I've just recently started taking my three dogs to the dog park regularly. It is an interesting place and there are all kinds of rules. As soon as you walk in there is a disclaimer on the gate that basically says if you or your dog are hurt here the city is not to blame. So ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK!
5 feet further in and there is a big sign with all the rules posted. I have discovered that some people are sticklers for the rules and others, not so much.
One rule, that I think is a no brainer, is that no dogs in heat are allowed. Of course there isn't anyone doing a little female check as they come in and so it's an honor system. Last week when I took my 2 neutered males and one spayed female, there was a yorkie there. There weren't any other dogs at the time. She came running up and greeted us as soon as we came in. I sat on bench near the lady who was her owner and we started chatting.
She told me that when she had shown up, there were 3 other yorkies there. For some reason they didn't get along with her dog and there was a lot of growling and dominance play. I gave her my best dog whisperer imitation and talked about packs, etc. Then it came out that her dog was in heat. I told her she really shouldn't have her here, that it can cause all kind of aggresive and erratic behavior. Besides not all dogs (hers for example) are neutered and she could end up pregnant. She didn't seem overly concerned.
Her dog seemed really interested in my dog, Dobbie. He was a stud dog for four years before I got him and had him neutered. She kept following him around and pestered him and pestered him. Pretty soon he got really interested in her and kept trying to make babies. It was embarrassing and rather annoying. The lady said "At least he knows how to do it."
People walking by kept laughing at them, as I kept saying "Dobbie No!" How do you tell him no when it's perfectly instictual and they are off leash running around.
Finally the lady got tired of it and took her home. I was very relieved.
When we went home, Tess and Winston looked like they had a regular play day at the dog park. I couldn't help thinking that Dobbie looked a little smug like he had been on a date!
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3 comments:
Well, at least he was on a well chaperoned date! Are you an enforcer of the rules? You should have read that woman the riot act and booted her and her dog out of the park. I would have! (well no I wouldn't have, but in my make-believe world, I can actually stand up to people.)
This totally cracked me up Suzanne.
You know, I just tried to tell her that it really wasn't a good idea for her to have her there. I wasn't real forceful. I told her some of the negative things that could happen. Shannon always sounds tough when she tells me stories of the dog park. She's an enforcer.
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