Sounds like these people are giving human attributes to their dogs.

Dogs will act like dogs. And they will do some very nasty things. The "husky" was afraid because if the greyhound had got him down the other dogs would have jumped in the frey. When one dog goes down the rest will jump on the downed dog. It's a dog thing. So the "husky" was justified to be afraid.

Personally, I'm not surprised that there aren't more problems at dog parks. Some owners are clueless.

I think you handled yourself very well, considering the situation. I hope these people take heed and don't come to the park when others are around. I've never met an aggressive greyhound before- weird. He need CONTROLLED socialization.

Was the other dog a jindo perhaps?

Sounds all too familiar. We get the same type of people at our dog park occasionally, the ones who think the rules don't apply to them.

Meghane, I've never met an aggressive greyhound either. This dog was very muscular, much like

and even taller. I seriously doubt these people will take heed. They were totally oblivious. I mean what dog owner would let that happen and not DO something and APOLOGIZE?!! I still get upset thinking about it. The other weird thing was that aside from their ignorance, they were really quite soft spoken. They never raised their voices or got angry back at us. Their demeanor was actually creepy. If you ever saw the movie "The Devil's Advocate", that's what they reminded me of. Quiet evil. Outwardly nice and normal, but that they could morph into a terrifying looking face in a second, then right back to normal the next second, like Tamara Tunie did in the film. (that sounds a little histrionic perhaps, but they were just strange.)

I remembered the other dog's breed: An American Indian Dog, which I have never heard of before. It looked a lot like {{gwi:2010088}} although the one in that pic is smaller. She was a large, sweet, and beautiful dog. In fact I wanted to take her home with me :)

housefairy - what you said about a downed dog is likely right and quite chilling. I have witnessed dog fights (more like scuffles) before, but the owners were always right there and quickly had their dogs under control.

I really hope the city revokes their tags or at least limits them to only being in the park if it is empty. If I ever see them again, I'm going to tell them that if they come into the park I will call the police. We thought about that yesterday, but one person felt that they wouldn't do anything unless the dog had actually bitten someone or another dog. In retrospect, I think the police would have asked them to leave, seeing as how EVERYONE else at the park was so upset.

Please don't be concerned about the muzzle. Responsible greyhound owners always muzzle their dogs when they run. It's a protocol because greys are 'mouthy.' I muzzle my own greys in the backyard because they do not have the thick fur which protects other breeds from the occasional playful nip. And they become competitive when they run.

I don't think you witnessed agression - you witnessed prey drive. Which is a very different thing. Some greys have very strong prey drive and your dogs were the prey yesterday. Not good. I agree that the particular grey should have been called back immediately and should not run with other dogs. It also sounds like he was not just muscular but overweight. The photo you linked was of an overweight greyhound :) Greys are not supposed to look like labs. Definitely report this, and I hope you have some id on the owners and their dogs, as most greyhound owners are responsible. These folks definitely weren't.

By the way, I don't take my greys to dog parks anymore because of the horrible behaviors of other breeds in the park. My dogs are very well socialized, but have short fur and are too easily damaged by the claws (most people don't keep their dogs nails trimmed) of other 'playful dogs.' My biggest complaint though is the owners of small dogs who take their dogs into the 'large dog' side of the park and say 'oh but my dog LOVES big dogs.' With no thought to the fact that their white fluff ball looks like a stuffy to larger dogs.

I do hope that the city is able to take action on your complaint. Not about the breed, but about the particular owners and their uncontrolled dog.

dogs should be treated like dogs, i think the grayhounds pictured themselves as domonent, rulers of the household, because the two elders treated the animals like kids. this is a no no

call the police or report to the local athorites, such big dogs shouldnt be owned by such people, they need to have their dogs taken away from them before somebuddy gets hurt or someones kid is attacked. The "husky mix" could have been a wolfdog, they look alot like hustkies and so idiots cross them regularly, they ( Wolfdogs) are alot more common then you may think, I myself have seen 3 in person.

I agree with Cynthia on the muzzle. My FIL has a greyhound who raced - he's also extremely timid and shy - until he gets his Muzzle on. They rescued him, he hadn't had the best treatment before.

He's nippy when he plays, which from what I understand and Cynthia confirmed, is a greyhound trait. But, this little guy is fearful and afraid until he's got a muzzle on - comfort thing, I guess.

Anyways - there is a reason we stopped taking our dogs to the dog park. It's unfortunate that a few bad apples can ruin the whole thing.

Last time we took the two together - and older retriever was off leash, not listening. Our guys were on their leashes - the golden came up to our guy, immediately went after him snarling and biting, big guy tried and tried to just back away and walk away, he snarled once but we pulled them apart before he could fight back - and the owners blamed US because he is a pit mix. That's what people shouldn't own *those* dogs, is what they said.

