SAd happenings at the off leash dog park

Isn't it a shame it takes something like this to happen before a change is made that should have been done a long time ago? Last week someone brought a four month old chi pup to the off leash park. Probably didn't way a lb soaking wet and a golden ran up and picked it up, causing it to die. I have to wonder WHY anyone would bring so little of a dog to a place where such large dogs run about freely. NOw they are going to make a section secured off for small dogs. I have been saying they needed that for a year now, everyone knew they needed to do that but they hadn't gotten around to making it happen. what an absolute shame...people were just not thinking.

Awww any law suits?? whats going on with the Chis owner??

That's the Penn Valley Park, isn't it? I read about that in the paper, and yes, it's stupid that it's taken someone's pet dying for the appropriate people to pull their heads out of the sand and do what should have been done.

I'd like to see something similar at Shawnee Mission, but I don't think the park is constructed in such a way as to allow it. Otherwise, one size or the other would be kept away from the trails or the beach.

Awww that's a shame.

oh Zoom i was told it happened at Shawnee, not that it makes any difference but i DO believe it would be very easy for them to make a small dog area of the park. It's a big park and it could have a tiny lake made of it's own without too much work, a day of work would make littles dogs a pond of their own. One the size like what i showed you at the kennels, our training pond for puppies. I think i will write out the suggestion and post it on the board at the front of the park. IF they took oh say 5 of the 55 acres that would still allow a space big enough for them to socialize and play. It could encompass some of the woods as well, a fence doesn't cost that much. It should, it very much should be done.

I'm pretty sure it was Penn Valley, pull up the metro section of the Star for sometime between Wednesday and Friday. It should be on the front page.

yeah I wish our park had a seperate section for small dogs. i mean Teddy is great with smaller dogs but I always worry they would get trampled.

maybe you all can put in the suggestion as well. I think it would be fun to design a park for little dogs. OUr home base training area was 5 acres. That is where all the puppies starting their field trial training. If little dogs had a small pond, the size of a hectacre, a field area that is mowed about oh say 2 or 3 acres, a tall grass area and finish off with an acre of woods. I think that would make a lovely park where they could experience everything the big park has with safety. Two thirds of it is already at our park, i even think i know the spot that would make that easy to do. 2/3'a of it is already there, all they would have to do is dig a pond. It is even at the front of the park so they wouldnt have to be walked past the others, could have their own entrance as well.

Thats very sad about the chi. The closest park to us is almost an hour away and its quite small. It only has one large section for all dogs to play in. I'd love to let him experience that freedom but I'm too scared to let him around those big dogs. Maybe I am just over-protective.

If you could put something into a small dog park for Toby what would it be?

Smkie, that little fenced off section at the beginning of the parking lot? that would work well.

that is what i am talking about, to the right when you are walking in. The back could be woods, they could put in a little hill or two with the dirt they dig up to make the pond, a grassy area for jungle puppies. Their own entrance, it would be so easy.

I wonder who we would have to talk to to get that started?

I would guess the park board would be the ones to go to.
Don't know how it works where you guys are, but here they
occur once a month and it's open to the neighborhood residents.

I like this idea a lot and how you've already started thinking through
the design needs.
I have had the same thought here about the Minneapolis parks.
Fuzzy's medium in size, but old and really doesn't like the rough big
dog play. He always tries to find little dogs to sniff.
"Seperate but equal" park areas is an excellent idea.

I don't think it was right for the Chi owner to bring it to a dog park in the first place. I can't only imagine how awful the Golden owner feels too... It really is a shame, I hope something is done.