Dog Parks — Pro or Con?
David Kohl © AP
Patches the dog, owned by James Kannedy of Kettering, Ohio, walks through a tunnel during his visit to the new leash-free park in Dayton, Ohio. Dog parks are “a great idea,” Boulder park ranger Matt Claussen said. “It works out great for exercise and sociability. But I think it’s turned into a free-for-all.”
Dog Parks are sprouting up across the US like wildflowers after a spring storm. This article from the Rocky Mountain News questions whether or not that’s such a good thing. What do you think? Bark in!
Dog parks have the fur flying in some cities
Leash-free areas fetch both fans, detractors as pet ownership grows
David Kohl © APDAYTON, Ohio - Iggy and Bear, two small, mixed-breed dogs, are racing through tunnels on the agility course and watering the trees at the city’s new dog park as their owners beam.
“This is fantastic,” said Bonnie Maschino, Iggy’s owner. “If he can come here and run loose, he gets better exercise than walking with me on a leash.” Dog parks have multiplied around the country, from 20 in 1995 to more than 600 today, to the delight of frolicking, unleashed pets and the consternation of opponents who fear wear and tear on property, dog fights or even deaths and loss of green space.
In Boulder, large dogs have killed smaller dogs at the parks. Pit bulls have been banned from dog parks in Nashville, Tenn., because they attacked other dogs. A proposal to set aside canine space in a Philadelphia park was roundly rejected by residents reluctant to allow a portion of the historic, heavily used property to go to the dogs.
Matt Claussen, a park ranger in Boulder, said putting a lot of dogs together in a fenced-in area can create a pack mentality.
“It can be very intimidating. I know of one where people won’t go anymore because they say it is so scary,” Claussen said. “It’s a great idea. It works out great for exercise and sociability. But I think it’s turned into a free-for-all.”
Dog parks are a product of increasing dog ownership, growing recognition that exercise and socializing can reduce canine misbehavior, and the lure of rubbing elbows with fellow dog lovers.
About 43.5 million U.S. households own at least one dog, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association.
That’s up from about 35 million in 1990.
Bob Vetere, president of the association, believes the popularity of dog parks will continue to grow as aging baby boomers buy dogs to cope with empty-nest syndrome.
The Dayton park opened in July, offering separate sections for large dogs and small dogs. There are tunnels, hurdles, wading pools and drinking bowls for the dogs, and tents and chairs for their owners. Other dog parks feature ponds, walking paths, fire hydrants, dog showers and lights.
In some cases, the parks are being built because of complaints about dogs.
Columbus is building four - the first in the city - after hearing that unleashed dogs in city parks were fighting, disrupting soccer games and tearing up flower beds.
“Dog issues by far and away are our most frequent complaint in our parks,” said Mark Young, assistant director of the Columbus Department of Recreation and Parks. “It’s off the chart.” Dog parks especially resonate in large cities, where there are numerous apartment dwellers, and many people can’t afford homes with large fenced-in yards.
But dog parks aren’t welcomed everywhere.
In Philadelphia, a community group voted by more than 3-to-1 in March against opening a dog park in Clark Park, nine acres of green space near the University of Pennsylvania that was established in the late 1800s. Studded with majestic sycamore trees and ringed by stately Victorian houses, the park has a statue of Charles Dickens and was the site of a Civil War hospital that treated wounded soldiers from the Battle of Gettysburg.
Some residents argued that a fenced-in area for dogs is needed because dog fighting had increased, some of the animals scared small children, and not all dog droppings were being scooped up.
Opponents said a dog park would gobble up valuable space used by people, and might destroy grass and trees and result in a high concentration of dog waste.
Creation of the parks has created controversy among some dog owners as well.
After Nashville banned pit bulls from its three dog parks in April, pit bull owners countered that the new rule was discriminatory.
“We knew it would not be a popular decision,” said Jackie Jones, superintendent of community affairs for Metro Parks.
Once the dog parks are built in Columbus - probably within 18 months - people won’t be able to let their dogs run off-leash in the public parks. Dog owners voiced their opposition to that rule during two years of hearings.
Vincent Volpi, 51, of Columbus, said dog parks are an unnecessary expense to taxpayers. He favors a leash law so dogs are under control in public parks.
“Every park in Columbus is effectively a dog park,” he said.
Volpi said he was nipped by a small dog while talking on his cell phone in a park last month and that his 3-year-old daughter has been accosted by dogs in the park.
“They’re being friendly, but these dogs are bigger than her,” he said. “Now she’s scared to death of dogs.”