I'm not willing to risk my guy's life and putting another black mark on an already suffering breed, because other owners are irresponsible.

Anyways - I hope the owners of the greyhound have realized he needs to be properly socialized and not just left to his own devices, before he should be allowed in the park off leash. And I hope you and your fur babies are able to keep going.

Such stories are exactly why my dogs don't go to dog parks

Lisa

Unbelievably, another bad day at the park due to STUPID people. There were 3 girls out there today - I'm guessing no more than 10 years old. You are not supposed to bring children younger than 12 into the park. On top of that, the parents were NOT watching them. They were running around in the middle of the park, and it was the large dog side. WTF??!!! Add to the mix an owner that was not watching their herding dog. One of the girls got bitten. It was not severe, but she GOT BITTEN. Come to find out, the dog has a HISTORY of biting! The owner said the dog had bitten her and her father. What is wrong with these people?!! Both parties were at fault, and I was actually madder at the parents for bringing CHILDREN into a dog park, especially the large dog area. What were they thinking? To top it off, they DID NOT LEAVE after the incident! Sure, they kept the girls close, but did they not think that perhaps their daughter was a bit traumatized and should be taken home??!! And needed MEDICAL ATTENTION?!! The dog punctured the skin - at the very least you need to CLEAN the wound!

Then some guy comes in with *his* kid and dog. The kid was also too young to be in there, and the dog was a 7 month old shitzu. They brought it into the large dog side. More stupidity. I told this guy that his kid was underaged, and his tiny dog was going to get injured or eaten, and that maybe he should think about going over to the small dog side. Turns out he is not even a member. I guess he entered with someone else.

Oh, and in between all of this, a woman comes with her two dobermans. There was nobody in the small dog side, and that's where she put her dogs. All they did was run up and down the fence that divides the two sections, barking like mad and riling up all the other dogs. I learned from a regular that this is what she does. She knows not to let her dobes in the big dog side because they cause problems. Not sure if they have hurt other dogs, but IMO, they were a nuisance even though, (or *because*), they were separated from the other dogs. I wonder what she does if there are dogs in both areas.

This is a park I just joined - you have to pay to have access. The park I used to go to was free, and I never ran into stuff like this. The worst thing that happened there was people who didn't pick up their dog's poop, or the occasional unneutered male we had to kick out. If a fight broke out, the owners were right there to break it up.

I am really disappointed. This park is less than 10 minutes away, and the other one is nearly 30 minutes. I'm going to give it some more time, and stay on the small dog side.

I just took toots to the dog park for the first time today. There was poop all over the place and an unneutered male bullying everyone...his owner kept him in check so there were no problems. But I got home and toots had a flea on her. Toots had a blast though and got along well with everyone people and dogs, I would hate to deny her going back, but After hearing all these stories I'm wondering if its just not better to keep my baby home.

I think being cautious and observant is key. Go there some more on different days/different times and see how things generally work. I am not feeling great about the one I just joined, but the other one was overall great.

I am surprised there was poop everywhere - from my experience, people are VERY quick to tell someone that their dog pooped. Just in case they weren't watching OR in case they weren't planning on picking it up.

I am even more surprised that nobody kicked the unneutered male out, especially since he was a bully. No dog park I know of allows unfixed dogs, male or female. If membership is not required, then it falls to the dog owners to police themselves and others. I am normally not a confrontational person, but I have no problem approaching those who are not following dog park rules. (well, except today when I didn't tell the parents to get their little girls out. wish I would have now.)

What kind of dog is Toots?

Tootsie is an english bulldog. Very small for her breed though...only 45 pounds and fully grown. Membership was not required and its a pretty big park...the dog part is just a part so there were lots of dogs there. We met a couple there who had two well behaved and well maintained dogs so we have decided to set up puppy play dates for toots. We'll still check out the dog park a couple more times, but today I saw dogs that weren't fixed, nails that weren't properly trimmed and owners who were oblivious. I did not hover over toots, I know I must sound like an over protective mother but one swat with a long nail and there goes an eye and a lifetime of eye care bills. Toots really enjoyed herself though so I will go again. Maybe during the day when there are less people around. Below is a pics of my baby :)

Oh, what a sweetie! I love how soft bulldogs feel when you pet them :)

And I don't think you are overprotective at all. I am very protective of mine, and they are always either near me or within view. The minute I think a dog is being too rough, be it mine or another owner's, I'm there.

She is extremely soft...DH loves how they always just seem so comfortable and melt into everything when they sleep. She is even softer than other bullies though....at least from what everyone at the bully olympics said...we think it her food. SHe is very shiny :-) I'm glad to hear I'm not being "crazy" she just seems so small to me...when that big dog was pawing at her today she just kept trying to go away. I wanted to go over there (not sure what I could do as the big dog weighed twice as much as I do), but one of the other people said the guy controls his dog and sure enough before I headed over there he had in dog in check. It all worked out but what would I do if someone wasn't as mindful of their dog.

