Incidents At The Dog Park :-(

[Yonjuro]

I will probably get flamed but here is my story from last night...

After a nice morning at the dog beach I decided to take Ronin - my 17 week Husky puppy to a local park. It is an off leash park, but Ronin was obviously on leash - I know this is a face-palm opening sentence.

So we are walking around and Ronin meets a nice little dog and was good with him. despite Ronin still learning manners as he often will jump up. He didn't so all good.

Next we come across a German Shepherd off leash (which is fine as it is an off leash park and I love GSDs) Ronin wants to say hello and is about 5 meters away but the GSD charges and was quite aggressive, luckily the owner was close by and grabbed her dog. She asked if he was okay and I said he was. She then said "oh, I think the problem is that your dog is on leash!" Hmmm, while this behaviour is not uncommon I was not impressed with her snapping at me. I responded calmly stating, if you can't control your dog, he needs to be on leash. She then shouted at me saying "You don't need to be rude! - He never does that normally, and it IS an off leash park" I calmly responded that the law states that even in an off-leash park you must have control of your dog at all times, and the 'he never does it' is an excuse most owners say after their dog attacks. After that we just walked away to a quiet corner of the large football oval sized park.

So we are getting ready to go and I see this dalmatian x ( I am not sure of breed but it had making like a daly although they were brown in colour and the ears looked more greyhound - not that it is really an issue) start bolting towards us at considerable speed. I move in between the approaching dog and it quickly moves behind me and attacks Ronin, this was not playing, it snapped and growled and bit down on Ronin's flank and pulled him back not letting go. Ronin was screaming, so I moved in and yelled at the dog and broke off the contact. Ronin lay on the ground yelping. I immediately checked for would expecting to see a tear or blood.

I stood up and yelled out "WHO'S DOG IS THIS!?" and a bloke about 150 yards away, yells back "MINE... WHAT'S YOUR BLOODY PROBLEM!"

We approached each other (my 6 year old daughter was with me and pretty shocked) I was furious, my blood was boiling and I just saw red. This guy said - "he is just playing which incensed me further and to which I said he bloody well bit my dog! He fatly said he didn't bite... I said are you serious I was right there, how could you not see that. By this time I was ready to belt him, but luckily my daughter was there and I had no one to hold Ronin. So we just had a face off where I abused the crap out of him as he wouldn't accept that his dog had bitten Ronin nor did he care or apologise. I was livid and pointed in his face and told him to F-off in no uncertain terms. He just backed away and told me to take a chill pill, which certainly did nothing to calm me. He walked off with his dog now on lead, and I attended Ronin and my daughter who both were quite shaken up.

I couldn't find any blood on Ronin but there was the dogs slobber and it was tender to touch and the double coat no doubt protected him somewhat. A lady then came up to me with a staffy on leash and asked if he was alright?

I was still pumping with adrenaline but was trying to clam down for my daughter and Ronin's sake. The staffy owner said that she would be happy to be a witness and that it was not playing from her point of view. I apologised for going berserk in public, to which she was in complete understanding and very nice to us.

We went home and I was still coming off the adrenaline pump. I felt terrible that I had put Ronin in this position, and terrible that my daughter witnessed me react so aggressively and swearing. My daughter was very angry and shouted at the man, and I was in a bit of a red-haze so I didn't realise until we got home and she started crying to her mum.

I feel responsible insofar as I could have avoided it by simply not going to this park and am still upset by the incident although this is a park I took my last dog to for 11 years without incident. I should have known better and foreseen the potential for a problem.

...rant off.

[Kirislin]

best not go back there, it's too dangerous if all that happened in one short walk.

I'm lucky I have an off leash park where I live but it's not a dedicated dog park, rather a sports and recreation area where dogs under control are allowed to run free. I have been going for almost 15 years now and know the majority of dogs and people who use it, but I still constantly scan the horizon for dogs I dont know and am quick to call my dogs to me and put them on the leash if I dont know the dog, or in some cases, if I do know the dog.

[Lhok]

I'd still report the last dog and tell the ranger what the lady said so you have a back up. The only way dog parks will ever become safer is if people know that if they can't control their dog and something happens it is likely to get them in trouble.

hopefully Ronin and you recover from this well and doesn't have any lasting effects on the both of you.

--Lhok

[Yonjuro]

best not go back there, it's too dangerous if all that happened in one short walk.

