Dog Park Horror Stories

Luckily I live in Sydney Australia and we don't have ghetto dog owners and pit bulls or other unwieldy dog breeds come to the dog parks. Not that I don't like pitt bulls or anything (though I find them to be ugly facially), just that nothing annoys me more than when people have an animal they can't control.

If you have a pet please be capable of controlling/protecting it from other animals and for heavens sake don't let it escape. Usually it's woman who struggle with animal control but some men do too (as the stories in this thread attest).
 
aus101 said:
Luckily I live in Sydney Australia and we don't have ghetto dog owners and pit bulls or other unwieldy dog breeds come to the dog parks. Not that I don't like pitt bulls or anything (though I find them to be ugly facially), just that nothing annoys me more than when people have an animal they can't control.

If you have a pet please be capable of controlling/protecting it from other animals and for heavens sake don't let it escape. Usually it's woman who struggle with animal control but some men do too (as the stories in this thread attest).
Click to expand...

I love Pits, I just wish more responsible owners would get them.

Most places its wanna-be badass's with the crzy pits, but its even worse where I am...

I live in a college town in Texas and there is some kind of trend going on here where little college girls are going and adopting big ass pit bulls. Everytime I see one of them I just shake my head.
 
Certain growls, barks, and snarls may not be as 'aggressive' a response as you think. A well tempered, well socialized, well-trained dog is more than capable of letting it's displeasure with another dog be known via vocalization, posture, and facial expression without actually being high-risk to attack. Dogs don't use words, they rely on a variety of other non-verbal cues to communicate their feelings. I know my dog, have her trained, socialized from an early age, and I keep a close eye on things when I'm at the dog park. After 2 years, I have never had an incident or even a near-incident despite the fact that she sometimes tells an annoying dog to back off.
 
Last edited:
Took my dog to the dog park enclosure when she was 6 months old or so. First time doing it, left her harness on, she had been doing very well with commands etc until that point. Only dog there so she got to run around a good amount. Another dog came and she freaks out, running all around, wouldn't listen for shit. Took me a good hour too catch her. Fucking dog.
 
DaRuckus337 said:
Certain growls, barks, and snarls may not be as 'aggressive' a response as you think. A well tempered, well-trained dog is more than capable of letting it's displeasure with another dog be known via vocalization, posture, and facial expression without actually being high-risk to attack.
Click to expand...

Agreed it's an establishing of boundaries thing but a dominant dog is going to go to that park and try to take it over. Problem is if two alpha dog are brought to the park the canine method of establishing pack order is by "fighting." Not in the pitbull/jrt/patterdale/Dogo to the death type thing but two serious male dogs in the park is a recipe for disaster.

I'm of the opinion that pitbulls and catch dogs have absolutely no place in urban and suburban neighborhoods and parks. There are cool breeds that are bred from them as pets or similar enough to enjoy just as well without the risks. If you live in suburbia and you want a pitbull check out show bred english staffies, boston bulldogs, etc. or if you want larger bred bullbreed dogs check out boxers, mastiffs and Johnson type American Bulldogs. A JRT, Patterdale, Pitbull, Dogo, Bandog, etc. should never see a dog park, not because everyone of them is a monster but if they are put in a situation with another dog they can escalate the situation beyond most owners control within a few seconds.
 
Shawn91111 said:
Took my dog to the dog park enclosure when she was 6 months old or so. First time doing it, left her harness on, she had been doing very well with commands etc until that point. Only dog there so she got to run around a good amount. Another dog came and she freaks out, running all around, wouldn't listen for shit. Took me a good hour too catch her. Fucking dog.
Click to expand...

It's a puppy and she was hyperstimulated. It takes time and effort to get the dog through that phase. Enjoy the fact she clearly exhausted herself and played well. The start trying to get her to the park more often when it is empty or nearly empty, bring treats, and do return training until she starts recognizing the rewards of coming when called. It will take a little time, but as she gets older, she'll start buying in. Also, be careful about getting worked up, chasing her, and turning that into a game for the dog. It only makes things worse.
 
