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

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!

How unfortunate. I think just like kids, if you plan on continuing the dog park route then I wouldn't wait to take them back.. get right back in the game and try it again.. Hopefully next time it won't be as traumatic.

I hate dog parks! I have heard too many stories like yours.

You need to take Lucy to the vet to be checked. Bite wounds puncture and often close up quickly. They can get infected easily.

You also need to go to the doctor yourself. Dog bites are very serious. State law may require that they be reported.

Any vet bills or doctor bills will be the responsibility of the dog's owner.

Thank you. I think a good walk before hand is a good idea and jumping right back into is also a possibilty. ;)

I will call the owner tomorrow and see what happends. Hopefully this doesn't become a huge issue. I haved no idea what the state laws regarding dog bites in Colorado are. :confused: I guess I'll be doing some research tomorrow too.

Your vet will know the dog and report it if he is required to or, if you go to the doctor, they will report it. A dog bite is serious and they need to verify he was up to date on rabies.

Please get both you and Lucy checked out.

I will have to find a vet in town. We just moved here about 3 weeks ago.

How scary! You should definitely not go to any dog parks anymore, that allow large dogs to roam around in the same area as small dogs anymore. If I go to a dog park, it has to have a fenced area for large dogs and another for small dogs. Luckily, all the ones I've been to have them seperated according to size.

I hope Lucy recovers & is not too traumatized going around other dogs. You'll have to slowly ease her back into being around other dogs again.

I hope you are okay too!

Does that park not have seperate area for large and small dogs? I have only taken mine once and that was because we were away from home and they were having to spend a lot of time in thier crates while at families homes. The did have a seperate area for dogs over 25 lbs. Most of the time we had it to ourselves but after a while a lady came withe her dog probably 12-15 lbs and was fine unril honey got nervous and started to run from him. Then he took chase and she was scared to death. No big deal, no fighting or anyone hurt but I would never take them in a normal situation just due to what "could" happen and doggie diseases even though the are vaccinated.
Hear way too many horror stories about them.

I hope you are both ok and I am so sorry you got bitten.

Kim :)

There are 2 sections, but one side is closed. I have no idea why. It seems like all of the dogs are just running around with each other. An area for smaller dogs would be nice. At least I'm a member of a yorkie play group here in Denver and she can still hang with smaller dogs.

I am glad that she is part of a play group. That will help her get over what happened. I also think that you should at least walk her around the park to get her used to the area again.

Im so glad you are ok, well if being bitten is ok.
As I said before I was quite jealous that you guys have dog parks and we don't in the uk but I keep hearing all these horror stories about them now ,that I have changed my view.
No I wouldn't take your babys back there at all! Why should you risk their health as well as yours to be with dogs that arn't socialized properly. In the long run it will do more damage to their social skills.
When Im out on a walk with Tia and she is off leash and a dog is coming the other way, I
1. look at the owner to see how much control they have over their dog
2. Look at the breed ,not always the size and then use my judgment on if its safe for Tia to stay off leash or to put her on.There has been the odd occasion I should have put her on or visa versa but I go on gut instinct . I don't bother asking the owner if their dog is friendly anymore because a couple of people have said yes and its tried taking a chunk out of her.
Im sure not all dog parks are bad , obviously it depends on what dogs are there but as a good mummy you just want your babys to have safe play.:cool:

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 would never take lexi to a dog park.. she snaps at everything, big , small,
medium, any animal.. ducks birds, etc.. cant trust her. especially with the big dogs, you just never know. cant take that chance..

No way would I ever take my Yorkies to a dog park. They just don't have a chance! You can't get to them quick enough. It's not worth it, trust me. I won't even share some of the horrible things I've heard of and some I have witnessed.

I agree!

I'm not going to be mad, I agree completely. She started the whole thing and I'm really kinda embarrased about it also. This is what I feared would happen and it did. I'm going to check around our town and Denver if I have too, to find someone that can help her with the snaping. Maybe that's why she ended up in a field to begin with, who knows. But I can't just have her getting all snappy at other dogs when she's a little unsure. Do the pet classes at PetSmart or PetCo cover aggression in dogs?

It is good that your going to help Lucy overcome her aggression issues. Lucy may have been reacting out of fear.
Please take yourself to the Dr. If the dog bite has broke the skin you are at risk of infection just as much as Lucy is . I'd take her to the vet too. When you can, I'd definately contact the dogs owner. Make certain to let them know you have witnessess. Just in case they become defensive.