You should worry. As evidenced by this thread, there are definitely people who are not mindful of their dogs. Doesn't the park you went to have a "small dog" side? The small dog side is also ok for not-so-small dogs that are gentle and harmless. I used to take my collie/shepherd mix into the small dog side at the other park. She is very old and pretty much just stands next to me or sniffs around - no threat to any dog. Can't take her to the new park though - it's a 1/4 mile walk from the parking lot, and she has pretty bad arthritis so I don't want to make her walk that far.

Unfortunately while she is very friendly she is also extremely clumsy and loves to play, she falls alot and jumps up and I;m afraid she would hurt a little dog....although she did play with a puppy recently and she just let it climb all over her so who knows. We will try it.

Ahhh dog parks....my pet peeve - Owners who do not have handle on their dogs and refuse to control thier dogs behavior think it is a playground for their dogs. I have seen a greyhounds flank opened up by a mix breed dog, 108 stitches and the mixed breed dogs owners response - oh just put some hydrogen peroxide on it....geez. I have literally "attacked" an agressive dog. leaving EVERYONE within half a mile shaken. I WILL NOT put up with a dog with a bad attitude and if an owner refuses to control their dog I WILL JUMP THE DOG AND TAKE IT TO THE GROUND. I have done this before. I dont care if I get bit. Usually the dog is so stunned they walk away in shame. I have been bit - I dont care. I would rather get bit myself than pay for vet bills. If the dog is still agressive, I will walk over to the owner spray a little blood around and let them know if I ever see them around again I will have the authoritites take their dog away and deem it as dangerous for biting me. You guys did the right thing. If you see them again I suggest someone block the entry gate and someone else call the authoirities...

I am another person who will not go to dog parks. Usually stupid people are the reason. The other reason is some people think they own the park and make a million 'rules' that nobody in their right mind could know all of them, but that is probably just so they can 'control' the park to their liking. There is just too much possibility of my dog being hurt or attacked. Weed, truthfully, with those stories why on earth do you keep going back? I would find a safer alternative. Life is too short to have that type of stress on a daily basis.

Duane

I have never been to a dog park and your post lists all the reasons why I won't go to one in the future. Too many crazy people out there. Plus all the rules. Like Duane said, how would you know the rules. Are they posted somewhere? Do you get a handout when you walk into a park?

You said, "They did not unleash the dogs, instead walked into the fenced area with them on leashes. (first no-no in a dog park.)" As I said before, I don't know dog park rules. Why is that such a "no-no"?

Leashed dogs in an area full of unleashed dogs are likely to become defensive - and are unable to get away while leashed if the entire dog park decides to come for a sniff and say hi. It sets a bad precedent and mood right from the get go.

Our dog park is leash-optional. No part of it what so ever is fenced. You unfortunately see all too many people panicked trying to find fido because they just assumed fido knows not to go too far.

We leashed ours at all times. Not because I didn't think they'd stay with us - we have them off leash all the time outside of the park, when we go camping and such, and they're fine. But at our parks you see far too many dogs who have escaped their owners - and I don't want to be put in a position to defend my dogs when the other owners weren't even there to witness anything that happened.

The second last time we ever went - big guy got cornered by two large huskies. We had sat down at a bench and the dogs were lying at our feet. Having a water break, it was hot out. Up come these two huskies and they started to circle big guy and spike up. They were snarling and growling. And he was cowering - which he hardly ever does. He'll puff up usually and stand up for himself but I could tell even he knew he wouldn't win this battle if it came down to it.

So there we had over 300 pounds of dog between the three of them - ready to break out in a scrap - and no owners in sight for the huskies. 2 of us to wrangle 4 dogs all together, two of which were very angry.

I had to put my little self inbetween the huskies and our big guy, while my boyfriend was poised and ready to get our little one and the big guy outta there should something happen. Then the owners come trotting along and go "Oh, there you guys are! Making friends I see!"

I have to admit I didn't exactly handle it with the most friendly language. But it was literally the first time I was afraid big guy would be hurt badly. Usually I am worried that if the owner doesn't come along soon, big guy will hurt their dog - but this time I KNEW they'd do some severe damage to him if anything happened.

It would be nice if obedience schools had dog parks of their own - where only members who have completed (and passed) their training would be allowed in. At least then you could expect a certain level of obedience. I think everyone would feel more comfortable then.

The rules are posted at the entrance to the dog park. There aren't a lot of rules, and most dog parks have the same ones.

munkos is right - Taking a leashed dog into a fenced dog park with all the other dogs off leash can create defensive/protective behavior in the leashed dog.

