Are we Bad parents???

[kelsie123186]

Ok, we take our little 2 lb Bailey to the dog park almost every day. They have 2 dog parks one for the little dogs and 1 for the big ones. So its not like shes playing with a bunch of dogs that can snap her in half. Anyway, today when we went there this dog started chasing her, which isnt unusual, she likes playing tag and loves running around with all the dogs. Well anyway, this dog was chasing her and this time she didnt seem to be playing. Then she stoped and layed down and the dog jumped over her (i dont know if the dog stepped on her or bit her or what, but she immidiatly started to cry and whimper. I ran over to her and was holding her a few people ran over to help but most just watched. The owner of the other dog took her dog home right away after appoligizing (we told her it was fine and we werent upset at her) her dog wasnt ententianally trying to hurt her, he just thuoght they were playing. after I hugged her for a few momment i put her on a table to inspect her and make sure she could stad and that her legs, back, head ect. were not hurt. She seemed fine I guess my question is, would you call us bad parents? I mean whenever people see her at the dog park they ask us "dont you worry about her getting hurt? I mean shes so little" or they say "if my dog was that little I wouldnt bring her here" and I feel like people are judging us and then after what happend today people just looked at us and staired! We put her down to play a little more after the other dog left and everyone was getting mad at their dog for even sniffing her. It was like they didnt want their dog to play with bailey because they were afraid she would get hurt. Even our vet acted suprised when we told her bailey goes to the dog park. I told my boyfriend I didnt want to go back anymore because I felt like the other people were judging us and he said im being paranoid. But I know everyone on here is really honest so I guess I just want to know what you all think. Were we wrong in taking our baby to the dog park? Should we stop taking her? She loves meeting other dogs and like I said before she has been EVERYDAY for the last 3 months or so, and this is the first time she actually got hurt.( I think she was more scared then hurt) ok well... what do you all think?

[xBUTTERCUPx]

Taking your dog to a dog park doesn't make you a bad parent. People like to judge others and they have no room to talk at all because they don't know you. What is a 'dog park' for? Dogs over 10lbs? No, I don't think so. A dog park is a place where dog owners take their dogs, no matter what size, to have fun. Some dogs do play rough and these little stinkers can get hurt but like you said, it's not intentional. I would still continue bringing my dog no matter what others say.

[Judy in Waco]

If the other owners are nervous about their dogs hurting Bailey, I would say that's their problem. Isn't part of socialization learning how to get along with ALL types of dogs? It sounds like you are doing a favor for all small dogs. Maybe if more people see you bring your dog, they will feel more comfortable bringing their own smaller dogs, but that's just my personal opinion.

[Catrina]

PLEASE dont worry about what they say! Accidents happen all the time, its nothing to worry about.. im sure one day you will find another little dog for bailey to play with! a yorkie once came up to princess and attacked her and was biting her ear... she was yelping like crazy.. but i didnt get mad at anyone.. its not anyones fault, and of course that one incident isnt gonna stop me from taking her to the park

[MyFairLacy]

Bailey has as much right to be there as anyone else. Right now we only have one dog park where I live and it's not separated into small and big dog areas. I've taken Lacy there a few times and normally it's fine, but last time we went a boxer immediately pinned her down and bit her above her eye. I actually didn't know she was hurt at first - just that she had drool all over her face. I wiped it off and the owner of the boxer took his dog and left. A little while later she looked over at me and I saw that she had a little busted blood vessel in the corner of her eye and a little bite mark above her eye. She was fine but I wish there was seperate big and small dog areas just so I'd have the option of her being around a group of smaller dogs. I did hear that they are supposed to be making a new dog park here soon with separate areas so we'll probably go there when it's built.

[IluvLucy]

It's wonderful that you have a park especially for small dogs! Bailey definitely qualifies and your taking here there is a good thing. Accidents happen and your baby was probably more scared than anything.

You are good yorkie parents. Bailey is being socialized. I wish there was something like that where I live. I think it would be good for my 2 to have a place to go and play with other dogs.

