Our 1st dogpark "incident"

[AC]

Well, it had to happen, Angus was told he is too big for the dogpark! What a load of crap!! Here's the story:
All the dogs are playing, running, wrestling etc... when a golden retriever and owner show up at the far gate. The greeting pary took off to do thier thing and greet at the gate. The owner takes the leash off the golden (who is female and around 7 months old) in the holding area then lets her into the dogpark. Off she goes (the golden that is) full speed across the park, the greeting party immediatly react, Tess (a 30 lb mixed breed), Shadow (a 50 lb husky mix) and finally Angus assume pursuit positions and off they go. All three chasers easily catch the golden, who, when knowing she has been caught, rolls up into a ball and 2 of the 3 pursuers stop when the goldie rolls up, but 1 big fella flys right over her. In his defense, it is tough for a freight train to stop so quickly!! Well, the goldens owner comes running through the park yelling "WHo owns the Newf, get the Newf away from her. He's to rough, he's to big for this dogpark, yadda, yadda, yadda...". I was already on my way over, as I watch Angus like a hawk, I do not want him to hurt any dogs by accident. I tell her that he is fine (as I'm on my way to get him), as he is just standing there waiting for the golden to get up and play. Well, she then stands over her dog, picks him up and leashes him, when she is standing Angus figures it's play time again and starts jumping around them. So I grabbed him and brought him over to one one the benches to sit with me. As I was walking away with Angus this lady tells me that this is the second time Angus has injured her dog. I did not respond to her. I remember her, her dog and the last "injury". Last time the golden was injured Angus wasn't within 40 feet of her. I actually threw a ball for hte golden to fetch and she hurt her back leg running for it.
Man, this story is getting long!!
So, Angus is with me at the bench sitting and being nice, all the dogs come over and visit him, 4 dogs actually stay at the bench with him. The golden even comes over 2 or 3 times to visit and play. A doberman plays rough with the golden, no problems from her owner. Then Abby, the 8 month old female Newf shows up to the park. She plays big like Angus and the inevitable happens again. Abby plays with the golden, chasing her and wrestling with her. After about 10 minutes the goldens owner tries to grab her dog again and starts pushing Abby away and yelling that the dogpark is no place for a 200 lb Newf. She leashes up her dog again and leaves, I let Angus go and he gets to play with Abby.

[GR8DAME]

One comment.
"If your afraid to play with the big dogs, stay on the porch."
That being said, it's not like Angus was hurting the golden. For crying out loud, that lady needs to lighten up.
Stella

[cricket36580]

Can we say bwitch?I just love blind people!

[AC]

Angus does play big, but she really overreacted.

[brandon]

Sounds like she has some kind of big black dog phobia maybe.
 
I wouldn't let ours play with adult bully breeds like pits, I am kinda afraid of them, I feel like a lot of them seem to have a screw loose   Puppies are fine, but when they get to adulthood.. I don't trust them around my dogs. 

It's a crappy situation for you and her though, sorry to hear it.  Newfs are sweet though, and if her dog had enough it would usually let the other dog know by yelping or submitting, etc...

[AC]

Sounds like she has some kind of big black dog phobia maybe.
 
I wouldn't let ours play with adult bully breeds like pits, I am kinda afraid of them, I feel like a lot of them seem to have a screw loose   Puppies are fine, but when they get to adulthood.. I don't trust them around my dogs. 

It's a crappy situation for you and her though, sorry to hear it.  Newfs are sweet though, and if her dog had enough it would usually let the other dog know by yelping or submitting, etc...

She would not give her dog an opportunity to deal with Angus. She doesn't agree with the big dogs at the dogpark and that is fine with me. My problem would be more on the injury side, if her dog is injured or getting injured at the dogpark it is time for her to evaulate if that is the right place to bring her dog at this time. Angus has yet to hurt a dog there, when a dog lies down in front of him, he just stands there waiting for the play to begin again. I'll be on the look out for her from now on, so that I can avoid it happening again.

