Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I agree. My dog enjoys lots of other, enriching activities (riding in the car, walks and hikes, play dates with trusted friends) that don’t involve dog parks.
Agree about the assumptions as well. People who expect being off leash at a small fenced in dog park for half an hour is a good substitute for them investing personal time and attention in their pet themselves are still missing the point. A dog park isn't a petsitter but many expect them to be. Granted, there are people who have the misfortune to live in some urban area with no access to open spaces their dogs could safely run free for a while. Dog parks are the closest they get to that. A fenced dog park may keep the dogs IN but they also prevent one from getting OUT if negligent owners aren't paying attention. An at large dog has the option of moving away from a bully.
As for the assumption that every dog left home during its owners' workday is suffering, well, that's baloney. A well-adjusted dog who's set up to succeed when its humans have to be elsewhere isn't suffering. It learns the daily routine, it can rely on the humans returning to give it the time and attention it deserves. IME a dog like that sleeps the hours away. As they say, dogs don't wear stopwatches. They aren't counting the minutes before a family member returns. Most of them only start anticipating their owners' return a short while before it happens. Interesting science about why that is BTW. The family that commits to dog ownership returns to include the dog in their daily activities. They provide walks, car rides, focused play and exercise, maybe stimulating fun training, meet ups with dog friends, all of it.
FWIW, I've had several dogs over the years. I've always lived alone and always worked full time, so they spent the majority of weekday hours alone in the house. They had their territory to defend. I've chosen houses that allowed my dogs a view of the neighborhood. None of them ever showed they were miserable. I always gave them something to do while I was away: puzzle toys, energy burning chews, stuffed Kongs, etc. They never exhibited separation anxiety, no frustration/obsessive behavior, no health issues, nothing. Don't say I just didn't notice. I can recognize a well-adjusted contented dog when I see one. I always made a point of spending time with them whenever I was home. They were never relegated to the backyard or some kennel run. They spent hours next to me on the couch or bed, we played all sorts of games, and they went everywhere with me that would allow them. Weekends and evenings included trips to open space, parks, the beach, whatever.
Agree about the assumptions as well. People who expect being off leash at a small fenced in dog park for half an hour is a good substitute for them investing personal time and attention in their pet themselves are still missing the point. A dog park isn't a petsitter but many expect them to be. Granted, there are people who have the misfortune to live in some urban area with no access to open spaces their dogs could safely run free for a while. Dog parks are the closest they get to that. A fenced dog park may keep the dogs IN but they also prevent one from getting OUT if negligent owners aren't paying attention. An at large dog has the option of moving away from a bully.
OK...but not all of us who use dog parks expect the time we spend at them to be a substitute for anything; it's just part of a bigger picture. If anything, I'd say that the dog park crowd iin my old community on the Oregon coast were more invested in their pets than average.
The beach? Lots of needles, human waste, food left behind, marauding children, dead sea life, pent up dogs running loose whose owners can't control them on the beaches around here. Local non-dog parks are otherwise known as homeless camps. Meetups with other dog owners? I suppose that means going to people's houses and taking your own turn hosting? Just no. Give me a good dog park any day over any of those options. And if my dog gets attacked by a bully in the dog park, I can put a stop to it much more quickly in a fenced environment than otherwise. The chances of that happening in the park we go to, however, are much lower than at the beach.
My dog needs to run, and chasing his ball at the dog park and engaging with the agility equipment there fills that need in a way that playdates at people's houses and car rides don't.
Most of the dog problems that occur in my current community don't happen at dog parks anyway; they occur in other green spaces such as the bike trails by the river and public non-dog parks.
Last edited by Metlakatla; 11-18-2023 at 03:50 PM..
My trainer told our obedience class that she avoids dog parks and does not recommend them because they are disasters waiting to happen, which I've found to be true. There are simply too many dogs/personalities that an incident is inevitable at some point if you go regularly, even amongst dogs who know one another.
Regular parks and other public green spaces aren't any better (and many are arguably worse). At least at the private dog park we use, we know that the dogs are vaccinated, flea treated, and neutered. Problem dogs are not allowed to return.
A guy in my former community used to self-righteously rail against dog parks, but guess where he could be found walking his dogs whenever the weather permitted — off-leash, on the beach, which was potentially a far more dangerous environment for his Chihuahuas than the local dog park.
Last edited by Metlakatla; 11-18-2023 at 03:53 PM..
From people I know who have used a dog park, or things I've read on the net from people I don't know. I guess what happens is that the parents see a nice fenced park with benches for sitting complete with fuzzy animals their kids can play with and then becomes irate because the kid gets knocked down by a dog, steps in poo, or the parents are asked to take the kid and leave because...dog park.
When I had my dog, there wasn't any such thing as a dog park, so because I had a teeny tiny yard, my dog ran in regular fenced parks early in the morning and in fenced college fields, although never when anyone was present. And yes, I picked up after him.
While it is true that not all parks are the same, in my opinion there is no reason to go to a dog park. Lots of bad things "can" happen. People often choose to bring unsuitable dogs to the park which can result in traumatic experiences for others. I've found that many people bring their dogs to the park to burn off excess energy, these dogs are often over-aroused and their rude behavior that can trigger issues. Because an owner "thinks" their dog plays well with others, doesn’t mean they always do. Another issue.....even clean and well maintained dog parks can pose health risks to the dogs. I'll pass on the dog parks.