I'm lucky I have an off leash park where I live but it's not a dedicated dog park, rather a sports and recreation area where dogs under control are allowed to run free. I have been going for almost 15 years now and know the majority of dogs and people who use it, but I still constantly scan the horizon for dogs I dont know and am quick to call my dogs to me and put them on the leash if I dont know the dog, or in some cases, if I do know the dog.

Yes, you are right.. BTW this is a sports/ rec park as well and sounds just like yours... the council has the same laws that dogs must be under control at all times. As I mentioned I had been there for 11 years walking my previous dog there daily.

[trinabean]

How awful Yonjuro, I hope Ronin is unaffected by this.

To be honest, even if you go to parks/reserves that are meant to be on-lead only, many people diregard the rules. My dog is always walked on-lead in such areas, but I've lost count of the number of times we have been rushed by loose dogs.

I do find dog-friendly beaches like South Beach are generally ok compared to parks.

There are still incidents though, we've been lucky so far. I try to pick quiet times or go with other people and dogs we know.

[Kirislin]

If a dog I dont know comes towards us I do my best to block it from getting to mine until I'm sure it's friendly. I've had one bad experience where a loose dog dragging its leash charged down to mine. It first sniffed then attacked Penny and when I tried to kick it away it went for me too.

I reported that to council and I still have the vets bill on my fridge in case that woman and dog ever come back, I'll present her with the bill, but it's been over 3 years now and I dont expect to see them again.

[Yonjuro]

I'd still report the last dog and tell the ranger what the lady said so you have a back up. The only way dog parks will ever become safer is if people know that if they can't control their dog and something happens it is likely to get them in trouble.

hopefully Ronin and you recover from this well and doesn't have any lasting effects on the both of you.

--Lhok

Thanks for your comments Lhok,

I pressed him for his name, but obviously he didn't give it to me. I told him that I was going to report him, but honestly I don't think there is anything to do, as my description could only be something like "Middle aged rough looking bloke about six foot, scruffy F-wad with a bad attitude and a daly cross" No proof, and I didn't get the staffy girls' number as I didn't see any open wounds and I was still pretty amped up at the time. Dunno if that is enough of a description to use for a report? :D

How awful Yonjuro, I hope Ronin is unaffected by this.

To be honest, even if you go to parks/reserves that are meant to be on-lead only, many people diregard the rules. My dog is always walked on-lead in such areas, but I've lost count of the number of times we have been rushed by loose dogs.

I do find dog-friendly beaches like South Beach are generally ok compared to parks.

There are still incidents though, we've been lucky so far. I try to pick quiet times or go with other people and dogs we know.

Thanks for your support Trinabean. Yeah, I think I will just have to be more careful and at least stay away from potential hazards at least until he is fully grown, even then I am thinking it is not worth the stress. I am north so we had a good morning at Pearsholm Beach between Scarborough beach and Floreat beach.

[Yonjuro]

If a dog I dont know comes towards us I do my best to block it from getting to mine until I'm sure it's friendly. I've had one bad experience where a loose dog dragging its leash charged down to mine. It first sniffed then attacked Penny and when I tried to kick it away it went for me too.

I reported that to council and I still have the vets bill on my fridge in case that woman and dog ever come back, I'll present her with the bill, but it's been over 3 years now and I dont expect to see them again.

Yeah, I did step in between but he was quick to get behind me and attack.

Sorry to hear of your dog being attacked resulting in veterinary treatment

[Yonjuro]

Further to story...

I have reported the incident to the council rangers with a good visual description but little else. They have my contact details and it wouldn't be hard for me to find the 'staffy girl' again to corroborate my statement if the rangers need it. I really don't expect anything to be done but Khok essentially said, if no one reports these incidents, then nothing will ever happen to make things safer for everyone.

[Rosetta]

The only way to avoid your dog being attacked at dog parks is to not go there. It is guaranteed at some time your dog will be attacked if you go to dog parks.

Owning dogs and taking them outside your own yard is nerve racking.

Sorry Ronin was attacked and hope he does not have lasting effects.

[Yonjuro]

The only way to avoid your dog being attacked at dog parks is to not go there. It is guaranteed at some time your dog will be attacked if you go to dog parks.

Owning dogs and taking them outside your own yard is nerve racking.

Sorry Ronin was attacked and hope he does not have lasting effects.

