Although a couple of my cats are leash trained I wouldn’t risk my life going to the dog park. I’m not worries about the dogs. I’m terrified the cats would use lethal force on my person.
No, I don’t think Charlie would do well. He is not dominant around other dogs and that does not bode well for him.
A neighbor couple and I thought it would be nice to do monthly dinners/game nights and let our dogs play.
1st was at their house, apparently playing included their dog biting a hunk of hair off Charlie. So that was that.
2nd at my house, stood VERY close and kept an eye on things. Charlie was hiding in the bushes in fear and he would not come out.
Before anyone asks, noone was hurt.
Their dogs were sent home before dinner and there have been no more dinner parties. Also his docile nature makes think dog parks also would be a bad idea.
@tinamarie1974 Aww! Charlie is a lover, not a fighter. I’m sorry he had that bad experience.
I volunteer in rescue and have fostered many dogs. We hold “meet n greets” in a neutral location. Introducing dogs in either’s domain is tricky and delicate. In a neutral location, no one is defending territory; even the gentle dog you don’t think will be defensive, can surprise you. And for the new dog, when entering another’s domain, their olfactory senses are immediately overwhelmed by the scent of the resident dog/s/.
So, if you want Charlie to make doggie friends, try letting him meet them outdoors in a new place (not a whole group at once). Some dogs don’t do well meeting others, since they are so bonded with “their people,” but it’s a lot of fun to watch dogs play with each other, if you can work it out. Doesn’t have to be at a “dog park,” btw. I’d say avoid that until you know your dog can handle it, as many cannot. I’ve never been to a dog park, and don’t plan to go (not very of them anyway), but have been able to arrange “play dates.”
@tinamarie1974 I should have said I’ve never been to a dog park with my dogs. I’ve been to observe, which is easy since the only one near me is part of a much bigger park. Are there any doggy day care places near you? That might be a good place, where Charlie could be supervised and eased into playing with other dogs by people who have experience helping shy dogs. Maybe just a few sessions to acclimate him to playing with others. Not all doggy day cares are great, but I know you would do your homework first.
This is SUPER important if you want dogs to have an ongoing relationship. First contacts should almost never be in one of the dog’s homes (or even yard).
@caramelarrow I am not fond of the day cares near me, but he does go shopping with me to the pet stores, hardware stores and TJ Maxx (they allow dogs).
He does get good interaction w a handful of other dogs though. He sees my moms dog minimum once a week and now that he is nearing the end of his puppy phase (thank god) they do well together. One of my cousins has a dog of similar age and energy level and she brings him over to run around with Charlie. In addition I have a few neighbors who have friendly dogs and they will play.
I think my apprehension of a park is there is always “that dog” and having experienced it a few times with the one neighbor I know how my guy will react and he could get hurt. Just not worth it for me.
@tinamarie1974 I’m glad to hear Charlie gets to be around other dogs and has some he can play with. No dog parks needed! Your dinner story left me thinking he was destined to not have playmates, which can be fine depending on the dog, but he always looks so happy in his pics I figured he would want to play.
Glad TJ Maxx lets him shop; they have a good dog selection.
@caramelarrow no he is socialized, I think it is super important. He is all around a spoiled pup! And sadly he can’t play with most of TJ’s toys. He is a very agressive chewer. Likes to free squeakies from toys OR rip their faces off
So stressful that I can’t go anymore. My dog is a chow/pit mix that we rescued and he was already too old (at least 8 months) to socialize with other dogs. He was ok for a while but now he’ll attack any other dog he meets. He’s only safe to be around our two cats he lives with since they’re his pack. He loves people, but will bite your dog or puppy no questions asked.
Great for me, great for my dogs, but also very stressful because my younger one gets territorial about the entrance, and my old one likes to preemptively yelp if big dogs get too close.
Too many uneducated owners, not intentionally bad. The dog park is NOT where you go to socialize your dog. It’s where you take your already socialized dog. It’s also not where you take your dog to get exercise because you’re too lazy to walk your dog. And just like taking a child to the park, you have to constantly supervise your dog, so put down your phone!
@caramelarrow
I had a friend that would take her horribly untrained dogs to the dog park bc she was to lazy to walk them. I never got that one, I just quietly shook my head. It’s also a place not to take an horribly untrained dog.
I’d say it’s a combo of #2 & 4, love to pet the dogs & watch them play, hate to bring my shy dog &/or watch the more aggressive, less social dogs terrorize the others, esp when their clueless parents do nothing to calm the situation.
