Our first visit to the dog park and I get attacked!

[zenzele]

Originally Posted by happy bunny

Zenzele, when we lived in KS we had a huge fenced back yard that the dogs could play fetch, run and just enjoy being free. Since we moved to CO, we now live in a town home on a golf course and they have to be on a leash constantly. The idea of letting them run free and have a chance to do that once more seemed like a good idea at the time. Yeah, not so much now. I know we did not think it though, and I do regret it.

God bless you Happy Bunny, I understand. As owners of toy dogs it's a constant balancing act between letting them be a dog and protecting them from harm. Even running lose in their own back yard you still have to be vigilant because depending on where you live there are birds of prey that attack small animals and foxes, wolves etc! I really am not a person that lives in constant fear, but animals are going to be animals and we have to keep that in mind when it comes to our yorkies. I am so glad your story did not end up like the one here in Charleston. You can see by how many articles the local paper wrote in a week on this tragic event, that it hit a nerve with many. Stay out of the dog park unless they have a safe area for your baby!

[AddieLove]

I'm sorry to hear you had such a horrible experience and that you got bitten. I'm glad your pup is okay!

[Britster]

Originally Posted by candybaby

I hope nobody gets mad but I think Lucy should also go to a trainer to learn not to snap at other dogs. I'm not saying what the other dog did was right but what Lucy did wasn't right eithier. I say this because there was a dog that kept snapping at my yorkies (made them scared) at the dog park and the owner picked her dog up and left before something happened (which IMO was the right thing to do).

I'm sorry your first experience was a bad one.

I agree with this.

I don't think it's right what the other dog did in ANY way and I'm glad everything is OK... but Lucy was the one that snapped first. The other dog felt threatened and felt the need to defend itself and put Lucy in her place. That's how dogs in nature handle situations.

But, I'm very glad everything turned out OK!

[happy bunny]

Thank you, I agree also. We are going to try to find a trainer for her aggression issues with bigger dogs, if it can be helped and I am going to do some research on this as well. I have never owned an aggressive dog and didn't realized that Yorkies can be such. Here in CO there are alot of 'open space' places to go, so I think we will just take them there vs a dog park and just try to keep them socialized with animals that we meet along the way. Stupid me, I never even thought about he park being an area of disease also. I feel so dumb for even taking them there to begin with. Geesh....

[Britster]

Don't feel dumb!

I think dog parks can be very good, it just all depends on the park and who is there that day.

We have a really nice one about 15 mins from my house with fenced in area for small dogs and then a fenced in area for larger dogs, which I think works out nicely. You just have to learn some simple dog body language and watch out for it. I always can tell if a dog is not happy with Jackson's actions or antics or if he's annoying them - so I try to take him away from those situations so he doesn't get HIMSELF hurt! lol. He CAN be an instigator. He just loves to play so much. But I had a wonderful experience where I went and I will for sure be taking him back. I think it's a great thing for dogs to know how to communicate properly with each other and learn to socialize early on!

[nanahas3]

First I am so glad you are both ok. But I have to agree with some others. Maybe you should start Lucy out slow just meeting with a few other dogs at a time and get her trained not to snap. We had a few small issues with Lolo and our neighbors boxer who thank goodness is as gentle as a lamb, but I would pick Lolo up tell her no and put her face to face with Bell and make her play nice. It only took a couple times and now they are great pals.

[Chili Dawg]

We took our little Zena to two dog parks; one on Saturday and another on Sunday. The first park had two sections, big dogs and small dogs. The small dog park had six or more dogs running about with one particular dog chasing and nipping at other dogs. We took Zena to the big dog park which was empty at the time. When the nipping mutt and owner departed, we moved Zena over to the small dog park where she romped about for a couple hours no problems. I did see some dog piles in both parks despite an ample supply of bags, rakes, pans, and trash cans. All in all it was a good experience for her.

The park on Sunday was all one big area with a rug for grass. Lots of dogs large and small running around. My little Zena did OK but hung close to me at all times. There were HUGE dogs and even some pitbulls running about. I kept a careful eye out for any signs of trouble. The vist went well but yet again I spotted dog piles around along with an ample supply of bags and scoops for clean up.

So, after two park visits I've decided NOT to take Zena back. Too many irresponsible owners with marginal control over their animals along with a carefree attitude towards cleaning up their dog's mess for me.

~CD

[Olivier]

Originally Posted by happy bunny

We live about 5 minutes from the dog park and I have been debating on taking Max & Lucy there because I was afraid of how they would react. DH and I decided we would give it a go and took them. When we got there, Max just took off like he had not a care in the world. Lucy was more reserved and did pretty good while other dogs checked her out.

So we are there probably about 30 minutes, getting to know some other owners and having a nice evening. Lucy kinda snapped at a few huge dogs, but they just walked away. Well, I guess she snapped at the wrong dog and this dog, about the size of a grown Spaniel, began chasing her and started to pin her down and bite at her. Of course Lucy was trying to bite back and was yelping as this dog pinned her down and DH and I both ran for them along with the other people around.

I got there first and snatched her up immediately while pushing the other dog away and she lunged for Lucy as I was holding her and the other dog bit me! HARD!! Right below my navel, but THANK GOD, missed Lucy!! I was so scarred that Lucy had been bitten hard enough to be injured, but she seems okay now. The lady that had brought her was actually that dogs sitter and she was shocked at what had happened. DH checked to make sure the other dog had its rabies tag, which thankfully it did. If I can remember right, it was the first time that the sitter had brought that dog to the dog park. I'm not sure if that dog was socialized or whatever, I didn't think to ask at this point.

The sitter gave me her and the owners phone numbers also. We stayed for about 10 more minutes, but Lucy was now terrified and I was scarred to death to have her around and maybe snap at the other dogs and possibly get hurt worse. I had started to hurt and bleed pretty good by that point. Now I'm just worried that Lucy will be even more snappy if we go again and not sure if I could take another dog trying to attack her.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to ease her back into going to the dog park? It was her first time and now I'm afraid she will not do well from here on. DH doesn't think she should go to the park and be around big dogs anymore, but I'm not certain if I totally agree. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Have you tried to socialize Lucy around other dogs ? What happened wasn't all the other dog's fault .

[furryfriends]

Sorry to hear this happened to you. Our dog park is sectioned off into 2 parts - 'Dog's under 20 lbs.' and 'Dog's over 20 lbs'. So thankfully, we don't have to worry about the bigger dogs. I think all dog parks should do this, too many stories like this.

I hope you & Lucy are okay. I bet it wasn't a happy experience for her - OR you!

[happy bunny]

Originally Posted by Olivier

Have you tried to socialize Lucy around other dogs ? What happened wasn't all the other dog's fault .

I know, my little brat started it. I have had her meeting new dogs around the housing area here and she is having a real good experience. She has just wanted to play with all of the dogs here and hasn't been snappy to much. I'm healing pretty good, so all is well with me.