Thank you for the DR advice. My DH thinks I will be fine. It did break the skin and I have a circle about the size of a half dollar bite ring. Lucy is good, I checked her over last night and again this morning and she has no marks at all, no soreness and seems chipper as ever. Me, sore as heck. She bit me on top of my shirt and it didn't tear so I guess that's why DH thinks I'm ok. I am going to contact the owner this evening and get the date of vaccinations of her dog and let her know I'm not seriously hurt.

I know that dog park is really close to your house but maybe there is another one, even if it is a bit farther, that has a better set up. The dog park closest to my house is unfenced. It is huge with all kinds of trails for all different levels of activity. Because it is unfenced, leashes are required. Scooter has had some unfriendly encounters but because most owners obey the rule about leashes, we enjoy going. For a while, it seemed like a increasing number of owners decided to stop using leashes. Animal Control got word because labs and other big dogs began targeting the little guys, on a leash or not. Animal Control would hide in bushy areas of the park or on certain trails and hand out tickets. Believe it or not, they can charge $200+ by city ordinance for not leashing your dog in the park. Long story short, after a bunch of people got tickets, everyone who had ignored the signs started paying attention. I was never ticketed because having a leash with Scooter makes me feel better about being in the park. I do use one of the expandable leashes so he can go exploring 15 feet or so in front of me.

Because you can't control the dogs you are around, maybe you should look at a new park that has that option or one that has trails, even if it requires leashes, so that you can still let your babies meet others but get a nice walk at the same time. I would definitely, like everyone else has recommended, get you and your baby to the doc/vet. You may also want to call animal control and report it. They will make contact with the owner of the other dog and start a file. I know you just moved to town so things can be confusing but animal control can be a great resource. Even if nothing comes of it, you need to make sure the right individuals are aware of what happened. You were at a DOG PARK....you and your dogs deserve to come and go as you wish without worrying about others causing harm.

Good luck.

I really don't know why people with little dogs want to take the chance of having their dogs hurt or killed by taking them to these parks.

Maybe I am just too paranoyd and just love my little ones too much but my little yorkies can just be agressive and I would be afraid they would be hurt or killed.

Also, my vet says that it isn't smart because you don't know how healthy or what the other dogs are leaving behind that your dogs could get.

He has also told me NOT to take my dogs into the pet smart, pet co stores.:mad:

I think there are classes at PetSmart that cover it. You may have to have private lessons for a bit until she gets over it.

What Are Toy Dog Owners Thinking???
 

:confused:I am always baffled by dog owners that allow their toy dogs to roam free in a dog park with larger dogs on the loose. Not being judgemental but really am curious as to why they don't see potential danger in this? So all you yorkie owners who allow your yorkie to roam free with the "big dogs" give me a sense of perspective. Earlier this year, our local newspaper had front page headlines and a series of articles recounting how a maltese was killed by a larger dog at a local dog park. It was heart breaking, and happened in the blink of an eye. It was the maltese (a puppy also) first time at the park. As a parent, I often think that when my kids were toddlers I did not allow them to play unsupervised around older children. I've never taken my yorkies to a dog park and won't unless they set up a separate area for toy and small dog...that was the one thing that came out of the death of the maltese puppy... the local dog park is looking into setting up a separate area.

Butterfly I did not see your post until after I posted mine...3 :thumbup: :thumbup::thumbup: to you!! Also the terrier and small dog complex in yorkies make them very assertive and aggressive to larger dogs...it's call the "Yorkie Sucide Mission" and as a Yorkie owner I can't tell you how many times I have seen my two try to start the fight that they could not possibly win! I keep them on a short leash for their sake not the other dog's!

Link to Article Maltese Killed at Dog Park
 

Here's the link to the article about the maltese puppy being killed at the dog park...anyone that loves their Yorkie should think twice before taking them to a dog park that does not separate dogs by size.

Pit bull attacks, kills puppy at dog park - The Post and Courier

Have I made my point???
 

Fencing on fast track - The Post and Courier

New dog park fences expected within 30 days - The Post and Courier

Pit bull attacks, kills puppy at dog park - The Post and Courier

Pit bull attacks, kills puppy at dog park - The Post and Courier

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.

Yes, you have made your point. Thank you for the information, I do appreciate it.