OOOOOOOHHHHH..... So frustrated.

[pessimisaurus]

first of all, which park were you at just out of curiosity?

I totally feel your pain. it angers me to no end when I see the typical young "gangster" type men with their INTACT pits, ON LEASH (usually with a prong collar to make it worse!), at the dog park. its all about image.

thankfully in the city Ive found the vast majority of pits are owner by responsible, knowledgeable owners and I have rarely seen any issues at magnuson with pits because of this. go to everett or south seattle, like at genessee, and its a totally different story.. though in the bad areas its the owners, and you see crap happen with all different breeds there.

[pessimisaurus]

"I was wondering who is responsible in case of a dog fight since all dogs are off leash? How would it be handled? I'm not the greatest fan of pitts but this would be enough to frighten me right out of the park.
Makes you wonder why the owner would be so irresponsible with all the talk and bans re the pitts. I would think pitt owners would do their best to impress people with the friendliness of their dogs???"

Im a very frequent dog-parker, and have been going several times a week for 5 years. I have never witnessed a fight that drew blood in my life. for the most part the people who go are dog lovers and very dog saavy and their dogs are well socialized and have good social skills and thus settle scuffles safely. I love that seattle has so many dog parks, and I think they are definetley worth any of the risks. however its up to responsible owners to keep their dogs from causing trouble, and keeping a close eye for potential trouble and avoiding it when it pops up- like she did with Noba.

and the people who do crap like that owner, are the people who own pit bulls for the wrong reasons. they could care less about the fate of our breed. if pit bull breeds were banned, these people who just move on to the next "tough & scary" breed.

[mike001]

Thanks Pessimissarus. I get it, if the owners are irresponsible it would be the only time there would be trouble, so I guess I'm still envious of all of you who have dog parks. Probably most owners care enough to see that their dog is well behaved. You are probably right about the pitt owners letting their dog get away with this, it's the macho type image they want and would move on to the next breed if pitts were banned. Sad that some people ruin it for everybody.

[Giselle]

Trust me. I feel your pain. Much as I love the socialization benefits of dog parks, I can't help but gripe at some of the truly idiotic owners.

BEFORE people go to dog parks, they need to understand dog behavior and the risks involved. For example, if the park is clearly divided into a big dog section and a small dog section, bring your dog to the appropriate section. You don't see Great Danes lounging in the small dog park. Likewise, fluffy-white-rabbit-looking dogs like Shih Tzus don't belong in big dog parks. Furthermore, people need to understand what is play behavior and when it will escalate into a fight. Unfortunately, most park goers in my area are either hypersensitive or completely apathetic. In your case, the owner definitely needs a bit of schooling on that part.

Sorry you had a bad experience Noba's Mom, but we all feel your pain. You did the right thing by taking yourself out of the situation. There isn't much else we can do besides educate.

[Nobas Mom]

first of all, which park were you at just out of curiosity?

I totally feel your pain. it angers me to no end when I see the typical young "gangster" type men with their INTACT pits, ON LEASH (usually with a prong collar to make it worse!), at the dog park. its all about image.

thankfully in the city Ive found the vast majority of pits are owner by responsible, knowledgeable owners and I have rarely seen any issues at magnuson with pits because of this. go to everett or south seattle, like at genessee, and its a totally different story.. though in the bad areas its the owners, and you see crap happen with all different breeds there.

I live in Silverdale and take him to the one in Poulsbo... the pitties that usually go to the park are sweet and friendly, but their owners are always on alert in case something irritates them. We haven't had any major problems at that park and I've been going there for over a year. YOu're lucky, you live up near Seattle and have easier access to marymoor and magnusson... I would love to be able to take Noba hound there all the time... Hopefully, this was a one time deal at the park. Most of the "regulars" there won't stand for stupidity!!

[pessimisaurus]

BEFORE people go to dog parks, they need to understand dog behavior and the risks involved. For example, if the park is clearly divided into a big dog section and a small dog section, bring your dog to the appropriate section. You don't see Great Danes lounging in the small dog park. Likewise, fluffy-white-rabbit-looking dogs like Shih Tzus don't belong in big dog parks. Furthermore, people need to understand what is play behavior and when it will escalate into a fight. Unfortunately, most park goers in my area are either hypersensitive or completely apathetic. In your case, the owner definitely needs a bit of schooling on that part.

yes yes yes! I agree 1000%! its sad to hear stories about dogs hurting each other, dogs killing small dogs etc, but its up to the owners on all sides of the stories to be KNOWLEDGABLE and responsible. I *love* my local park Magnuson because it has a small dog area. Its the only one I know of that does and I think thats so important and hope others will follow suit.

live in Silverdale and take him to the one in Poulsbo... the pitties that usually go to the park are sweet and friendly, but their owners are always on alert in case something irritates them. We haven't had any major problems at that park and I've been going there for over a year. YOu're lucky, you live up near Seattle and have easier access to marymoor and magnusson... I would love to be able to take Noba hound there all the time... Hopefully, this was a one time deal at the park. Most of the "regulars" there won't stand for stupidity!!

thats good to hear that usually you have good experiences! and it sounds like you have good people at your park too, its same same at mag & marymoor- the regulars will not put up with idiots and have learned to speak up when necessary. I imagine thats one of the main reasons I havent yet witnessed anything serious at either park (since those are the only 2 I go to!) and yeah, marymoor especially is so worth the drive. I used to go all the way there from everett. when I was in capitol hill my apt was only a few mins from 520 so it was really quick and easy to get there, now magnuson is closer to me so we usually go there, but I try to make it to marymoor at least once a week. it was actually voted best dog park in the country by the BARk magazine!