Dog Park Etiquette: Responsible Ownership for Safe Play

Dog parks can be a wonderful resource for those of us with canine children. For one pet owner in Billings, a day at the dog park turned into a nightmare. Her Chihuahua, Rocco, was killed by another person's dog. See the post below.

All Too Common

Such a tragic and preventable incident. We dog owners know our pet's disposition. There's no excuse for bringing a reactive dog to a park, and yet, it happens entirely too often.

When my oldest dog (Oliver) was a puppy, we brought him to the park and witnessed a Great Pyrenees grab a young golden retriever by the neck and start shaking it. The owner was nowhere to be seen, and a group of us jumped in, trying to intervene. That's the first and last time I've ever punched a dog. Prior to the incident, the Great Pyrenees had chased Oliver around in a menacing way, but my boy was quick and unable to be caught. We left immediately after...but the next time we went back, that same Great Pyrenees was there. That was the end of dog parking for me for years.

Be Responsible, Dog Owners

If your dog is reactive, leave them at home. It's that simple. I understand wanting to let them run and be free, but it's not worth it. I have three dogs and only feel comfortable bringing the youngest one, Bruce, to the dog park. I feel comfortable allowing him to go because he's a smart boy and if any other dogs get into a scuffle, he immediately gets the heck out of there.

After that experience with the Great Pyrenees, I stopped bringing Oliver to the park. Now that I've gotten over the anxiety a bit, I still don't bring him with me because he's not terribly used to being surrounded by that many dogs. Even though he gets along with other animals, he's a bit of an instigator. He likes to hump and rile other dogs up, so he's a solo adventure boy.

My middle boy had some traumatic experiences as a pup, his first owners wanted to see what kind of impact drugs would have on him, so his brain is a little wonky. He was also trampled by another dog while chasing a ball as a very young boy. Because of these things, his brain simply can't handle strange dogs and children. So, he stays home. It's not rocket surgery.

Take responsibility for your dogs, people. Don't be a crappy human.