Dog parks - yes or no?

hm.. I also have mixed feelings about dog parks. I don't think some people can be trusted to be able to assess their own dogs sociability ~ some people think, as long as my dog hasn't attacked another dog, they can go into the dog park. Some people think the dog park is a place to bring any dog, period. Dog parks are good for dogs who love all other dogs, or dogs who are completely neutral to others and just want to play ball or whatever. That's why I dont take Gonzo to dog parks anymore :) to me, the reason he can't go to dog parks anymore is because of the first thing I mentioned ~ idiots who think just because they're dog is a dog (even if she will attack another dog in a second) they can go to the dog park freely! There is no way that you, as owners of friendly dogs, can know for sure that all of the unknown dogs in there aren't hyper-dominant and aggressive, unless you go to an awesome park that screens all dogs before they can play there (which should be required, IMHO!!).

Here's what my experience has been : Ever since I first got Gonzo, when he was over 6 months old, I took him to dog parks. He was great at first! He generally flocked toward the herding pups, because the only dog he ever knew growing up were other BC's, but he would play with just about any dog. Then, he got pinned down by a very aggressive black Lab, which scared the crap out of him. After that, I rarely ever took him to the dog park except to meet people and dogs that I knew. His herding drive also kicked in... and if there were dogs in the front that were chasing a ball, he'd chase after them, even though he's never nipped a dog or made any contact some non-herding-breed-educated people hate that and have told me to leave ;) another reason we don't go to dog parks anymore. Then, just recently, he was really badly attacked by a Rottie ~ like, I thought he might die just because of all the blood. He wasn't even paying attention to the Rottie, he was way out of her way and she basically came up, challenged him, then attacked him. Now, he's generally freaked out about Rotties (even though he grew up with a Rottie :() which is another reason I don't take him to dog parks anymore. So, basically what they say about dog parks making dogs more aggressive is very true in my case. He's awesome with dogs that he knows, but like me, he is wary of large dogs that he does not know (only large dogs, dogs around his weight and under he almost automatically loves. And, he has never had a problem with calm larger dogs ~ its mostly energetic Labby-types that he feels threatened by.)

I DO take him to a 'dog park' at my local park, that is on Sunday mornings and organized by people that I'm good friends with. I know ALL of the dogs and people there, there's only about 20, and I'm extremely cautious about newcomers. I just don't trust people anymore -.-