Hey, I never said any of you had to agree with me. I never said any of you were "bad dog owners." I never said anything about any of you; I specifically said, several times in fact, that I was talking about my dogs, my personal experience and preferences.
I also said, specifically, that I own small dogs, and therefore I have to take these issues more seriously than someone who owns a large dog. Simple physics - if a dog weighs ten pounds it is going to be in much more danger, even from simple "rough play" than a dog that weighs 100 pounds.
I gave my reasons for not taking my dogs to a dog park, and I listed two dogs that I personally knew that were killed at dog parks, one of them who weighed 80 pounds, and one who weighed 15 pounds.
What you choose to do with you own dogs is certainly your own business. And what I choose to do with my own dogs is certainly my business.
Just because someone states an opinion that doesn't necesarily match your opinion, doesn't mean that they are attacking you. It simply means you have differing opinons. Pretty simple.
I know we dont really have a problem with "bad apples" because we dont have a dog park, a bunch of dog lovers get together at certain times at chosen parks to play, basicly that lady with a chow mix would not know the "play groups" existed.
That's exactly what we do. A group of us that are friends, know each other, and know each others' dogs get together and let them all play. We all trust each other and each other's dogs.
I never said or implied that I never let my dogs around other people's dogs. I simply pick and choose who I let me dogs around. There is no way I am taking one of my fifteen pound dogs to a public dog park and letting her off leash with twenty or so dogs that are five times her size, without knowing anything about the people or the dogs. It's the equivelant of putting a three year old in a professional football game. To me, this is basic common sense. No one need be offended by it, or read more into it than was said.
"We give dogs the time we can spare, the space we can spare and the love we can spare. And in return, dogs give us their all. It's the best deal man has ever made" - M. Facklam
"We are raised to honor all the wrong explorers and discoverers - thieves planting flags, murderers carrying crosses. Let us at last praise the colonizers of dreams."- P.S. Beagle
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes a fire shall be woken, A light from the shadows shall spring; Renewed shall be blade that was broken, The crownless again shall be king." - J.R.R. Tolkien
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