Not funny, not funny at all...

Person #1:
Excuse me, but I don't find it funny when your dog latches so hard onto a ball that you are literally lifting him off the ground all the while telling me, "see he just doesn't let go" with your hand in his mouth.

I also don't find it funny that you have no control over said dog. If you say come, your dog should come, if you say drop, your dog should drop whatever he has. I'm not really one for just patting you on the back after you give excuse after excuse.


Person #2:
And, as for you. If your dog is toy aggressive, possessive or whatever the hell it is, maybe it should not be at a dog park? Thought about that at all? Have brains much? If your dog attacks MINE in any way, shape, matter, form, whathaveyou over his OWN ball, then I will gladly step in and protect my own. It's a freaking tennis ball! And no, I don't find it particularly amusing that you couldn't get off your ass to get your dog out of what could have been an ugly situation. There's a funny saying, it goes like this, "Scout, come!" And the theory behind it is that you say these two words and... wait for it..... your dog comes! SHOCKING! I know.

I also don't think that it's wise for you to bring children into the dog park if you can not control your dog. It's not my fault that your dog caused four separate spats today. You should have learned from the first one by realizing it wasn't a good day for your dog to even be at the park. And, if you can't leave your children to go chase after your dog, then don't bring your children to the dog park. Babies and toddlers have no place at a dog park to begin with, it's not for their amusement.

Person #3:
AND as for YOU. Oh yeah, I've not forgotten about you from yesterday. If your dog continues to harass mine, then I am all for allowing him to give a correction to your dog. It's called manners, it's also as simple as watching your dog and not sitting on your ass at the front of the dog park while your dog romps around back.

If I reach for my dog's ball and your dog goes after my hand, this is simply NOT OKAY and I will react in the heat of the moment and will protect myself and my dog from your ill-mannered heathen. And no, I will not be held responsible.


Should the three of you have any questions, please consult your common sense. Should no one answer the common sense door when you knock, I suggest that you not procreate and not enter the dog park again. Ever. Thank you.

/rant

A-freaking-MEN.

OMG, Nikki, I could not agree more!

I think the same guy comes to my dog park, too. D=

Is the dog a white, unneutered Boxer who is at the dog park several days a week, starts at LEAST a few fights every single time, bites and jumps at anyone holding a tennis ball, and attacks other dogs who are minding their own business fetching their own balls? He is SUCH a joy to be around.

Posts like this make me happy that I have some nice places to walk without threat of stupid people. There is this neighborhood with a very long, paved walking path all around it. Its a nice, safe place to walk. Although, I am avoiding one house that let their two boxers outside unfenced. I was only walking Benji at the time. That's 20lbs of Benji, and probably 100lbs combined of boxer. Good thing there was an alternate route through the neighborhood and we didn't have to walk by them.

Except number one, unless it leads to 2 and 3.

1 on its own, is a training issue, but its not a big deal to me. At the park the other day, 2 pits grabbed the same tennis ball, and fought over it for at least 5 min. The owners and I watched closely in case one of them though it would be better to grab the other dog instead of the ball (I told Buster to back off in case they did). Some dogs just love tug too much.

They are all training/stability/manner issues. What it comes down to is each and every time we find a place to exercise Buddy we run into some jerk and their dog and it ruins the whole experience. This just should not be okay. Now I need to find another place to exercise my dog, they've closed the baseball diamonds, too many idiots have discovered the dog park.. where do we go now? And to think the problems would cease to exist if people would just be freaking responsible...

:hail:

Poor Buddy boy! If your schedule allows, go early in the morning on weekdays, usually around the time when most people are heading to work or school. You'll have fewer people there, period, thus fewer idiots.

If I could, I would. But I'm gone by 6:45 in the morning. :/

Poor you, and Buddy. I hate people like that - they completely ruin an entire dog park experience for everyone. I've only ever been to a public dog park once, and fortunately nothing bad happened, but stories like this all over different forums have made me hesitant to ever go to one again.

Heheh . . . Let Bella go with Buddy a couple of times . . . . Even on leash, she's not going to let another dog screw around with him, and she'll handle the matter without shedding any blood if she's anything at all like Kharma.

I agree! And actually I know many people with whom this is just a game with them and their dog. But then the dog has a strong "out" or "drop it" command. But picking a dog up by a toy in his mouth (be it ball, tug, whatever so long as it isnt hard plastic) is very common. It shows drive Terriers and Bullies are especially known for this.

I play with Maddie like that sometimes... but she knows "drop it" very well!

*** I don't do this at a dog park, however! Or any other place where there may be other dogs . . .

Gunnar will hold on so hard you can swing him in the air with all 4 feet off the ground. Daisy is pretty relentless in her grip as well, especially with Gunnar.

Grip aside, the points made are the exact reasons I don't go to dog parks. Too many out of control dogs with people who are oblivious to their dog's issues. I'd love to take Daisy to one, I think she'd have a blast, but it's not going to happen.

It was not a game.. she was trying to get the ball of our his mouth by screaming drop it and then laughing while telling me "he's always like this".

Move here. I'll tell you where our semi-private dog park is...

Wow. The first one... Ozzy and I play like that, but he ALWAYS drops it if I give the command (which is not in english, so I can play with him by saying things like "OH YOUD BETTER GIVE ME THAT BALL RIGHT NOW BAD BOY!!(bad dog is also a private joke between us, however, if I say SHAME!!!! he does the bad dog routine )

I can pick him up and swing him around with a rope toy and he loves it. Ill have to get a video clip of him hanging like that from a rope tied to a tree limb too... But if I give him the command, he drops it and backs off. If he didnt, thats poor training.

Although, we don't go to dog parks, because Oz is a brat and has some DA.

We went yesterday to the dog park. Was ok apart from a guy who had a goldendoodle, he bragged about it not shedding and being 'so great' that way. Fine, however the dog was matted, and had several day's worth of poo stuck to his back end/legs tail - nice... no thanks, I'll take my regular goldens that shed a bit but don't mat or carry stool samples with them. The dog woudln't leave Bender alone, she told him off several times. The guy said it was because he was still intact and Bender was a female. Um... ok. Bender is spayed, Storee is not but he didn't bother her. Ticket is intact, however he doesn't go around trying to make puppies with every dog he finds. Sigh. Then his 'wonderful' 'no grooming needed' dog proceeded to get into the muddy area and was just coated....ick.

Then a lady with a lab, who brought a ball for her dog, but her dog would constantly drop it, and sure enough one of my guys would snatch it and bring it to us to throw. After the umpteenth time of giving it back to her, having my guys sit and wait so her lab could get it, I was about to give up and tell her to meet us at the van - she'd toss it our way as we'd be heading off, and then we'd have to back track to get her dog's ball back, then he'd either follow us and drop it, or she'd toss it our way again. Ok, if your dog really doesn't like the ball that much that he'll drop it all the time, then don't bother with an expensive ball that you have to chase after!!!!

Lana

Oh! I didn't know she was trying to get the dog to drop the ball.. Yikes. Dakota will grab something and hold on for dear life while I spin him around (we call the game "rocket dog" because he goes all streamlined when all 4 feet are off the ground. He LOVES this game) but as soon as I tell him "out", he releases his grip.