"Bad" dog owner here

My 3 year old male (80lbs) used to be a regular at our local park. He had the annoying habit of flipping out if any other dog had something in it's mouth. He had to have it. I didn't try & stop him since he was always playful about it & he'd start games of tug-of-war with other dogs while his tail wagged & it was totally innocent.

Before long, on a few occasions, a couple of the older dogs took offense at his behavior & attacked him. This never bothered me as, as far as I'm concerned, they're just being dogs, plus he brought it on himself trying to take their toy away.

What ended up happening though is his own behavior changed. One day he was playing tug-of-war with a young, friendly dog, & I saw his hair standing up & before I could stop him he lunged at the dog & bit him. I apologized & the owner was cool about it, but we left immediately & I haven't taken him back since.

On an unrelated note, I would regularly see people talking, not paying attention, standing out in the middle of the park, get knocked down hard by large dogs who were running around playing.
 
FierceRedBelt said:
Agreed it's an establishing of boundaries thing but a dominant dog is going to go to that park and try to take it over. Problem is if two alpha dog are brought to the park the canine method of establishing pack order is by "fighting." Not in the pitbull/jrt/patterdale/Dogo to the death type thing but two serious male dogs in the park is a recipe for disaster.

I'm of the opinion that pitbulls and catch dogs have absolutely no place in urban and suburban neighborhoods and parks. There are cool breeds that are bred from them as pets or similar enough to enjoy just as well without the risks. If you live in suburbia and you want a pitbull check out show bred english staffies, boston bulldogs, etc. or if you want larger bred bullbreed dogs check out boxers, mastiffs and Johnson type American Bulldogs. A JRT, Patterdale, Pitbull, Dogo, Bandog, etc. should never see a dog park, not because everyone of them is a monster but if they are put in a situation with another dog they can escalate the situation beyond most owners control within a few seconds.
Click to expand...

I mostly agree with you. There's no question the real problem dogs at the dog park generally fit a certain, easily identifiable 'type.' I would add, however, that more than type, they fit a certain background. Certain rescues for example, no matter the breed, will always be trouble at a park. It's on the owner to have the common sense to recognize when their dog has been under-socialized or abused in a way that makes off-leash, open, chaotic dog-park play a bad idea. Unfortunately, a lot of owners are a little oblivious to these things. That said, it's generally not hard to spot these dogs within moments of them entering the park AND I believe that a savy, well-socialized dog will also be able to spot these guys and will usually steer clear of them.

While I subscribe to the obvious importance of both nature and nurture, I do think nurture is the bigger part of the equation. However, there is no question that the nature of certain dogs is a factor, and can greatly magnify the consequences of poor nurture.
 
DaRuckus337 said:
It's a puppy and she was hyperstimulated. It takes time and effort to get the dog through that phase. Enjoy the fact she clearly exhausted herself and played well. The start trying to get her to the park more often when it is empty or nearly empty, bring treats, and do return training until she starts recognizing the rewards of coming when called. It will take a little time, but as she gets older, she'll start buying in. Also, be careful about getting worked up, chasing her, and turning that into a game for the dog. It only makes things worse.
Click to expand...

Correct, I took her back and just let her get more interaction with other dogs. But that day, I'm glad I left her harness on, as I did a Pete Rose headfirst style dive to grab a hold of her.
 
irving said:
on an unrelated note, i would regularly see people talking, not paying attention, standing out in the middle of the park, get knocked down hard by large dogs who were running around playing.
Click to expand...

lol
 
I tossed a ball at an empty dog park and my dog was so exciting to get the ball she ran full speed into the pointy part of a fire hydrant with her shoulder. Why is a fire hydrant in the middle of a dog park? Fucked if I know. Anyway, she spun a couple times in the air and landed, screaming in pain.

500 dollars of xrays and two weeks of limping later, she was fine.