Why do I go back? It is great exercise and socialization for my dogs, and they have a ball. I experienced a problem twice at the dog park I used to go to, and one of them was my fault. I am hoping that this weekend at the new park was a fluke, and as mentioned I'll be staying on the small dog side.

I really think all in all, you handled the situation fairly well. The offenders left and no dogs were hurt.

Conflict arose and it was handled.

Good news: I've already received a reply from the city, and they are going to contact the greyhound owners. Not sure what they are going to do, possibly just give a warning, but at least the city is responsive.

For Duane and aptosca, if interested, here are the dog park rules:

1. Owners are legally responsible for their dogs and any injuries or damages caused by their dogs.
2. All dogs must be spayed or neutered.
3. Dog feces (and/or dog waste) must be cleaned up and properly disposed of by owners immediately. Waste bags are provided by the City.
4. All dogs must be on a leash until inside the double gated entry area. Dogs must be unleashed before entering the fenced off-leash play area.
5. Dog owners must carry a leash at all times, closely supervise their dogs and at no time may the owner leave the fenced area without his/her dog.
6. Gates must be closed except when entering or exiting the off-leash area.
7. Dogs must wear a current Dog Park tag and current rabies vaccination tags.
8. Dogs must be under voice control at all times
9. Owners must stop dogs from digging and must fill any holes caused by their dogs.
10. Pinch, spike and choke collars must be removed prior to entering the fenced off-leash area.
11. No children under ten (10) years of age allowed; older children must be under adult supervision. Dog handlers/owners must be 16 years of age.
12. Any dog causing a potentially dangerous situation must be removed from the park by its owner immediately.
13. No climbing on or over the fence.
14. No smoking or tobacco use inside the fenced area.

The following are not allowed in the fenced area of the dog park:

1. Aggressive dogs or dangerous dogs as defined in the Municipal Code.
2. Dogs that are ill or injured.
3. Puppies under six months of age
4. Animals other than dogs
5. Alcoholic beverages, food, dog treats, rawhide or glass containers
6. Bicycles, skateboards, roller skates or blades, or any motorized vehicles, other than wheelchairs/scooters.

Weed, I work with dogs all day, and sometimes have as many as a dozen at my house. I rarely have had a problem. And I totally understand you wanting to utilize a dog park, and shouldn't be scared off by an occasional idiotic human. There are a couple in my area. One of them you must take a class conducted by the city on rules, regulations and I imagine they evaluate your dogs and their sociability factor. They give you electronic fobs to access the gates. Very well done and I haven't personally been there because I don't live in that ritzier part of town :-)

The one in my city is a disaster waiting to happen. All it takes to belong is 5.00 and proof of vaccinations. Then you get a key which someone every day unlocks the padlock to the gate and throws the lock into the woods. Nice, eh? They have a lot of stumps that are very small from cutdown trees and I tripped once and almost broke my neck. People bring in 5-6 large dogs at a time and let them run (which is the point of the park, I know) but they then turn into a pack mentality and I was afraid for my meek 12 year old Lab. He always was submissive and he was scared, I could tell. So I won't go back. The people there were very cliquish too and didn't welcome anyone from outside their 'group'. Nope, not going back in this lifetime.

Duane

The one in my town is nice and clean and is divided into small dog/large dog sections. The small dog section is never a problem. I see fights happening in the big dog section. But they are not tolerated and squelched quickly by owners. I don't go anymore because Odo isn't interested any more.

Too bad yours isn't that good Weed. Maybe find some neighbors to organize playdates with? Or use a professional doggy daycare for socialization?

Weed, posted rules are for thosee who care about paying attention to the rules. It is always those who have no control over their dog and who could not care less about the rules who are going to be trouble. I have seen dog owners completely ignore their dogs while at the park - they preferred to have everyone else watch their dogs while they read the paper and chat over coffee....

and just because there are rules doesn't mean everyone will follow them,. dogs are dogs its the people who turn them into people that are responsible. know your dog parks and try your best to stop issues

Sadly dog parks are needed because dogs as a species need to run around and get a lot of exercise,they also need to be with other dogs. its either abusive( limiting a pack animal of dog to dog playtime excerise and social interaction) or illegal( in the sense that you cant just let your dog run free in most areas) not to take a dog to one if you live in the city. if your dog cannot be with other dogs due to fear, it is unhappy its physic damaged and its existence should be questioned if of course nothing can be done at its as abnormal for a dog to just not like,avoid dogs as it is for a human to be a murderer. ( we have a dog thats like this, she's way under socialized and was abused in the past). not aggressive or anything, just doesn't like dogs, unless they are way smaller then her physically or like her have simialar issues- edda,my pcas dog had the same neglected back ground.. different life but probably the same.