Patrick Murphy, a Boulder-based plant ecologist who runs a small environmental consulting company, campaigned for several years against letting dogs run loose on nature trails in the Boulder area, saying they trampled vegetation and their droppings killed native vegetation and invited weeds. He used a global positioning device to pinpoint 1,492 piles of dog waste on one mile of a trail.
Murphy favors dog parks but said the animals are hard on them.
He said some dog parks in Boulder once had nice tall grass and now are mostly dirt and gravel.
“They’re going to be fairly high maintenance,” he said.
Despite some controversy, the parks are popular among dog owners who use them. Some dog lovers drink their lattes and chat among themselves or on cell phones while watching their dogs play.
“When you come, it’s automatic social time and there is always something to talk about,” said Maschino, 54, of Dayton. “It’s a show every time.”
Fun for Fido
Dog parks have grown in popularity around the country, from 20 in 1995 to more than 600 today.
• What are they? Fenced-in areas with agility courses, tunnels, hurdles, wading pools and other amenities so dogs can run free and play together.
• Downside: Dogfights, loss of green space in existing parks, wear and tear on the property and sometimes an expense to taxpayers.
I think dog parks are good for dogs, who otherwise wouldn’t get enough exercise or time outdoors. It is up to the humans to keep their dogs under control at the dog parks.
I think it depends on the park and its users. If the park has a dependable group of regular, responsible, committed users, it will self-police because none of them want to see someone ruining what they work so hard to maintain.
Dog parks that are fenced-in allow dogs to freely destroy one small area (and they will), while allowing all other areas of the park to remain dog-free. Places that don’t have leash laws and allow dogs to roam free aren’t “dog parks”, they’re just parks that need to reassess their regulations. A dog park is a special, fenced, segregated area in which dogs are allowed to exercise off-lead. If you don’t like dogs, don’t go there.
The biggest problem I see at my dog park are the owners! Owners need to understand some things about taking their dogs to the dog park:
1. Don’t bring treats. They will cause food fights.
2. Don’t keep your dog on its leash. Your dog will feel defensive and lash out.
3. Don’t freak out if all dogs congregate around your dog when you first come in the park. They just want to give him a sniff and see if they know him from somewhere.
4. Don’t bring your dog to the park if you don’t want him to play and interact with the other dogs. I’ve seen people yell and scream when other dogs try to play with theirs, causing all the dogs to get tense and overly-excited.
5. Please do not bring children to a dog park! Children often don’t know how to act around dogs, and if they do something to irritate the dog and the dog ends up hurting them, guess who gets in trouble (or worst case scenario, gets put down).
6. Dog parks are not suitable for all dogs. If your dog seems to get anxious or overly-aggressive with the other dogs everytime you take him to the park, try taking him for long walks instead.
I will only take my dogs to the park in the early mornings when there aren’t many people there because they are very protective of me and can’t deal with too many other dogs and people at once. I’ve learned from experience what works best for them. They love going to their dog park!
We city dwellers especially need dog parks. One thing I will say is that there should definately be seperate areas for the small and big dogs. I have personally seen a small dog killed by a big dog. It literally took two seconds and no one saw it coming. The little ones can get seriously hurt by a large dog even just in play, so I think this is essential. If people follow the rules of the dog park, it can be a great place for the dogs and the people to socialize.
I agree with Karen’s sensible suggestions! I go to Potso Dog Park in Tigard, OR, and there is a sign listing many of these suggestions as rules for park use. Of course there are irresponsible owners who don’t care what their dogs do (or doo-doo) but that is out of the norm for this park. This is a seperate Dog Park from a regular person park.
From attending other parks that are split , with an Off Leash area and times, or a seperate fenced Dog Park area , I think having a dedicated Dog Park is a better solution, if there is room. OK, in a perfect world!
I agree with Andrea on the small dog alternative area. We have separate areas for small dogs at all the dog parks in the area. I will add that I wish small dog owners would be cautious and keep their dogs in that area; my dogs could just step on a small dog by accident and hurt them.
I would also add that I think unspayed and unneutered dogs should not be allowed. One person brought his boxer in heat to the park and couldn’t understand why all of the males wouldn’t leave her alone. Duh! Also the majority of the fights are caused by two unneutered dogs whose owner thinks they are playing. Now that I think about it, I don’t think I have ever seen a dog fight started by a neutered male.