[Saintgirl]

Sounds like she has some kind of big black dog phobia maybe.
 
I wouldn't let ours play with adult bully breeds like pits, I am kinda afraid of them, I feel like a lot of them seem to have a screw loose Puppies are fine, but when they get to adulthood.. I don't trust them around my dogs.

It's a crappy situation for you and her though, sorry to hear it. Newfs are sweet though, and if her dog had enough it would usually let the other dog know by yelping or submitting, etc...


I have to say that I am sorry that you feel this way, just as sorry as I am for Angus being discriminated against. There are several pitties who go to our off leash park, and they are model behavior DOGS (I stress dogs because first they are dogs-second they are pits). Of course there have been times when I have leashed my dogs and not allowed them to play with a pitt, but it wasn't because it was a pitt, it was because it was showing innapropriate off leash behavior, but mostly I find (NO OFFENSE TO LAB OWNERS!!!!) it is the year old labs who are overly exhuberant that tend to show this innapropriate social behavior towards other dogs, they just get too excited and carried away.

I personally feel that it isn't the pitties who have a screw loose in their heads, but unfortunatley alot of thier owners have some major rewiring to be done in their heads. This is where the unstable pitties come from, their unstable owners, but all of our BPO breeds would be just as unstable if they were raised by these irresponsible owners.

We have all heard of this list, but again the Center for Disease and Control lists the top ten dogs most likely to bite as 1. Pitbull 2. Pitbull types 3. Rotties 4. German Shepherd 5. Husky Type 6. Malamute 7. Dobies 8. Chow Chow
9. Great Dane  10. Saint Bernard....... ...... Wow, maybe we should rename BPO to BDPO (big deadly paws only), we all know how silly that is. Our big paws are not the dangerous dogs this list has them set out to be. I don't dispute for one moment that these dogs are incredibly powerful, but it isn't their fault that they have recieved such a bad reputation...i t is the few irresponsible owners who have turned their dogs into monsters. Ok- sort of off track, sorry Angus and AC, I hope that you never have to deal with this woman again. And Sorry Brandon if I sort of jumped down your throat, you are completely entitled to your opinions, but I had to do my best for a rebuttle in the name of all of the 'good' pitties .

[mjjensen]

  We were asked to leave the local dog park in the town we're living in now for pretty much the same situation. My guys had been playing at the park for about an hour with no problems when a lady showed up being dragged by a little Lab female. She walked over to where I was sitting with my guys, who were tired at this point and just laying around, with her dog still on a lead. We talked for a minute or two, her dog still on the lead and bouncing around like a yoyo. My guys had gotten up by now and were checking the Lab out and when the lady unclipped the lead her dog jumped into the middle of them then ran off with the boys in hot pursuit. The lady completely wigged out and ran off after them screaming at me to get control of my dogs. My guys are still puppies and they play like puppies and by the time I caught up with everyone all four dogs were rolling around on the ground and the lady was dragging Duncan away from her dog by his scruff still screaming. Nobody is hurting anyone, they're just playing, but the lady is completely freaked out and still screaming that I should know better than to bring dogs like that to the park. She dragged her dog off on the lead while I was rounding my guys up so I never got a chance to say anything to her. I figured that was the end of it but as the pups and I were headed back to the car a woman stopped me saying she was the park monitor (I never realized there were dogpark monitors)and there had been a complaint about my dogs. She wasn't interested in hearing my side of the story so, inspite of the fact that I'm about as non-confrontational as a person can get and I never swear except maybe at myself, I told her just what I thought about the whole situation. We're now banned from the park for life...

[longshadowfarms]

but mostly I find (NO OFFENSE TO LAB OWNERS!!!!) it is the year old labs who are overly exhuberant that tend to show this innapropriate social behavior towards other dogs, they just get too excited and carried away.

Labs have been my breed of choice for years and I'll still have to agree with you here.  I find the breed has changed dramatically for the worse and it greatly disturbs me.  I can't tell you how many Labs I've seen lately get nippy with people too (including our own little Eider Brat).

