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I only know what was on the news. The owners of the Papillon can barely talk, so about all I got from them was that the dog was killed.
According to the news, the owners of the Bulldog were fined slightly over $400 for having a dangerous dog out of control. There was an interview with the county sheriff who said that, because it was a dog killed and not livestock, that is all they can do.
The owner of the Bulldog "wasn't in the area". I don't know whether that means she was at the other end of the dog park, or that she dropped the dog off and went to do errands.
The local TV station got involved and went around interviewing people on camera about what they thought should be done to the dog that killed. I saw it and was thinking how sad it was for the owner of the dog killed, but I didn't know it was my dog that was killed.
The owners of the Papillon had just bought a new house that they had picked out specifically for their dogs, with a large yard and a huge park across the street. They have always walked the dogs a coiuple of miles every day and they had said they were pleased to have the park right there. It's a huge park, just opened this year, and I did not know that there was a dog park located there.
I did a google search to find the newspaper article about it. I found it easily, but there were pages and pages of articles that came up at the same time about dogs being killed at dog parks.
I would never use a dog park for any dog, but more because I would worry about worms and disease. With a small dog, I would avoid for safety issues. But doing a google, there are many large dogs killed at dog parks, too.
Ugh, the bolded area makes me so mad. At the dog park we visit, we call people out if it looks like they are going away from dog park area. If anyone leaves their dog unattended, that dog goes in the timeout area until the owner comes back. But again, this is a smaller dog park in a really great community. Rarely are there any issues.
How sad. I hate dog parks too, but I wish at least they all had separate areas for large and small dogs. It doesn't solve every problem but it helps. So sorry about the pup.
I love our dog park. We report violators who bring aggressive dogs and they are banned. We also have two different areas for small dogs and large dogs.
It was on the news. A Papillon was attacked and killed by an American Bulldog in a local dog park. A terrible tragedy. Apparently, the owner of the Bulldog wasn't in the area.
I got a call tonight. The Papillon killed was one of mine. The people had two Papillons from me. The poor woman was terrified to call me and tell me. She was afraid I would blame her and be angry.
That little dog was so loved and so well cared for. My heart is broken over the death of my puppy, but it is also broken for the family that owned him.
They had already made arrangements for me to babysit both of their dogs at the end of the month while they were out of town. The husband was the one who had the Papillon at the dog park and he apparently said he could not get out of the car to drop the remaining dog off because he couldn't face me.
I wish they had told me that they were taking the Papillons to the dog park. I would have told them to be very careful and suggested that they not do it. It is dangerous for a 6 pound dog to run loose with large dogs that it doesn't know well. It is even dangerous to walk a 6 pound dog on a leash out in public.
But still, it was not the owner's fault and I am not angry with them. They adored him and pampered him. He had the best of everything and I'm sure that they took him to the dog park because he loved to go and if he loved it, they would provide it for him.
IF I were to take my hoodlums to a fenced in dog park, I would only go in one that had separate sections for small dogs and large dogs. When I lived in Miami and the hoodlums were puppies, they had such a park. I took each dog individually because I can't be in two places at once. Although these are sibling dogs, the girl is much smaller than the boy. Even as a puppy, the boy was too big for the "small dog" area, while the girl was too small for the "big" dog area. This was before I got wise to the fact that dog parks are not a safe place for a dog.
First and foremost, many dogs at the dog park ARE well behaved, but you will always see one, at least one, that is too aggressive. Having a pack of dogs run up on your dog when you enter is NOT the proper way to introduce dogs to each other, no matter how friendly those other dogs are, so that is negative number one.
Negative number two is that at any park I've been to, with one exception, the owners are NOT paying attention to their dogs; they are sitting on the benches blabbering with each other, many with their backs to their dogs. Not a safe environment if something goes down.
Negative number three, what you posted. You will find some owners who use the park as their dog's exercise time, but not stick around. It sounds absurd, but it happens.