Why are you passing off a quote from a 2020 NYT opinion piece as you own words?
That same opinion piece makes this claim:
Quote:
running with dozens of strangers in a small, smelly pen as people stand by, looking at their phones or gossiping.
Which has never been my experience. That may exist in some urban environments, but it doesn't mean that every dog park in the country is a hotbed of gossiping dog owners, unsocialized dogs poised to attack at the slightest provocation, and small, smelly pens rife with parasites and disease.
Last edited by Metlakatla; 11-18-2023 at 06:18 PM..
The part used reflects my experience and opinion. The part unused does not. As I have stated on multiple occasions, I don't believe there is any reason a dog needs to go to a dog park. Over the years I've been to many parks and observed first hand bad behaviors by both dogs and owners. The "average" owner hasn't learned to observe/read the signals that lead to issues....and things can change in a heartbeat. Apparently you favor them...so be it. You (and others) are entitled to your/their opinion.
OK. I was just wondering why you copied from a NYT opinion piece instead of just using your own words.
Anyway, I see no reason to deny my dog the exercise he needs (and he needs to run, not walk on a leash) and take him for a car ride or to someone's house for a "playdate" instead.
If you are on the west coast, the parks are full of homeless, human feces, used hypodermic needles, so if I had a small child I'd be very careful about taking that child to a city park. So indeed, there is a parallel.
This is true. There have been instances lately of dogs being walked in city parks/sidewalks/even close-in hiking trails and having to be rushed to the veterinarian because they've inadvertently ingested fentanyl. Not to mention any kind of bacteria or other pathogens in rotting food and whatever. Both the dog park in Florence and the one I use here are completely free of homeless/druggie activity.
One of my kid’s dogs recently had to be treated for a “kennel cough” (not Bordetella) that the dog picked up at a boarding facility. It sounds similar to this & involved several expensive vet trips & several rounds of antibiotics & steroids.
One of my dogs had kennel cough back in the 90's, before most vets routinely gave the Bordatella immunization. Kennel cough was going around the neighborhood. We called the vet and, on his advice, cured the cough with a child's dosage of Robitussin (not to be used now because the ingredients have changed) and kept him away from other dogs for 10 days; and he never had kennel cough again. Later, I made sure that all my dogs were immunized for Bordatella, even though the immunization is not 100% effective. None of them ever picked up the illness, despite going to dog shows, dog parks, and being regularly exercised and boarded in places where they came into contact with other dogs.
I'm not saying that a dog owner should not be concerned about kennel cough. But it isn't necessarily difficult to get rid of, and a dog park doesn't necessarily spread it around.
A dog of mine I loved very much had kennel cough in his last year, aged 12, in the mid-1980's, probably at the time when he was also suffering from the cancer that would kill him. He did not hang out with other dogs, though, not to the same extent as my subsequent dogs.
If ya'll find a dog park that is suitable to your needs and you've had great experiences, I'm happy for you, however, all it takes is one time, one time, and as my one friend, your dog could get so chewed up, that it now has PTSD from the experience, which took well over a year for his poor little body to heal. Plus she can no longer leave the dog alone, when she works, she takes him to her mother's all day. If he's left alone, he goes into a state of very bad seperation anxiety, which never happened before the attack.
I'm sorry to be so graphic but please believe what I just wrote is nothing compared to his injuries, both physical and psycological.
I have seen dogs attack each other, and believe me, if it's a big dog over a small dog, you don't want to see it, you don't want to see any dog fight, they are brutal. I saw a mild mannered Irish Setter, grab a small dog, and pull it right thru its collar.
You have to weigh your own situation....your own dog and the park where you take your dog to, very seriously, and until you see these things you have no idea how tramatic they can be.
So, while some of you, state that the parks you go to are great, kudos, I'm happy for you...really I am...but understand, all it takes is that one time, one bad owner, with a bad dog...
So please I ask you kindly to not under estimate those of us, who are againt dog parks, b/c most of the time, it isn't about the dogs, it's about a whole lot of irresponible dog owners out there.
I have lived in an apartment for the last almost 5 years, and I witness people who have dogs, come home, take their dogs for a walk, maybe another time after dinner, and once in the morning before they go to work, the rest of the time, the dogs are couped up all day, day in and day out, and one poster wrote that dogs need to run, and play, and they do...a dog that can't open up and run, is not mentally sound....unless it's a little dog that can get plenty of exercise running around the house....my last two dogs were little guys...but earlier in my life, I had nothing but big dogs...a black lab, then dobermans, of which they were allowed to run free every single day after I came home from work...in all kinds of weather throughout the winter, we went for long walks in the woods and open fields.
I had a coonhound after that, and then the little dogs. The black lad is the one who had the huge worm problem...we went to two different dog parks, and on the vets suggestion, we quit going and I took her to an enclosed basketball court, where we played fetch....plus we went to the shore every weekend, and she loved swimming in the lake nearby....so she got plenty of exercise and socialization.
There are pros and cons in every things we do, every place we go...and while I'm so sorry I can no longer have a dog, due to medical issues....I would never ever go to a dog park...but would consider doggie day care once or twice a week....those dogs are highly supervised...
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
