About 20 years ago when we lived in town, we had a Lhaso Apso. He was a wonderful dog, smart & loving and everyone in the family loved him dearly. Our large yard was not fenced, but he NEVER left the yard. He just went outside to do his duty and came right back in. One day I undressed to take a shower upstairs and heard him barking to go out. I ran downstairs (naked) to let him out as I was the only one home. I started back upstairs when I heard a shot and a yelp. I looked out the window in the back of the house and there was our little dog trying to pull himself across the lawn.
The man who had moved into the rental house across the alley had a female in heat. He had tied her to the garage back by the alley. Of course, as soon as I let our male dog outside, he immediately smelled her and ran over there. The man shot him and severed his spine. He was paralized and we had to put him down.
I called the police and he had to go to court. They fined him, but that didn't bring our dog back. The judge said by law it was the female dog owners responsibility to keep the female in heat locked up or in a fenced area or confined area that the male dogs could not get in.
I certainly am not knocking anyone or criticizing. I have 2 male and 1 female. Because of my experience with losing our dog, I would probably be very upset if someone brought a dog in heat to the park and my male dog was injured by another dog because of it. It is not as if you couldn't ever take your female to the dog park, but it would probably be better if you didn't while she was in heat. I'm sure you have never thought about the consequences to others. The judge also said "No matter how well trained a dog is, they will still do what nature has given them the strong instinct to do and that is to mate with a female in heat". |