Not a dog park story, but one that frames why I would rather avoid a large group of unfamiliar dogs.
Once while walking my dog thru the neighborhood, another larger dog literally burst thru it’s wooden fence like the Kool-aid man and attacked my dog. Fortunately, my dog just required a few stitches and the other dog’s owner was very conscientious and paid the vet bill.
My dog does okay with other dogs in small, controlled settings, but the dog park just seems like too much of a free-for-all and too hard to be on the look out for the one dog that might be an aggressor. Even when you are paying close attention, things can happen so fast.
My dog failed the ‘temperament test’ at local day care and boarding place recently. She’d gone there before and did great - social regression since COVID isolation.
We lost our beloved old lady dog in October, but before that, we both loved going to the dog park. Our local one has a separate park for small dogs, but there are also a lot of regulars who bring their small dogs to the big dog park and vice versa. Luna liked to spend a bit of time running around with the big dogs and then go and nuzzle the small dogs, who were never intimidated by her. I miss the whole ritual.
@caramelarrow Thanks. I’ve had several dogs over the years and loved them all, but Luna was the closest to a perfect dog that I’ve ever known: calm, sweet, goofy, 99.9 percent well behaved, and friendly to dogs, cats, and especially people.
When we adopted our dog, we had to sign a document promising we would never take her to a dog park. Our dog is the most perfect, wonderful dirt bag, NOT some pure breed! The adoption people said that dog parks are a cesspool of germs & disease & dangerous AF because you never know if the dogs that have been there are clean, have updated vaccinations, fleas, etc & being outdoors, it’s not the kind of place you can clean/wash/spray down. We’d never thought of dog parks that way before, so I just wanted to share that as food for thought!
@LindyNC73 Interesting. Our dog park has running water, and you have to be able to prove that your dog is up to date on shots, though that’s not very strictly enforced. But I never really thought about the health risks!
@ahacksaw We’d never thought of it that way, either! That’s why I figured I’d put it out there! Although I guess it’s not technically a wild story… ehhhh. Still fits. Ish. Giggle
I have a chocolate lab who is the sweetest girl in the world. She is not a bolter and really weirdly knows her boundaries… she can be off leash with no issues. I put her on leash if there are strangers around, mostly to make them comfortable. They don’t know my dog and I shouldn’t expect them to be reassured by me saying ‘she’s fine’. Dog phobias are a thing and I completely respect that. This is my wife’s first dog and before we got Luna, she was TERRIFIED of big dogs. Now I’m starting to think we should have named her Shadow, because she never leaves my wife’s hip. We like to go off road a bit and Luna goes hard in the bush. I just got her a new tactical vest to protect her chest and undercarriage. She’s getting used to it and I’m planning on getting a GoPro on there when she gets used to the weight. Ummm… what was this poll about again?
My nearest dog park is usually deserted when I get there, or at most 1 or 2 dogs. Raven just walks around sniffing every square foot, so it’s not very exciting. I tried playing fetch a couple times, but I ended up doing the fetching.
Even at doggy daycare, she prefers to lie down and watch the other dogs. She walks around a little, but given that she’s 13 and has arthritis, I’m not surprised that she doesn’t play with the other dogs. She loves to go, and it gives me a break, so I don’t mind.
Took my black lab n my Dalmatian one time. My Dal was born deaf n he was 10yrs old and had Cushing’s disease. He peed on some.guys leg, i was so embarrassed i wanted to die. The guy was not mad at all, he actually laughed his ass off!! NEVER went back. Both my dogs passed in 2016 and it was so painful i CANNOT get another one! My heart is still broken. Now i only take care of feral cats. Whoch is strange cuz its just as heartbreaking!!!
@cristysue@SEGAStaRBiTS64
deafness in dalmatians is extremely common. Somthing like 30% of them are deaf or have significant hearing loss ( a blood supply to the cochlea issue I belive…)
@chienfou@SEGAStaRBiTS64 you are correct my friend. THATS WHY they became the Fire Dog which Most people dont know, cuz the sirens didnt bother them and they didnt howl(back in the day of course)!!
@cristysue@SEGAStaRBiTS64
Back when I was a member of the local VFD I had a pair of Dal mixed pups. Seemed like the thing to do at the time. The brickle spotted one was Dixie. The black spotted one was … NO, not spot!.. Ember.
