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I don't know how many times I've said it, but apparently it needs to be said again:
Dog parks are for the benefit of humans, not dogs!
Then why, the ONE and ONLY time my dog slipped out the gate in the yard, did she run STRAIGHT to the dog park?
Why does she pull the leash when we walk there, and never pull the leash otherwise?
Why does she whine when ANY dog leaves?
Do I love standing in the wind tunnel that is my local dog park in the dead of winter, when I have bronchitis? No. Do I love my dog enough to give her the experiences that make her happy? YES.
you know, people who say they would euthanize a dog after biting another dog are just beyond my comprehension. dogs bite each other. kids bite each other and we don't go off and euthanize them in case they grow up to murder someone. making a blanket statement like that just looks to me like a person who doesn't want to take responsibility for keeping their dog safe and others safe from their dog.
i had a dog that bit another dog. we were at a dog park and he was feeling vulnerable and snapped at one of many dogs surrounding him at the time. i felt terrible, offered to pay all vet costs and promptly removed my dog, and never took him back to a dog park. i kept him out of situations that it would, or could, happen again and i never had another problem.
i can't even imagine what my life would have been like without him and we had many more wonderful years. doesn't take much to keep everyone safe. he was well worth it.
Yes, but if a child murders another child by picking him up in his mouth and shaking him, you'd better believe that the kid who murdered the victim would spend the rest of his life in institutions and behind bars.
This isn't about protective biting that has no damaging effects, my Pug gets snapped at all the time by bigger dogs (whom he prefers to play with, but his hyper puppy nature and loud snorts lead to a lot of angry dogs) and I do not complain, but you'd better believe that I'd want justice if some jerk let his mutt kill my beloved baby boy.
After all, how could you not want justice if a cutie like this is hurt?
folks, animal aggression does NOT always equal human aggression!! no, I see NO reason for this dog to be put to sleep. a lot of dogs are not good around other dogs, especially around smaller dogs. there a ton of dogs and dog breeds w/ a high prey drive that will attack smaller dogs. again, it's no reason to PTS a dog, just need to either get it trained better or keep it on a leash at all times around another dog. there's no reason to assume DA would escalate to (the somewhat unrelated) HA
it's a sad situation. I dislike dog parks in general, and I especially wouldn't bring a small dog/puppy to a park where larger, unknown dogs were running around. even if there's no aggression involved, a large rambunctious dog can really hurt a small dog
I disagree. I've had 2 put down for aggression issues toward other dogs, and may have to let another go. Each of them I worked on for over a year, 4 years with one, and could not change the behavior. My issue is if I adopt them out and their owner takes the for a walk and they go after another dog and the owner steps in to try to break it up, there's another bite statistic. That's what's giving BSL such backing. There are anywhere from 4 to 12 million pets a year being euthanized, depending on who's numbers you believe. A very large number of those dogs have no aggression issues at all toward animal or human. So why are we spending money and time and effort on the ones with issues when the others that would be wonderful pets for a family are left to die?
As for the dog parks themselves, I will never take my dogs to one. They are a haven for disease because so many people that go don't vaccinate or worm their dogs. Very few people that go have their dog under proper control and / or have them properly trained. This happens all the time.
I've got anywhere from ten to 20 dogs in my house at a time, between fosters and my dogs. I don't have problems with any except a female cocker. She is kenneled unless we are right over her, and if she gets out of line she is immediately and firmly corrected. Aggression just won't be tolerated in my home. I can't do what I do and save lives if I have a house full of out of control dogs.
I've got a rottie, a GSD, a pit bull, a lab and up until last weekend a husky all living very peacefully with 5 chihuahuas. Breed / size doesn't mean a thing if you properly train and socialize your pets.
It's not a human child, it's a dog. Ascribing human characteristics to a dog means you are also expecting human responses in return. That might not work out so well in the long-term.
you know, people who say they would euthanize a dog after biting another dog are just beyond my comprehension. dogs bite each other. kids bite each other and we don't go off and euthanize them in case they grow up to murder someone. making a blanket statement like that just looks to me like a person who doesn't want to take responsibility for keeping their dog safe and others safe from their dog.