Sorry to hear that Angus has been discriminated against!  If it were me, I'd just ignore the woman and continue going there when you want.  That said, I don't have a lot of patience with people who are ridiculous.  Maybe she'll learn to stay away if Angus or Abby are there.  Doesn't sound like her dog has a problem, just she does. 

[AC]

but mostly I find (NO OFFENSE TO LAB OWNERS!!!!) it is the year old labs who are overly exhuberant that tend to show this innapropriate social behavior towards other dogs, they just get too excited and carried away.

Labs have been my breed of choice for years and I'll still have to agree with you here.  I find the breed has changed dramatically for the worse and it greatly disturbs me.  I can't tell you how many Labs I've seen lately get nippy with people too (including our own little Eider Brat).

Sorry to hear that Angus has been discriminated against!  If it were me, I'd just ignore the woman and continue going there when you want.  That said, I don't have a lot of patience with people who are ridiculous.  Maybe she'll learn to stay away if Angus or Abby are there.  Doesn't sound like her dog has a problem, just she does. 

I plan on carrying on as per usual, and if it happens again I may not leash Angus. I'm pretty sure he'll leave the golden alone as soon as he knows she will not play with him.

[brandon]

She would not give her dog an opportunity to deal with Angus.

Some times I think the dogs have more sense than the owners They would have worked it out quickly I am sure.

[Beth]

"If your afraid to play with the big dogs, stay on the porch."   

Ok seriously, this burns me up!   
Which unfortunately is the reason I stopped going to our local dog park.  Not because of the dogs…but the owners!  Boy…you talk about collision of different personalities!  I just got tired of it!  (Not to mention I think Kuma picked up Gardia (SP??) from ours…)

[AC]

Almost all dogs and owners I have met there have been great and know that if Angus gets to rough (what looks to rough to us) I immediately step in. I am extra cautious there. This particular owner doen't like big furry dogs I suspect, as she got upset with Abby, the 8 mth old Newf, about her "rough" play as well. Abby is 97 lbs and to this owner she weighs 200 lbs!!

[aggghgmom]

Angus, Sam, Max and Duncan

I'm sorry you have all had bad experiences just because you are true big dogs!!  I don't go to dog parks because I don't trust other people that let their dogs do whatever they please....also Harley, mounts everything and especially everything on 4 legs so it is better for me to stay away but I remember owners at agility class yelling at me to control Harley because he is exhuberent! 

�  We were asked to leave the local dog park in the town we're living in now for pretty much the same situation. My guys had been playing at the park for about an hour with no problems when a lady showed up being dragged by a little Lab female. She walked over to where I was sitting with my guys, who were tired at this point and just laying around, with her dog still on a lead. We talked for a minute or two, her dog still on the lead and bouncing around like a yoyo. My guys had gotten up by now and were checking the Lab out and when the lady unclipped the lead her dog jumped into the middle of them then ran off with the boys in hot pursuit. The lady completely wigged out and ran off after them screaming at me to get control of my dogs. My guys are still puppies and they play like puppies and by the time I caught up with everyone all four dogs were rolling around on the ground and the lady was dragging Duncan away from her dog by his scruff still screaming. Nobody is hurting anyone, they're just playing, but the lady is completely freaked out and still screaming that I should know better than to bring dogs like that to the park. She dragged her dog off on the lead while I was rounding my guys up so I never got a chance to say anything to her. I figured that was the end of it but as the pups and I were headed back to the car a woman stopped me saying she was the park monitor (I never realized there were dogpark monitors)and there had been a complaint about my dogs. She wasn't interested in hearing my side of the story so, inspite of the fact that I'm about as non-confrontational as a person can get and I never swear except maybe at myself, I told her just what I thought about the whole situation. We're now banned from the park for life...

[brandon]

PS: Sorry about the pit thing , I was trying to compare my caution around bully breeds that maybe she has for big hairy dogs.  I'll save that discussion for another thread & agree to disagree.