Thanks Rosetta

You are 100% right, I should have know better but thought socialisation would benefit Ronin, I made an error in judgement that I hope don't come back to haunt us

[Rosetta]

The only way to avoid your dog being attacked at dog parks is to not go there. It is guaranteed at some time your dog will be attacked if you go to dog parks.

Owning dogs and taking them outside your own yard is nerve racking.

Sorry Ronin was attacked and hope he does not have lasting effects.

Thanks Rosetta

You are 100% right, I should have know better but thought socialisation would benefit Ronin, I made an error in judgement that I hope don't come back to haunt us

It is so difficult to find a safe way to socialise and exercise our dogs when there are so many morons about

[Dave73]

Don't worry about going off like that years ago I had my GSD x outside a vet and she had gashed open her leg and I was waiting to be seen when a guy came around the corner with a maltese x off leash that attacked her she was already in shock with a massive cut from the collision with a colourbond fence while playing with her brother, he thought it was funny but he soon stopped laughing, or couldn't laugh I should say. I avoid off leash parks and dog parks totally as they are a recipe for disaster.

Ive had numerous incidents with people walking there dogs off leash in my area Penrith LGA and spoke to council and have been told there is nothing they can do. My Ridgeback was attacked by a staffy at 12 weeks old thankfully I was able to pick him up before to much damage but ever since becoming a adult he has a hatred for staffys soon as he sees one he goes berserk all other breeds he is fine.

[Airedaler]

Of course you should be able to take your dog to the park. As it turns out on this instance you could not do so without incident but as you say you have been going to the park for 11 years without incident I don't think your judgement was wrong. Unfortunately you met someone who clearly does not meet the obligations of a dog owner and your poor little boy came off second best. I hope he is OK and will not be affected by the incident. It becomes the old should I now isolate him or get him straight back out there situation. Please don't let the incident stop you from socialising your pup so he can develop into a well adjusted adult.

It is times like these that I am so grateful that I have a property large enough that my dogs can get enough exercise without having to go off the property so there is no chance of having to deal with badly behaved dogs or owners.

[Staffyluv]

Sorry your little guy was bitten - scary stuff for all concerned.

Look, there is never going to be a dog park anywhere that you can go to (offlead) and be confident that 'nothing' will happen..

I feel for puppies at the off lead parks - most of the ones I see are so incredibly overwhelmed with all the attention from the big dogs (that owners don't recall out/away and let the pup in)..

I go to the off lead park nearly every day - I choose my times carefully and I also choose who he interacts with. If I don't like the way a dog is playing or acting, we move on - to the other end of the park or leave.

We usually go really early in the morning. There is a group that go at the same time (not everyone, everyday) and all our dogs get along fine.

Every now and then a new person comes along, sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't.

I suggest if you want to attend off lead parks, then choose your times - go and see how many are there, what sort of dogs (and owners) are there.

If all the owners are having a chat, not watching or playing with their dogs - leave..

Find a park that has a section for little ones and puppies (our park has two fenced areas - one for the big guys and one for the little ones and pups)..

If you ever feel uncomfortable, just leave..

[Yonjuro]

The only way to avoid your dog being attacked at dog parks is to not go there. It is guaranteed at some time your dog will be attacked if you go to dog parks.

Owning dogs and taking them outside your own yard is nerve racking.

Sorry Ronin was attacked and hope he does not have lasting effects.

Thanks Rosetta

You are 100% right, I should have know better but thought socialisation would benefit Ronin, I made an error in judgement that I hope don't come back to haunt us

It is so difficult to find a safe way to socialise and exercise our dogs when there are so many morons about

This does seem to be the case

Don't worry about going off like that years ago I had my GSD x outside a vet and she had gashed open her leg and I was waiting to be seen when a guy came around the corner with a maltese x off leash that attacked her she was already in shock with a massive cut from the collision with a colourbond fence while playing with her brother, he thought it was funny but he soon stopped laughing, or couldn't laugh I should say. I avoid off leash parks and dog parks totally as they are a recipe for disaster.

Ive had numerous incidents with people walking there dogs off leash in my area Penrith LGA and spoke to council and have been told there is nothing they can do. My Ridgeback was attacked by a staffy at 12 weeks old thankfully I was able to pick him up before to much damage but ever since becoming a adult he has a hatred for staffys soon as he sees one he goes berserk all other breeds he is fine.

