My Pit bulls & dog park rant

[Guest Anonymous]

Oh for the love of God......

I have been battling this from day 1. For some reason it seems like other dogs like to pick on pit bulls "have others noticed this?" I have been very diligent in not letting goblin get overly dominated or bitten and visa versa. I can't tell you all how many times I have had to tell people to control their dogs. I am very aware of my dog and never let him interfere with another dog or their owner having time in the park. If Goblin decides to obsess on one dog I do all I can to make sure he leaves that one dog alone, if I can't I take him home for the day so that the other dog/owner can enjoy their time at the park. And I never let Goblin get too rough with any other dogs, play in one thing but dominance is another. Well ok on to my story....after dinner Thanksgiving I decide to take Goblin to the dog park for a run. When I get their is a dog that is all over Goblin..uugghhh but I got them to start to play nice "well at least avoid conflict" then in comes a family with a retriever who is dominate over all the dogs "Goblin especially" the owner controls his dog for the most part the first 2 times, but the 3rd time his dog goes after Goblin "biting and aggressive" I yell at his dog "NO" and he finally comes over to get his dog. Well by this point I'm pissed and tell him if his dog bites Goblin I

[Guest Anonymous]

:(

[bk_blue]

Hey that's not good. At least you are responsible, but it sucks when you have to keep an eye out for everyone else's dogs as well as your own, and can't really enjoy the fun that an off lead park with responsible owners can entail. :(

[anne3149]

I know how you feel Goblin. I have a young female Rott and have the same problem. I am sick to death of people not controlling their dogs in a leash free park. They seem to think it's funny if their dog menaces what they consider to be an aggressive breed.
Unfortunately I am small, just under 5 ft and just under 100 pounds, no one is too scared of me if I say a few words.
My Rott is a submissive girl, and I also have a GSD who is dominant so he makes sure the Rott stays submissive. I am getting to the stage of carrying a personal alarm to ward off other dogs. Mace etc., is illegal in Australia or I would be carrying that too.

[Bentley's Dad]

Well you guys are doing the right thing, get the bad seeds out of the park. I just started taking Bentley to the dog park here in Milwaukee, actually my dad is taking the both of us (im 17 and dont have a liscence or a car). But so far its been a very positive experiance, Bentley does enjoy the occasional rough game but it never goes to growling or biting. I hope this dog park remains a positive experiance as it is a beutiful place with hills, trees, and a stream.

[Guest Anonymous]

Thanks for the positive responses guys!

I have not minded till recently, in fact most people thanked me after rebuking an owner who was not controlling their dog. But I have started to feel quite alone in my fight to keep the dog park a safe place for one and all. I guess what is weighing on my mind is where does this end? I don't want to get into a physical confrontation, but some dim witted people just don

[eric]

Most people who take the time to go to off-leash parks are conscientious owners, but you do get the odd one with the overly aggressive dog that stands there and does nothing, and it can be very frustrating. Try getting a group of people together to approach the offending person. This has worked for me.

When Sam was about 6 months old (before we got Travis or Zeke) we took him to the the dog park all the time. Now Sam was all about the fun, and couldn't care less about who was boss.

Occasionally, there was a gentleman there with a very aggressive Belgian Shepherd called Max. One day, Max decided to have a go at Sam and the next thing I knew Sam is basically on his back screaming. I run over and pull his dog off, while he stands there watching. A few minutes later the same thing happened.

The third time I had had enough. I went over to a couple of other owners who's dogs were being terrorized by this brute and talked to them. Then several of us went over together and asked him to leash his dog or leave, and that in the future he might consider muzzling his dog before coming. He started making a fuss saying its how dogs plays, but several rebutted that his dog was the only dog here causing trouble. Faced by a group, he leashed his dog and left. I saw a few times after that, and he seemed more active in restraining his dog.

Then we got Travis, all these issues went away because Sam and him literally "tag-team" other dogs. If one sees the other being harassed, they will come running over and back their bro. And Travis, a 115 lbs GSD, is usally the biggest dog at the park unless someone brought a Dane or a Wolfhound.

One day, we happened to be there when this fellow and his Belgian were there and sure enough, before long, he started picking on Sam again. Sam was about his size (90 lbs or so) so he didn't roll onto his back, but he's not into intense confrontation so he was trying to get away.

Anyhow, Sam is running trying to get away and this Belgian was running next to him, biting his neck and side. Travis saw this, and came running from across the field. The Belgian was concentrating on Sam and all of a sudden "Wham!", Travis slams in to him with his chest from the front.

Well, the rules of momentum apply to dogs as well and Mr. Tough Guy Belgian did a spectacular wipe-out, there was dust and dirt everywhere, and Travis and Sam decended on him with a vengence. They weren't really hurting him, but they weren't letting him get up which made him start yelping.

I waited a second and did my really reliable recall "Boys Come!", and they immediately stopped and left the Belgian to slink away with his tail between his legs. I looked over at the owner of the Belgian and gave him a big smile and a wave. What goes around comes around, buddy. The Belgian never bothered Sam again.

[Hobbit]

[quote name='Goblin']Thanks for the positive responses guys!

I have not minded till recently, in fact most people thanked me after rebuking an owner who was not controlling their dog. But I have started to feel quite alone in my fight to keep the dog park a safe place for one and all. I guess what is weighing on my mind is where does this end? .... but I also don’t want to end up in jail for it as well...... Maybe I should post a sign that says off leash does not mean out of control! :agrue:


Regards,
Goblin.[/quote]


Unfortunately, there are those that refuse to take stand in life and depend on someone else to do that for them --- it seems they have found that person in you. I know how you feel and know how alone you feel. I am one of those persons that continually try to right the wrong and have no problem with taking a stand for what is right.

[corgilady]

[quote name='anne3149'] They seem to think it's funny if their dog menaces what they consider to be an aggressive breed.
[/quote]


I think THIS is the crux of the matter.....they are probably the same ones who insist on speeding up when you're trying to drive past them... :roll: :evil:

[Shannon_C]

This problem with people letting there aggressive dogs run lose is happening all to often. Your in the right Goblin!!! I live near a canal which i usually walk my dogs down, the Bullmastiff Charlie is kept on his leash while the Border Collie x Penny, Westie x Patch are allowed to run free as they don't bother with people or there dogs...maybe a sniff as they pass, but Charlie gets all excited when anyone walks past and he cannot resist a sniff either.....but he is quite pushy and im a little wairy of him knocking the person in the canal with his strength :o However further up (about a mile) there is some land that i allow him to run free on and which i can see for miles to if someone is coming...so i can get ready to put him on his leash. This isn't because i dont trust him, its simply because many people do not like big dogs charging towards or going anywhere near them for that matter....especially if that person doesn't know the breed, so im always on the look out lol.

Occassionally i do take them on a park which isn't local so i have to go by car, but usually there are a few dogs running lose and do tend to come over and try to sniff my dogs but then Charlie pulls to try and get to the dog so i turn and walk the other way, there as been one occassion where my Westie as been snapped at and of course Charlie as put himself between him and Patch and scared the dog away by jumping on him.
Penny also got snarled at when she came face to face with this Boxer, but im not surprised.....she was sniffing his eye lol (she does this often) strange :roll: