dog parks (Portland, Tigard: living, pit bulls, fencing)

[linh]

anyone know of any good areas you can take your dogs off leash? and won't get eaten up by other dogs? (my dogs are small) any general concerns i may encounter if i bring my dogs in oregon?

[oldtintype]

The Portland area is FILLED with dog parks and/or off leash areas. I'd go for an off leash area as there tends to be more "private" space to be with smaller dogs. Check out Portlandparks.org for some examples.

[PNW-type-gal]

This is a good resource:
Portland Pooch - Portland Dog Parks

It lists the parks (not just city parks) and some of the features. A lot of the dog parks are not fully fenced, which is good to know in advance. There aren't many parks that have small dog areas, but a few do.

[luv the outdoors]

Originally Posted by PNW-type-gal

This is a good resource:
Portland Pooch - Portland Dog Parks

It lists the parks (not just city parks) and some of the features. A lot of the dog parks are not fully fenced, which is good to know in advance. There aren't many parks that have small dog areas, but a few do.

Thanks for the link. I saved it to my favorites.

[suncat]

The dog park in Gabriel Park is very popular.

[PNW-type-gal]

Originally Posted by suncat

The dog park in Gabriel Park is very popular.

They're ALL very popular. To prove to the county park department how popular they are, we did a weekend headcount at a large park (at the time it was 36 fenced acres) and we got something more than 1,500 people on a spring weekend. I volunteer with one of the local groups and we spend a lot of time sorting out problems.

That means, 9.5 times out of 10, the dog owners, by the way, not the dogs. I've never had an actual dogfight on my hands, but I've seen some close calls with owners.

On the other hand, last time I was in LA with my dog, someone pulled a GUN at a dog park while we were there, threatening both dog and owner. It's never gotten that bad here....

[babycoleslaw]

Originally Posted by linh

anyone know of any good areas you can take your dogs off leash? and won't get eaten up by other dogs? (my dogs are small) any general concerns i may encounter if i bring my dogs in oregon?

I was thrilled at the off leash dog parks until we took our Vizsla 2 weeks ago to one in Tigard and she got roughed up by a pit bull (which I hadn't seen before entering or I wouldn't have taken her in!). Luckily she just got scared more than anything but when she was on her back, baring her teeth and he was on top of her his owner acted like it was no big deal and just pulled his collar to get him off after many seconds.
I was a statue.
Needless to say, we'll be keeping her on a leash and enjoying the many trails here for her in the future!
For some reason, there are more pit bulls in the Portland area than I've seen anywhere else!!
Good luck!!!

[oldtintype]

There are dog parks and then there are off leash areas. Off leash areas tend to not have fencing and are just within certain boundaries. I prefer those over the "dog parks" as people who are able to keep their dog under voice control tend to have better control over their animals in general than the people who "let their dog loose" in the fenced parks. They tend to think it's a free for all.

If you think there are a lot of pit bulls here, you should have seen SF in the 90s!!! It's seems like it's only recently become a big thing here (last few years). I like pit bulls with PEOPLE but it never ceases to amaze me that people think that an animal bred for animal agression can have their genetics erased just because they have nice owners. They will never be fully safe around other dogs, especially in a hectic place like a dog park. My Border Collie can't have her herding traits done away with just because I don't own sheep! I still have to watch her closely around cyclists and skaters because she goes into herding mode, despite being very well trained.

I'm sure I opened a can of worms saying that but having known responsible pit bull owners, I can attest that they too shared my philosophy about pit bulls and dog parks--after age 1 or so it's not a good thing! Puppies are a different story!!

[babycoleslaw]

Originally Posted by oldtintype

There are dog parks and then there are off leash areas. Off leash areas tend to not have fencing and are just within certain boundaries. I prefer those over the "dog parks" as people who are able to keep their dog under voice control tend to have better control over their animals in general than the people who "let their dog loose" in the fenced parks. They tend to think it's a free for all.

If you think there are a lot of pit bulls here, you should have seen SF in the 90s!!! It's seems like it's only recently become a big thing here (last few years). I like pit bulls with PEOPLE but it never ceases to amaze me that people think that an animal bred for animal agression can have their genetics erased just because they have nice owners. They will never be fully safe around other dogs, especially in a hectic place like a dog park. My Border Collie can't have her herding traits done away with just because I don't own sheep! I still have to watch her closely around cyclists and skaters because she goes into herding mode, despite being very well trained.

I'm sure I opened a can of worms saying that but having known responsible pit bull owners, I can attest that they too shared my philosophy about pit bulls and dog parks--after age 1 or so it's not a good thing! Puppies are a different story!!

Yeah, I love animals and all dogs and never have an issue with the pit bull itself. It's owners who need to take responsibility!
And I got a laugh at your mention of your dog herding cyclists and skaters. Our dog is a 'velcro dog' so she pretty much stays glued to our hips!
She's just a big sweetie and is so submissive around other dogs so the pit bull really scared the living daylights out of her!!

[oldtintype]

So far she just gets into a herding stance over bicyclists and knows that she'd be busted if she actually chased them, but all the same, I have to be careful, particularly with people on skateboards. And if something happens, it will be MY fault because I know it's instinct even though she's "never done it before" she could easily do it!!! So I have her well trained and keep her within certain boundaries out of respect for other people using the park!!!