Thanks Dave

Sorry to hear that you have had those bad incidents.

Of course you should be able to take your dog to the park. As it turns out on this instance you could not do so without incident but as you say you have been going to the park for 11 years without incident I don't think your judgement was wrong. Unfortunately you met someone who clearly does not meet the obligations of a dog owner and your poor little boy came off second best. I hope he is OK and will not be affected by the incident. It becomes the old should I now isolate him or get him straight back out there situation. Please don't let the incident stop you from socialising your pup so he can develop into a well adjusted adult.

It is times like these that I am so grateful that I have a property large enough that my dogs can get enough exercise without having to go off the property so there is no chance of having to deal with badly behaved dogs or owners.

Thanks for the support Airedaler. I will look at alternative methods to continue socialisation. He has been to puppy school, and we are 2 weeks into a 4 private session private training. I will probably look at some more group stuff after that.

Sorry your little guy was bitten - scary stuff for all concerned.

Look, there is never going to be a dog park anywhere that you can go to (offlead) and be confident that 'nothing' will happen..

I feel for puppies at the off lead parks - most of the ones I see are so incredibly overwhelmed with all the attention from the big dogs (that owners don't recall out/away and let the pup in)..

I go to the off lead park nearly every day - I choose my times carefully and I also choose who he interacts with. If I don't like the way a dog is playing or acting, we move on - to the other end of the park or leave.

We usually go really early in the morning. There is a group that go at the same time (not everyone, everyday) and all our dogs get along fine.

Every now and then a new person comes along, sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't.

I suggest if you want to attend off lead parks, then choose your times - go and see how many are there, what sort of dogs (and owners) are there.

If all the owners are having a chat, not watching or playing with their dogs - leave..

Find a park that has a section for little ones and puppies (our park has two fenced areas - one for the big guys and one for the little ones and pups)..

If you ever feel uncomfortable, just leave..

Thanks Staffyluv, I appreciate your comments. It is ironic that one of the only decent people and the one that cared about the incident was the woman with the staffy. I mean this only as they and their owners are much maligned by the general public.

[tdierikx]

I'd look for a local group training club and join... there will usually be a more controlled environment there to allow supervised interaction between the dogs.

I used to take Harper to my local training club when the more advanced training groups were training - I was more likely to have her meet well behaved dogs when they had their breaks then... and she loved it.

T.

[Yonjuro]

I'd look for a local group training club and join... there will usually be a more controlled environment there to allow supervised interaction between the dogs.

I used to take Harper to my local training club when the more advanced training groups were training - I was more likely to have her meet well behaved dogs when they had their breaks then... and she loved it.

T.

THanks T

Yep, that is what I will do I think.

[HazyWal]

Sounds like an average walk around the block here

I don't blame you for going off your nut I do it on a daily basis, there are so many inconsiderate people it's gobsmacking. There is a chi that has moved in down the street from me and I've had one altercation with the young girl and that's the one and only chance she gets from me, especially when I told her not only is the dog running out onto the road with traffic swerving to try and miss it, my muzzled and on lead greyhounds go mental. She told me to get f**ked. I've reported it to council and they weren't interested, much easier for the rangers here to wander around the surf club carpark and slip a ticket under a windscreen than actually do their job.

We are so lucky here having two offleash beaches and a large offleash park all within 2k's but nooooo that's not enough, people think the whole bloody suburb is offleash...so sick of it

[Yonjuro]

Sounds like an average walk around the block here

I don't blame you for going off your nut I do it on a daily basis, there are so many inconsiderate people it's gobsmacking. There is a chi that has moved in down the street from me and I've had one altercation with the young girl and that's the one and only chance she gets from me, especially when I told her not only is the dog running out onto the road with traffic swerving to try and miss it, my muzzled and on lead greyhounds go mental. She told me to get f**ked. I've reported it to council and they weren't interested, much easier for the rangers here to wander around the surf club carpark and slip a ticket under a windscreen than actually do their job.

We are so lucky here having two offleash beaches and a large offleash park all within 2k's but nooooo that's not enough, people think the whole bloody suburb is offleash...so sick of it

I hear ya Hazy,

Ya know a simple apology from people like these when they are in the wrong would go a long way. I would be mortified if my dog was the offender. When the one in the wrong starts up or get abusive it is insult to injury and definitely a red rag to me.