@chienfou@SEGAStaRBiTS64 That is GREAT! I rescued both my Dals. 1st one Petey, was after the Disney cartoon 101 Dals movie-he was given up for being deaf. My 2nd one 10yrs later, Cody Bear was a Katrina survivor that was chained to a guard rail and he could have been Peteys twin. Same solid black eye & ear.Had to “donate” $500 to the farm that rescued him and $400 for his flight to NJ. BEST DOGS I EVER HAD!! They were just like labs, but with spots!! I miss them so much!!!
We used to take our young kids and our medium-sized dog - Australian shepherd mix - to the dog park which had a side for small snack-sized dogs and another side for larger peckish dogs; the sides were separated by a fence. Naturally, we were on the side less likely to be confused for prey. Some bimbo brings her two chihuahuas the our side of the park, which spend a ferocious amount of time attacking our dog as if it were bite-sized and they were T-Rexes. FINALLY my dog has enough and decides to make a chew toy out of one of them. My kids freak, this lady freaks, and there’s pandemonium in the dog park with the other dozen dogs out there. My son gets our dog to release the taco-sized slobber-dog and pulls her to our bench. The lady starts raving at us at which point my tiny little daughter sternly looks at the lady, points at the dividing fence, and yells, 'Hey! THAT side is for small dogs! If your dogs had been there, they wouldn’t have bothered our dog!" The lady stopped short, jerked, and looked at our daughter as if she’d grown three demon heads out of her neck, and remained speechless as we gathered our dog and belongs and left. We went back a few more times, but she never showed her face again.
I don’t have a dog.
I’ve never been to a dog park!! Wooohoo! So wild!
This deal has gone to the dogs…
I’m super lucky in that my subdivision has a 23 acre private canyon that is also leash-free for residents.
@haydesigner that sounds amazing
@haydesigner does that mean the people living in the homeless camp don’t need to be on leashes?
@tweezak why are you assuming there are homeless camps there?
No dog here, and any of the cats would shred me if I leashed them.
Although a couple of my cats are leash trained I wouldn’t risk my life going to the dog park. I’m not worries about the dogs. I’m terrified the cats would use lethal force on my person.
@kjady They need cat parks that are filled with sofas cats can hide under.
@Fuzzalini @kjady Also glass-top coffee tables so they can leave footprints.
My dog is too shy to play at the park.
No, I don’t think Charlie would do well. He is not dominant around other dogs and that does not bode well for him.
A neighbor couple and I thought it would be nice to do monthly dinners/game nights and let our dogs play.
1st was at their house, apparently playing included their dog biting a hunk of hair off Charlie. So that was that.
2nd at my house, stood VERY close and kept an eye on things. Charlie was hiding in the bushes in fear and he would not come out.
Before anyone asks, noone was hurt.
Their dogs were sent home before dinner and there have been no more dinner parties. Also his docile nature makes think dog parks also would be a bad idea.
@tinamarie1974 Poor pup! He doesn’t realize how big he is, huh.
@tinamarie1974 Aww! Charlie is a lover, not a fighter. I’m sorry he had that bad experience.
I volunteer in rescue and have fostered many dogs. We hold “meet n greets” in a neutral location. Introducing dogs in either’s domain is tricky and delicate. In a neutral location, no one is defending territory; even the gentle dog you don’t think will be defensive, can surprise you. And for the new dog, when entering another’s domain, their olfactory senses are immediately overwhelmed by the scent of the resident dog/s/.
So, if you want Charlie to make doggie friends, try letting him meet them outdoors in a new place (not a whole group at once). Some dogs don’t do well meeting others, since they are so bonded with “their people,” but it’s a lot of fun to watch dogs play with each other, if you can work it out. Doesn’t have to be at a “dog park,” btw. I’d say avoid that until you know your dog can handle it, as many cannot. I’ve never been to a dog park, and don’t plan to go (not very of them anyway), but have been able to arrange “play dates.”
@tinamarie1974 I should have said I’ve never been to a dog park with my dogs. I’ve been to observe, which is easy since the only one near me is part of a much bigger park. Are there any doggy day care places near you? That might be a good place, where Charlie could be supervised and eased into playing with other dogs by people who have experience helping shy dogs. Maybe just a few sessions to acclimate him to playing with others. Not all doggy day cares are great, but I know you would do your homework first.
This is SUPER important if you want dogs to have an ongoing relationship. First contacts should almost never be in one of the dog’s homes (or even yard).
@caramelarrow I am not fond of the day cares near me, but he does go shopping with me to the pet stores, hardware stores and TJ Maxx (they allow dogs).