[JRo]

If you're a bad parent then so am I. In fact, I'm worse! Our dog park has the little one and big one, too, but no one ever goes in the little dog part and Tucker just loves all the other dogs. So, we go to the big dog park about once a week and inevitably there are the people who say to me, "You're so brave" and "Don't you worry?" The way I look at it is Tucker not only needs to know how to play and interact with all kinds of dogs but he loves it, too! He's pretty resilient and I am constantly supervising his play. I think it's important that everyone plays together! Don't worry!!!

[mizzwanned]

Awww don't worry! You're not bad parents at all! I can totally relate to you on that one. London being like the same size as Bailey I take her to the dog park too, well I've taken her and Teddy about twice. There's also one for big dogs and one for small dogs and all the dogs in the small one are still bigger than her. London loves to play and gets in all the dog's faces cause she is just friendly like that and I get soooo worried because I don't know how all the other dogs will react, if they will snap on her or be friendly. So I am constantly following her and I feel so bad putting her on her leash cause she just loves to run around and whines to play with the dogs. So I can really relate to you on that but I would not consider us to be bad parents. I think that maybe you should find a Yorkie meetup so that you can take Bailey to. That is what I do and usually there are other yorkies her size. It's a great way to socialize her and you don't have to worry as much.

[FirstYorkie]

The way I see it is this: we have to decide which risks we want to take.

Our pups need socialization as much as (and possibly more than) other dogs. However, their small size does make them vulnerable to injury. As best as I can tell, we have to make a choice - are we more concerned about lack of socialization in our pups or are we more concerned about the small possibility of injury?

IMHO, neither choice makes us a "bad parent". We do the best we can. However, sometimes what we choose isn't what other people choose. And, that's okay.

[Lara]

I say go back to the park. Your baby has the right to be there as much as any other dog! As for being a bad parent. Hell No!! Go back and have fun!!!!

[Anna Banana]

You are not bad parents! We all know how much you love Bailey, and know that you are the best parents you can possibly be!

I would take her back to the dog park as well, she loves it, and there's no reason to deny her that just because of her size.

[Tuffy]

No, of course you're not!
I once took my mom's 36lb Borador (Black Lab/Border Collie hybrid) to the park where he played with a Westie puppy (my guess is he probably weighed as much as Bailey). When the Westie flipped our dog Brigid on her back, she kicked him into the air.
After cuddles from its owner, the Westie was happy again, and resumed playing with Brigid.

[kalina82]

morgan is 4lbs and we go to the dog park. She's smaller then all the other dogs there and is totally submissive to them. People as me if i'm scared of her getting hurt and usually i'm not. When we first go there i let her run free but i follow her constantly as she goes from dog to dog to see how they react to her. And when a new dog comes in i check them out first as well. If i think they are going to be a problem then i pick her up until the new dog calms down from first entering. She's only had one "bad" experience at one dog park that we dont go to anymore. A westie pinned her dog and scared the crap out of her, but 5 minutes later she was back in that dogs face.

Your not a bad parent for taking your dog to the park. I'd continue to go if i were you. We still do even if we get comments from other people.

[lizziepooh_1]

Originally Posted by kelsie123186

I mean whenever people see her at the dog park they ask us "dont you worry about her getting hurt? I mean shes so little" or they say "if my dog was that little I wouldnt bring her here" and I feel like people are judging us and then after what happend today people just looked at us and staired! We put her down to play a little more after the other dog left and everyone was getting mad at their dog for even sniffing her. It was like they didnt want their dog to play with bailey because they were afraid she would get hurt.

I can relate to this. I take Tia to the dog park and there is a park near my house where dogs are allowed. Tia and I love to meet other dogs, and they're always bigger than her. People often chastise their own dogs for just sniffing and apologizing to me. I try to reassure them that it's ok if their dog sniffs Tia...that's how they get to know each other I do appreciate that the other owners keep a close watch, aftr all some of the big ones don't know their own strength and their idea of play might hurt her....but she's pretty quick and good at getting out of the way of a wayward paw.

I say keep going to the dog park. So long as you and the owners are being watchful and careful...that's a good thing! What you might think is judgmental behaviour is actually very protective behaviour. They don't know you or your dog either. What if something happened, and their dog was responsible? What if you were to report them and they lost their pet? I say it's better to be too cautious than to have something terribel happen.