Negligent dog owners — aggressive dogs

Dog

If I could give this park 0 bones, I would.
I come to this dog park at least once a week, not because I like it, but because it’s close by my house and gas prices are through the roof.

Never again. Every time I come here, some careless dog owner watches silently as their dog aggressively chases or growls at my dog, when all my dog wants to do is run around and play. My dog is very socialized, loves all dogs is not afraid of other dogs. She’s a large black dog with tons of energy. This doesn’t happen to just my dog, but to many others at this park.

I’ve had to get in the middle of these moments and secure my dog, while the careless owner watches, laughing quietly to themselves or pretending the dog isn’t theirs.

Last week I was cornered by an aggressive, growling German Shepard and a small Husky. I had my dog on her lead and I was trying to leave the park but couldn’t get away from the two. My pup was terrified and we ended up cornered behind a bench. I asked the owners to secure their dog so I could leave the park and they just laughed at me and told me “it’s ok”. I’m sorry, but it isn’t ok.

Today, I thought I’d give it another try but hell no. The minute my dog was in the gate, four large dogs landed on my dog — a literal dog pile — with them biting at her neck and chasing her aggressively. I immediately went to grab her but it was difficult to grab her with four large dogs growling and chasing her. I asked the men at the park “which dog is yours?” and they’d point to one and I said “well can you grab them please?”

Once I had my dog on her lead, the brown Doberman would not leave her alone and kept dogging her. The man just told me “to let it happen”, to which I replied “No, I don’t want your dog aggressively chasing my dog” and he responded with “well you could get hurt if you get in the middle of it, just let him do what he wants”.

I cannot express enough how upsetting this event was. Do not take your dog to a dog park if it is aggressive towards other dogs, or you are too cowardly to step in and control your large dog. I am not afraid to protect my pup, who is also large, from other large dogs. But I expect other owners to do the same, and to step in when necessary. Do not own a dog if you are too afraid to control it. Do not take your dog to the dog park if you won’t control it.

Needless to say, never ever coming back to this dog park, not because of the park itself —even though the maintenance is lacking— but because of the terrible dog owners and their badly trained large dogs.

Jul. 29, 2022