I was at the Dog Park here in Reno the other day and there were two males obviously both dominant that were instantly at each others throats, both trying to be boss. It was very uncomfortable and caused problems with all the dogs. Some owners (especially of unspade and unneutered dogs) need to realize their dogs do not belong at a dog park. It’s hard to understand why these owners do not see the problem and can’t feel the tension their animals cause.
I completely agree with what everyone has said here.
Dog parks are a necessity! I have a young Italian Greyhound, which means he needs to be able to RUN, full speed, at LEAST once a day. If he doesn’t get his “sprint time” in, he’s way more active at home, in my small apt.
Dogs should all be neutered if they come to the dog park. I don’t know why this isn’t a rule, or why people bring their unneutered dogs!
I go to dog parks everyday in the San Diego area, and I’ve seen several dog fights, but an unneutered dog was ALWAYS involved. Pets should be neutered anyway!
Also, I agree with what Karen said about people who bring their dogs but then get all psycho when other dogs/their dog tries to play. Dogs don’t have hands, they have mouths. My 12lb dog is very playful, and uses his mouth when he plays. He’s NEVER hurt another dog, and 99% of the time, the dog he’s tempting will play back. If they don’t, then I divert his attention to a dog that will play. I can’t stand when people get all crazy, “Your dog is attacking mine! OMG! AHH.”
Dogs are animals…let them play and run around!
Ilove pets Ilike play ing with them and Ilike geting virtul pets online
I agree with all of the points that Karen made, but I’d also like to reiterate a few things.
Dogparks are for dogs to socialize with other dogs, not for owners to socialize with other owners or talk on their cellphones. Owners are often too busy socializing with each other to notice when dogplay is escalating into a fight or that chases after smaller or more submissive dogs is actually becoming prey drive. Also, dogparks are great to throw a ball and allow dogs to run, but regular walks should be their primary form of exercise and getting outside.
Bringing an underexercised, overexcited dog to a dogpark, especially if that dog is also undersocialized and unneutered, is asking for trouble. The energy of the whole park changes when an unstable dog comes through the gate and attempts to dominate the other dogs, or when a pack of dogs enters and tries to territorialize the park. The owners who allow this are totally clueless about their own dogs and their nature as pack animals.
Can you imagine a dog’s terror in being chased or bullied by other dogs, when he’s clearly not enjoying play but instead running with tail behind legs, while his owner idly stands by doing nothing? I’d never bring my children to a playground and allow them to bully others or to be bullied themselves, but that’s essentially what some dog owners do.
Dogparks are a great idea in theory but often not in practice. I now only go there when it’s less crowded, on weekday afternoons if I can, when there are not only fewer dogs and greater space but more likeminded dog owners - and calmer dogs.
I completely agree with a great deal of the suggestions above. People must take responsibility for there dogs. However, I think it is unfair to generalize against unneutered male dogs. I have an unneutered male dog that I take to the dog park several times a week and he has never been anything but wonderful with the other dogs. The only times he has ever been snapped at was by a neutered dog on a leash that the owner identified as agressive and another neutered male that we saw snap at another neutered dog at the other side of the park. My dog loves the dog park and the opportunity to socialize and play with other dogs and it is dissappointing to hear that so many of the comments above think that unneutered dogs should be banned from park when they are well behave and just out to enjoy themselves with the rest of the dogs. Indeed I believe that the exposure our dog has had at the dog parks is a large part of the reason that he is so well behaved.
I live in Troy Oh, and i have heard of the dog park. I have not been to it because no one knew where it is. Can anybody email me at ch25d@yahoo.com and let me know where it is? Thanks a bunch! Christy
Christy,
You may want to check with some of the Dogsters in the Ohio-related groups. They may know something about the park.
I wish that the dogs at my local dog park were my problem. Dogs are not allowed, even on leash, at any time, in any of the many parks in my suburb!
I was planning on talking to the Director of Parks & Recs about winter on-leash access to at least 1 park, but those in the know laughed and said he was a hopelessly hard case and I needed to take it to City Council. Sigh…Any tips on advocacy here? I may only have 1 shot.
Unaltered dogs are NOT the problem in dogparks! Unsocialized dogs who are owned by less than authoritative owners ARE the problem. My dogs are not neutered because they are show dogs. They are THE most well behaved animals in the whole damn park and I’ll stake my name and reputation to that. So don’t overgeneralize, folks. Just learn to be your “pack leader” as Caesar says. With that said, there are certain neutered boys who will just not let go of the fact that they have lost their “junk”… they always cause problems. In such situations, it is especially important for them to be owned by strong-willed individuals who are not going to stand for their shows of aggression. Not suburban housewives with no backbone and three children in tow.