He does get good interaction w a handful of other dogs though. He sees my moms dog minimum once a week and now that he is nearing the end of his puppy phase (thank god) they do well together. One of my cousins has a dog of similar age and energy level and she brings him over to run around with Charlie. In addition I have a few neighbors who have friendly dogs and they will play.
I think my apprehension of a park is there is always “that dog” and having experienced it a few times with the one neighbor I know how my guy will react and he could get hurt. Just not worth it for me.
@Kyeh he does not, this is clear when he tries to sit on my lap lol
@tinamarie1974
I would love to see that, too funny!
@tinamarie1974 I’m glad to hear Charlie gets to be around other dogs and has some he can play with. No dog parks needed! Your dinner story left me thinking he was destined to not have playmates, which can be fine depending on the dog, but he always looks so happy in his pics I figured he would want to play.
Glad TJ Maxx lets him shop; they have a good dog selection.
@caramelarrow @tinamarie1974
@caramelarrow @chienfou yes! Yes! YES!!
Although my mom tells me my standards are too high, soooo. Oh wait, she says that is why I am still single HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
@caramelarrow @tinamarie1974
go on girl… you know you are worth it!
@caramelarrow no he is socialized, I think it is super important. He is all around a spoiled pup! And sadly he can’t play with most of TJ’s toys. He is a very agressive chewer. Likes to free squeakies from toys OR rip their faces off
@caramelarrow @chienfou see this is why I ❤ you so
@tinamarie1974
So stressful that I can’t go anymore. My dog is a chow/pit mix that we rescued and he was already too old (at least 8 months) to socialize with other dogs. He was ok for a while but now he’ll attack any other dog he meets. He’s only safe to be around our two cats he lives with since they’re his pack. He loves people, but will bite your dog or puppy no questions asked.
Great for me, great for my dogs, but also very stressful because my younger one gets territorial about the entrance, and my old one likes to preemptively yelp if big dogs get too close.
Not the place to make snow angels.
@rtjhnstn If you are in the right position, you can have gold halo.
Too many uneducated owners, not intentionally bad. The dog park is NOT where you go to socialize your dog. It’s where you take your already socialized dog. It’s also not where you take your dog to get exercise because you’re too lazy to walk your dog. And just like taking a child to the park, you have to constantly supervise your dog, so put down your phone!
@caramelarrow
I had a friend that would take her horribly untrained dogs to the dog park bc she was to lazy to walk them. I never got that one, I just quietly shook my head. It’s also a place not to take an horribly untrained dog.
My wild dog park story is that I’ve never been to a wild dog park. Sounds kind of scary.
@ThunderChicken
My dog allergies would be through the roof.
I’d say it’s a combo of #2 & 4, love to pet the dogs & watch them play, hate to bring my shy dog &/or watch the more aggressive, less social dogs terrorize the others, esp when their clueless parents do nothing to calm the situation.
My dog gets overstimulated just being outside and I cannot get her attention at all. No dog parks, no off leash, ever.
Not a dog park story, but one that frames why I would rather avoid a large group of unfamiliar dogs.
Once while walking my dog thru the neighborhood, another larger dog literally burst thru it’s wooden fence like the Kool-aid man and attacked my dog. Fortunately, my dog just required a few stitches and the other dog’s owner was very conscientious and paid the vet bill.
My dog does okay with other dogs in small, controlled settings, but the dog park just seems like too much of a free-for-all and too hard to be on the look out for the one dog that might be an aggressor. Even when you are paying close attention, things can happen so fast.
My dog failed the ‘temperament test’ at local day care and boarding place recently. She’d gone there before and did great - social regression since COVID isolation.
We lost our beloved old lady dog in October, but before that, we both loved going to the dog park. Our local one has a separate park for small dogs, but there are also a lot of regulars who bring their small dogs to the big dog park and vice versa. Luna liked to spend a bit of time running around with the big dogs and then go and nuzzle the small dogs, who were never intimidated by her. I miss the whole ritual.
@ahacksaw I’m sorry. It’s so hard to lose our beloved furkids. Luna sounds like a sweetie!
@caramelarrow Thanks. I’ve had several dogs over the years and loved them all, but Luna was the closest to a perfect dog that I’ve ever known: calm, sweet, goofy, 99.9 percent well behaved, and friendly to dogs, cats, and especially people.
When we adopted our dog, we had to sign a document promising we would never take her to a dog park. Our dog is the most perfect, wonderful dirt bag, NOT some pure breed! The adoption people said that dog parks are a cesspool of germs & disease & dangerous AF because you never know if the dogs that have been there are clean, have updated vaccinations, fleas, etc & being outdoors, it’s not the kind of place you can clean/wash/spray down. We’d never thought of dog parks that way before, so I just wanted to share that as food for thought!