Prob not the kind of story you were looking for. Fyi I cried though.
 
Nonsense said:
I tossed a ball at an empty dog park and my dog was so exciting to get the ball she ran full speed into the pointy part of a fire hydrant with her shoulder. Why is a fire hydrant in the middle of a dog park? Fucked if I know. Anyway, she spun a couple times in the air and landed, screaming in pain.

500 dollars of xrays and two weeks of limping later, she was fine.

Prob not the kind of story you were looking for. Fyi I cried though.
Click to expand...

Hey all stories welcome, I saw a big dog run into a picnic table pretty damn hard. Dog was fine but it looked bad when it happened.
 
Irving said:
On an unrelated note, I would regularly see people talking, not paying attention, standing out in the middle of the park, get knocked down hard by large dogs who were running around playing.
Click to expand...


I saw a 65ish lb german shorthair pointer absolutely wreck a little kid at a park while I was checking my mail. This kid was probably 5. Anyway the dude was throwing a tennis ball to his gsp and out of nowhere this kid runs off the playground and crosses paths with the dog. The dog tried to get low and slowdown but ultimately it's shoulder hit the kid in the high femur/hip area and sent him flying into the air. The kid a 270 and landed on his back. It looked brutal but the kid got up and seemed fine, more shocked/confused than anything else. The kid didn't even cry until the hysterical mother got in his face.
 
Pwent said:
the last time i took my dog to the dog park, some asshole with a doberman wouldnt get it under control when it kept getting aggressive with my husky

i dont mind dogs playing rough, but a few times it would bite her until she yelped and didnt let go until she muscled her way out of it (shes thick solid and tight, just submissive until pressed). i started standing over her and pushing the doberman away and the owner got mad for pushing his dog. "stop touching him, hes a nice dog, he isnt hurting her!". i told him to get his away from mine or i would handle it myself. after 2-3 minutes of him yelling for me to stop touching his dog (as it was snapping at my dog who was laying between my ankles). it bit her and wouldnt let go, so i punched it in the neck as hard as i could and it ran away whimpering

i had a big scene with the guy and he stormed out of the park

that was not the first time someone with a "dangerous" breed was fucking with all the other dogs so stopped going. my dog has been attacked by a pit bull one time since (made a thread on it) that i had to defend her from

i just dont trust random owners anymore unless they really display control over their dog
Click to expand...

you got the red husky aye?

or am i mistaking you for another poster? maybe low single. not sure now.
 
aus101 said:
Luckily I live in Sydney Australia and we don't have ghetto dog owners and pit bulls or other unwieldy dog breeds come to the dog parks. Not that I don't like pitt bulls or anything (though I find them to be ugly facially), just that nothing annoys me more than when people have an animal they can't control.

If you have a pet please be capable of controlling/protecting it from other animals and for heavens sake don't let it escape. Usually it's woman who struggle with animal control but some men do too (as the stories in this thread attest).
Click to expand...

yeah depends where in sydney. where you based?

down the north shore (where i am), city and eastern suburbs all the dogs are nice and are treated the same as kids in the household they come from.

other areas of sydney the dogs are ganster.
 
My 20 lb terrier mix was playing with a frickin boerbol (mastiff type dog from s africa)

All was good but gradually the beast was getting rougher and finally just pinned my poor girl down. No real damage at all or actual violence. The big dog was still playing, just roughly.

Probably my fault for not heeding the changes in body language and letting it start at all. Lesson learned
 
Last edited:
I've never had a serious issue any of the times I've taken the dog to the dog park, most of the people at the park I go to are cool people with well trained dogs. It also helps that the dog park has 1 section for the little dogs(40 lbs. and lighter) and a separate fenced in area for the bigger dogs.
 
My Golden's neighborhood boyfriend is a Great Dane. He can (and does) fit her whole head in his mouth just for fun. It's hilarious.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
1,236,977
Messages
55,458,689
Members
174,787
Latest member
Freddie556

Share this page

Back
Top