I will never take my dogs to a dog park again because I have seen, in every single one I went to, every single time I went, a fight break out. I am talking about Seattle and Miami. There was only ONE dog park, in Redmond, WA, that I never saw a fight break out and that is mainly because that park is enormous. There's trails, water areas, huge open fields, tons and tons and tons and tons and tons of room for many dogs to engage in activities, and every last single owner was right there with their dogs. IF I were to ever take my dogs to a dog park again, that is the ONLY dog park I would ever use. If it's a park with a fence around it, forget it, my dogs will never go there.
Leerburg is the go to website when it comes to stuff like this. I have even purchased some of his videos that helped me when my hoodlums were puppies. It's how I have such well behaved dogs.
As a side note: My boy dog was never dog aggressive until we moved to where we are now. The neighbors had a Golden, and we went to introduce the dogs. The Golden was aggressive and it riled up my boy, and I failed him because I failed to properly introduce the dogs, I failed to show him that I would protect him. That one meeting is all it took. Thousands of hours and dollars later, I still have to deal with the issue because of an improper introduction. I have learned a LOT since then...an enormous amount...but undoing that single incident has proven to be extremely difficult. I was naive. I stupidly believed the hype that Goldens are friendly. I knew my dogs got along well with other dogs...and the neighbors told me their dog was friendly...but he squared off on my boy, acted aggressively towards my boy, and I screwed up by not reacting quickly enough. I had just moved in, I didn't want to "offend" my new neighbors by standing up to their dog, like I should have. Lesson learned...and now my boy pays for it.
That can happen at any dog park, as well, except there would be multiple dogs, not just one.
How sad. I hate dog parks too, but I wish at least they all had separate areas for large and small dogs. It doesn't solve every problem but it helps. So sorry about the pup.
Seems strange to me not to have it. Most of the dog parks we go to in our area (NYC) have a small dog and large dog section with a fence between them. Very sad.
what is wrong with just regular parks where dogs are allowed ? most people here avoid the dog parks like the plague and we use the regular park for exercise and it works well for us and most people there have their big dogs on leash always ...which makes it nice for others as well .
Very sad story and owners should keep an eye on the dog but at my local dog park theres a small dog oark and a big dogpark. Nobody uses the small dog park. If you have a yorki or a maltese you should be in the small park not in the big park with rotd anf putbulls mastiffs bulldogs etc
I'm so sorry for you, OP, and for the dog's owners. They can - and should - sue for damages. The other dog owner needs to learn a lesson - or 3.
you dont know the story maybe small dog instigated the situation. Just because you lose the fight doesnt mean yiu are the victim. Very good chance the small dog did nothing at akl but we dont know that to be making blanket statements
Dogs are dogs and behave as such. They don't know they aren't supposed to react to another dog. They don't know they can hurt a smaller dog. They don't know they shouldn't correct a larger dog's rude behavior etc.
And owners are ALWAYS responsible. Most of the owners I've seen/encountered excuse away their dog's bad behaviors as "cute" or "friendly" or "playing", not picking up on cues that one of the dogs is uncomfortable, ready to attack or that the situation is escalating etc.
I am not a fan of dog parks and this is one reason why. If you want to socialize your dogs, have small playgroups with like sized dogs who have responsible owners.
I tried taking Lucy to the dog park when we first moved here (my Westie is out of the question). Even though it was the 'small' dog park, my 6 lb Yorkie was the smallest dog there. At six lbs, there's a big difference between her and a 25-30 lb dog.
At any rate, she was absolutely terrified the ENTIRE time we were there and I was nervous so that probably didn't help.
We tried twice and I never went back. She's a little sweetie and she doesn't have a mean bone in her little body, but being around several dogs bigger than her, all at once, is never going to be her thing. She'd much rather be at home with someone throwing her toys or playing with Ringo (the Westie). She really doesn't love to walk all that much IF we stray too far from home.
So sad about the tiny dog but, to me, dog parks are not a good place for dogs THAT small.
I could see a playgroup or yorkie meetup or something but nothing with dogs much, much larger.
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How sad. I hate dog parks too, but I wish at least they all had separate areas for large and small dogs. It doesn't solve every problem but it helps. So sorry about the pup.
