dog park RANT!

[Scout]

so last night i went to a small, free dog park at one of the pet stores in the area.

i have a 1 year old german shepherd, and a 7 year old german shepherd. there were other people and dogs there, and everyone was playing and getting along fine. there were mostly adults, and one boy who looked to be about 10 or 12. there's a gazebo at one end of the park, where most of us were hanging out while the dogs played. the little dogs would come and jump up on you or the bench next to you, and ask for pets and kisses--which they got. my dogs were politely asking for pets, they weren't jumping up on the benches or the people.

so anyway, all the dogs and the people were getting along just fine.

then this one guy came with his dog and his about 6 year old daughter (he might have brought another child too, i'm not sure). he comes in with his dog, and all the other dogs came to meet-n-greet. the daughter comes in too, keeps walking past the dad into the play area. i thought one of my dogs, the older one, had pooped so i was over on the side looking for the poop to clean up ... then i happen to look over and see my other dog, the 1 year old, near the little girl. i hear her dad say something to the effect of "if that dog bothers you/knocks you down, you just hit him." JUST HIT HIM! is that not pretty stupid advice to give a child? i don't know what exactly happened, i think maybe my dog might have knocked her down by accident--he's still excitable, and clumsy. the child was not crying, and dad did not find it necessary to even come over to her and check her out, so i'm guessing the child was not hurt at all. she continued to play, my dog walked away from her and chased one of the little dogs.

anyway, the little girl keeps running around, then she lost her shoe! ("did that dog take your shoe honey?"--dad) so anyway, all the dogs are starting to congregate around this kid, and chase her as she runs over to a bench to put on her shoe. i decided it was time to leave, and i gathered up my dogs, and we all got in the car.

as i'm leaving, i decide i simply must say something to this guy, and guess what he just happened to be right by the gate as i'm driving past....

so i tell him, "y'know, you can take your kids to play in any park in the county, in the state ... why do you HAVE to bring them in here to the off-leash dog park and ruin it for the dogs? and then you have the nerve to tell her to just hit someone else's dog--that's a real good way for her to get bitten."

i can't remember if he said anything right then or not, but as i'm driving away, he shouts "you should see the scratch on my kid's face!" in a really ugly tone of voice, so now i'm really pissed and i said out the car window, really loud "then DON'T bring her to the dog park, dumb ass!"

his oh-so-witty and pertinent response was "get a life fat ass." then i got yelled at by one of the women there, to watch MY language!

why the hell can't the dogs have just one park the size of a basketball court where children don't spoil it for them???

BTW, i am in no way blaming the child. it is not HER fault that her father is an asshole. i never spoke to the child or gave her a dirty look or anything, just to her dad. he was a good 30 feet away from her, and if any dog HAD done anything to really hurt her the dad wouldn't have been able to get to her in time to help her. stupid fucking asshole breeder--i hope that child never does get hurt because of his stupidity.

:grr:

[lukasahero]

1. I'm surprised the kids are allowed

Most of the parks around us have age restrictions. Is there anything you can do to petition the park to adopt some rules?

That said, we were at a park on Saturday and I watched an owner slap his dog in the face because the dog wouldn't sit (he was excited). Luckily the place is huge and we were able to go in a different direction than he was going but I wonder why people have animals if they're going to be so impatient with them.

[undeterred]

2. Dog parks end up needing rules

and people to enforce the culture. Its foolish for people to ever tell their child to hit a dog. And its foolish for people to bring really young children or really agressive animals to a dog park.

Anyone who goes to a dog park should expect that their clothes might get a little slobbery or dirty and dog people are generally ok with that.

I'd say I have a bad experience every 1 out of 10 times but the good times keep me going back.

[BrklynLiberal]

3. Perhaps you can get the group in charge of the park to put up a sign about age restrictions for who

may enter the park...and how close the supervision should be for the children that do meet the age requirement.

After all, it IS a dog park, not a kid's park.