day at the dogpark… I know the feeling. It is so bad, and I too feel that the parks people cant do anything…-Stone
Comment by Stone — June 2, 2009 @ 2:16 pm
Sadly, this is an all to frequent of a story among many of my clients. I’m a professional dog trainer, working with Search and Rescue, State Police and private pet owners and I absolutely HATE dog parks. I have seen far too many clueless owners who pay zero attention to their dogs because they are busy socializing with other owners. Often these dogs who have no training and no recall, have been crated for 8 hours and then turned loose in the park with no supervision, which is an accident waiting to happen. I find most owners woefully ignorant of reading dog language and unable to determine normal play vs aggression. Many of my clients repeat the mantra of the attacking dogs owner, He’s just playing,” right before he chomps down on Fluffy.. I think of dog parks like prison yards, fenced in confined areas with an ever changing hierarchy, and every new dog/prisoner trying to establish dominance or fit into the pecking order. In nature canines do not hang out with random dogs outside their pack and it’s unnatural to force this on them by subjecting them to dog parks. There are plenty of other ways to socialize your dogs, take training classes, go to playgroups, hang out with friends dogs that you know, and if you must use a dog park find a supervised one, that tests dogs for aggression before allowing them in. One of the very sad results of this popularity of dog parks is that I’m seeing many fear aggressive dogs that were bullied once too often at the dog park and now have major dog issues. Don’t let this happen to your dog.
Comment by Robin — June 9, 2009 @ 6:39 am
I feel so bad for all of the dogs injured at what should have been a good experience for them. I have never taken my yorkie to a dog park for that reason. Here is another reason to not like dog parks . . . one opened near us 6 or more years ago. Eleven acres, large pond, washing stations, raises money for Humane Society . . . sounds great right? Try living near these parks. We’ve lived here for 30 years (country) and here come the dog park people. We’re here, listen to our barking. The barking can be heard for almost up to a mile on all sides !!!!!!!! After a long work week you want to relax in your garden or on your deck? Forget it! Non-stop barking from 8:00 am until 6 pm every Saturday. Why is this fair to our sanity? No one really “wants” to hear hundreds of dogs bark. It’s just not fair. Who would ever buy our house should we decide to sell it?
Comment by Christy — August 7, 2009 @ 12:16 pm
Wow - Phyllis! I just read this (because someone left a new comment) and I had no idea! I am glad everything turned out OK. I see these all the time in the ER; big-dog-little-dog we call them (BDLD for short). They often turn out fatally for one (or sometimes both) participants.
I think this would be a great and educational (and probably hot-button) blog post for the future.
When I was in vet school, I thought of dog parks as happy, shiny places where pets could romp and play all day and unicorns drank YooHoo out of waterfalls.
After working emergency for a few years I saw then for what they were - a hellish death pit. Boy, what a turn-around!
I am so glad things weren’t worse for you and Ginger!!
Comment by Dr. Tony Johnson — August 7, 2009 @ 12:28 pm
Thank you so much for this advice re dog parks, which reinforces my own instinctive fear of them (which I thought was irrational). My 5 month old pug (on her leash) is continually harrassed by big dogs, and every owner says “he/she is only playing”. I’m avoiding them from now on, and will print and copy the dog trainer’s remarks and hand them out to the owners of these dogs if I see them in the neighbourhood.
Comment by mary nixon — November 14, 2011 @ 5:45 am