@LindyNC73 Interesting. Our dog park has running water, and you have to be able to prove that your dog is up to date on shots, though that’s not very strictly enforced. But I never really thought about the health risks!
@ahacksaw We’d never thought of it that way, either! That’s why I figured I’d put it out there! Although I guess it’s not technically a wild story… ehhhh. Still fits. Ish. Giggle
I have a chocolate lab who is the sweetest girl in the world. She is not a bolter and really weirdly knows her boundaries… she can be off leash with no issues. I put her on leash if there are strangers around, mostly to make them comfortable. They don’t know my dog and I shouldn’t expect them to be reassured by me saying ‘she’s fine’. Dog phobias are a thing and I completely respect that. This is my wife’s first dog and before we got Luna, she was TERRIFIED of big dogs. Now I’m starting to think we should have named her Shadow, because she never leaves my wife’s hip. We like to go off road a bit and Luna goes hard in the bush. I just got her a new tactical vest to protect her chest and undercarriage. She’s getting used to it and I’m planning on getting a GoPro on there when she gets used to the weight. Ummm… what was this poll about again?
My nearest dog park is usually deserted when I get there, or at most 1 or 2 dogs. Raven just walks around sniffing every square foot, so it’s not very exciting. I tried playing fetch a couple times, but I ended up doing the fetching.
Even at doggy daycare, she prefers to lie down and watch the other dogs. She walks around a little, but given that she’s 13 and has arthritis, I’m not surprised that she doesn’t play with the other dogs. She loves to go, and it gives me a break, so I don’t mind.
Took my black lab n my Dalmatian one time. My Dal was born deaf n he was 10yrs old and had Cushing’s disease. He peed on some.guys leg, i was so embarrassed i wanted to die. The guy was not mad at all, he actually laughed his ass off!! NEVER went back. Both my dogs passed in 2016 and it was so painful i CANNOT get another one! My heart is still broken. Now i only take care of feral cats. Whoch is strange cuz its just as heartbreaking!!!
@cristysue You’d have to be a madman to laugh if a dog pees on you!
@cristysue @SEGAStaRBiTS64
deafness in dalmatians is extremely common. Somthing like 30% of them are deaf or have significant hearing loss ( a blood supply to the cochlea issue I belive…)
@chienfou @SEGAStaRBiTS64 you are correct my friend. THATS WHY they became the Fire Dog which Most people dont know, cuz the sirens didnt bother them and they didnt howl(back in the day of course)!!
@cristysue @SEGAStaRBiTS64
Back when I was a member of the local VFD I had a pair of Dal mixed pups. Seemed like the thing to do at the time. The brickle spotted one was Dixie. The black spotted one was … NO, not spot!.. Ember.
@chienfou @SEGAStaRBiTS64 That is GREAT! I rescued both my Dals. 1st one Petey, was after the Disney cartoon 101 Dals movie-he was given up for being deaf. My 2nd one 10yrs later, Cody Bear was a Katrina survivor that was chained to a guard rail and he could have been Peteys twin. Same solid black eye & ear.Had to “donate” $500 to the farm that rescued him and $400 for his flight to NJ. BEST DOGS I EVER HAD!! They were just like labs, but with spots!! I miss them so much!!!
Great exercise for my dog, even better for otherwise-lazy me.
We used to take our young kids and our medium-sized dog - Australian shepherd mix - to the dog park which had a side for small snack-sized dogs and another side for larger peckish dogs; the sides were separated by a fence. Naturally, we were on the side less likely to be confused for prey. Some bimbo brings her two chihuahuas the our side of the park, which spend a ferocious amount of time attacking our dog as if it were bite-sized and they were T-Rexes. FINALLY my dog has enough and decides to make a chew toy out of one of them. My kids freak, this lady freaks, and there’s pandemonium in the dog park with the other dozen dogs out there. My son gets our dog to release the taco-sized slobber-dog and pulls her to our bench. The lady starts raving at us at which point my tiny little daughter sternly looks at the lady, points at the dividing fence, and yells, 'Hey! THAT side is for small dogs! If your dogs had been there, they wouldn’t have bothered our dog!" The lady stopped short, jerked, and looked at our daughter as if she’d grown three demon heads out of her neck, and remained speechless as we gathered our dog and belongs and left. We went back a few more times, but she never showed her face again.
@mythereal
/giphy applause