I could never own a dog that had real dog aggression issues, especially if that dog's bite could do serious damage to another animal. I don't care how wonderful a dog he/she is otherwise. It's just too much responsibility, and since I live in an area that is fairly densely populated, I owe it to my neighbors and the public that my animals should not be feared by them.
If I lived in a rural setting, perhaps I would be more lenient about my dog's behaviour, but I would still prefer that none of my dogs have aggression issues. And I would never own a dog for real protection either. Barking to warn is one thing, being able to attack a human being and do damage is different and not acceptable to ME. I just want my pets to be my loving fur babies.
I haven't read the link yet because I don't have a lot of time right now, but I just saw that a "pit bull" attacked a puppy at a dog park. As of right now, I just wanted to say that stuff like this drives me crazy. I am a HUGE "pit bull" lover, but responsible "pit bull" owners have done research on their breed and know that these breeds were originally bred to fight animals! Responsible "pit bull" owners know that even a well bred, well socialized "pit bull" can still be somewhat dog aggressive and they should always make sure other dogs are safe around their dog and vice versa! Anyway, I'll read the link and add more later.. sorry! lol!
Okay, I just read the link. And now that I have read that, I still stick to what I said in my last post, but I also wonder what breed(s) the so-called "pit bull" mix actually was. I don't want to get into it with anyone about this, I know that just about anything that has to do with a "pit bull", or so-called "pit bull", gets some people on here pretty heated, including myself. It's just that not only are there 25+ breeds that are commonly mistaken as the "pit bull" breeds, but very often, shelter dogs aren't really what you are told they are. If you are told you have a Lab mix or a "pit bull" mix, which are two of the most common types of dogs you see at shelters, that doesn't mean they are. In fact, that doesn't even mean that dog has any of that breed in them at all. That's just their best guess. However, again, I still stick to my original post.
The fact that the media uses "pit bull" in any story they can to get more attention will always bother me to no end. But, really, in this case, that is beside the point. Regardless of what breed or mix the dog is, they should be kept under their owners control. Any time we ever let Brooklyn off leash anywhere, we first made sure we were in an area where there weren't many distractions and where it would be difficult for him to run off away from us. Don't get me wrong, Brooklyn was by no means an aggressive dog. He was an absolute sweetheart and we are so blessed to have had the time we did with him. I just feel that it was responsible to consider our surroundings before we let him off leash. Mostly for Brooklyn's safety, but also for the safety of those around us. Something can always trigger a dog, no matter what breed the dog is, how big the dog is, how friendly and well socialized the dog is, etc. IMHO, it's always better to be safe than sorry.
Something can always trigger a dog, no matter what breed the dog is, how big the dog is, how friendly and well socialized the dog is, etc. IMHO, it's always better to be safe than sorry.
No truer words of wisdom were ever spoken. I could not agree more.
BTW taking a dog aggressive dog to a dog park with a muzzle on is a terrible idea. One of our friends has a Katrina victim Boston Terrier. He's a little skittish but very loving to his owners... and he's dog aggressive. I don't know what they were thinking, but they took him to a dog park wearing a muzzle. He freaked out and lunged at another dog, then the other dog felt threatened and attacked back. They fought, and our friend's dog ended up with bleeding bite marks to his neck. The other dog was fine as the muzzle did its job perfectly. His dog needs to be kept out of all group dog situations.
Anyway, the reason the situation was so stupid is that the other dogs aren't going to understand that the aggressive muzzled dog can't bite back, so if they are so inclined to meet the challenge, they will attack the aggressive acting muzzled dog resulting in a one sided dog fight.
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I am a HUGE "pit bull" lover, but responsible "pit bull" owners have done research on their breed and know that these breeds were originally bred to fight animals! Responsible "pit bull" owners know that even a well bred, well socialized "pit bull" can still be somewhat dog aggressive and they should always make sure other dogs are safe around their dog and vice versa! Anyway, I'll read the link and add more later.. sorry! lol! 
