Dallas Doggie Park Users (Plano, Spring: train, dog park, area)

[hermanas]

I may be wrong but last thread I saw re: dallas doggie parks was 2006. Anyone out there know if White Rock lake is open? Was there this past saturday and it was--indeed--a lake! Small doggie run was chained shut. Where is everyone going in the meantime?

Well at least it should be nice and clean when it re-opens. I'm dismayed at the amount of dog feces ignored. Dogowners need to be more vigilant and pick up after their dogs. We all love our pets and should be very concerned about the potential for disease spread to our dogs (and children). Let's vow to do better job of picking up-- I mean they even give us the bags!!!!!! Ok see ya when the water clears.

[fratermus]

It would also be nice if people would muzzle their dogs, IMO.

[CallMeLaura]

Originally Posted by fratermus

It would also be nice if people would muzzle their dogs, IMO.

Why? (Although I can think of some people who should be muzzled in public...)

[Lakewooder]

Yep the White Rock Dog Park flooded with last week's rain. The dog park at Deep Ellum was packed the last couple of times I went by...and you can always take your dog to Lee Harvey's and have a brew and burger.

[fratermus]

Originally Posted by CallMeLaura

Why? (Although I can think of some people who should be muzzled in public...)

Because the folks with the most aggressive dogs are the ones least likely to muzzle them, IME.* Muzzling dogs in public is like wearing a seat belt in the car. Just in case.

Perhaps readers remember the recent [breed deleted] attack in a dogpark. Great idea, hogkilling dog unmuzzled in a dogpark. What could go wrong? Seriously, is there a downside? Nothing can go wrong in this scenario.



* or leash them outside the dogpark, but that is a different problem. I have lost count of the number of times I have been charged by [breed deleted]s followed closely by nervous owners saying "don't worry about him, he wouldn't hurt a fly." Uh-huh.

[CallMeLaura]

Muzzling dogs makes them nervous, which can exacerbate fearful aggression. Most people don't fight against seatbelts (kids, maybe ) but the ones who refuse to wear them use the same reason - they don't want their movement limited.

The answer is not muzzling dogs, it's training their owners.

Any breed can bite and cause serious damage. In fact, small breeds are more likely to be out of control than large ones.

Also, I'd be willing to bet that you're doing something (probably unconsciously) that is provoking the dogs. VERY few dogs are randomly aggressive for absolutely no reason (and that's usually a result of inbreeding). Most of the "problem" dogs are responding to stimuli in the only way they know how. Your body language is telling them something, whether you intend it or not.

Try this - next time a dog bares his teeth, growls, or barks at you, turn sideways and yawn. Don't look at him in the eye or make sudden movements.

Vocalizations are warnings. A dog who has decided to attack won't make a sound, just commence with the attacking. A dog who is barking is telling you he doesn't want to fight, but will if pressed.

[Lakewooder]

See this:

Back Talk Lakewood/East Dallas: Norbuck park gets a makeover. Dog park stays submerged.

[terri1913]

Yes, we love to get out with the dog so she can run, and yes, White Rock lake dog park has been pretty much submerged. Last Saturday we went north to Plano - and found their park much to our liking. It's flat with grass, but few trees. The benches are actually comfortable. There were lots of tennis balls to throw around. The dog water area is concrete w/stone so it's not all muddy and dogs are discouraged from playing in the buckets. One note of caution - there are only 2 gates with one middle section for leashing/unleasing so escapes can happen much easier than at WRLDP. The plano park is located north off Spring Creek Pkwy west of Custer. You park out some ways and walk over a bridge to get to the dog park/fenced area. We only have a big dog, so I didn't actually look around to see if there was a small dog area separate, but I think so. And we saw some dogs who ALWAYS find the mud did indeed get totally muddy, but our prissy boxer stayed in the center.

As for muzzling dogs - i would recommend on a case by case basis. If you own an aggressive dog, PLEASE consider a muzzle, or at the very least train them to be obediant to your voice commands. I do find it very disconcerting to be on the defensive with my pooch on the receptive end of some canine bully/untrained aggressive dog. I would be embarrassed for someone who doesn't care enough to train their aggressive dog and allows them to fight in public parks.