Taste Great – Less Filling

“Her husband, Michael Pack, took the dog there and was preparing to leave when a dog walker came in with the ridgeback, named Lucius, and another large dog. Tampa police reports say Lucius sniffed Moby as he entered the dog park, returned to sniff him once more, then seized the 10-pound dog by the neck.”

This is a small Dog Park, actually classified as a Dog Run, with no separation between large and small dogs.   I think it best that there always have separation between large and small dogs.  Some small dogs look and act like prey.  Big dogs can step on or knock over small dogs.

Although details are hazy, it appears to me that the incident occurred near the entrance of the dog park. I feel that entrances to Dog Parks are the most dangerous places in the park.  It is an area of tension.  Dogs that are excited or anxious are coming in.  It can be a tight area and often there are other dogs at the entrance, raising anxiety.  Dogs are coming off or going on leashes.   It is a place I am always more careful with my dogs.  It is also a place people should not hang around with their fogs.  Dogs need to come in and out of the entrance area without incident.

It also does not appear the person who brought  Lucius to the dog park did anything to help. ”Pack tried to free his pet — grabbing Lucius by the mouth.  He told police the big dog bit him on the hand and then bit 8-year-old Moby again. Pack jumped on Lucius who dragged him 5 feet before getting loose and biting Pack on the leg.”  I often see two kinds of people at dogs parks.  Those who pay close attention to their dog and their dogs behavior, who intervene when something happens; and those who just stand around like  bump on the log unwilling or unable to do anything.  This second group of people help make a dog park a dangerous place.

Other dog parks across the country had deaths due to dog on dog attacks.

November 2009 – Buffalo, New York - Dog’s Death At Dog Park Serves As Warning “Miles, an eight-month-old Yorkie  . . . Hall made a decision she will always regret. She let her five-pound pooch make his first visit to a separate running area that generally accommodates larger dogs. Until Sunday, Miles had always frolicked in an adjacent area reserved for dogs that weigh less than 30 pounds. On this evening, the special area was empty, and she wanted Miles to have company.  “Miles wasn’t afraid of big dogs,” said Hall, her voice shaking. “He loved to play with the bigger dogs.” The Yorkie was playing with several other dogs, none of them very large or aggressive, according to Hall. She said what happened next is a blur, but she recalls Miles being stepped on and instantly falling to the ground. At first, she thought he just had the wind knocked out of him or — in a worst-case scenario — was paralyzed. But after she and another Barkyard patron rushed the dog to an emergency clinic, reality set in. Miles’ tiny neck had likely been crushed as the dogs played, she said.

Problem: “People need to see my dumb mistake,” the distraught owner said. “They need to understand that when their dogs are playing, they have to consider the size of other dogs. I knew it, but I never recognized the importance of that until now.”

June 2008 – Stow, Ohio – Puppy dies from reported dog attack at Bow Wow Beach “A 4 1/2 month-old Maltese/poodle mix was killed June 7 after being attacked by a standard poodle . . . Gsellman claims a standard poodle charged her from behind while she was holding her dog, Sophie, knocking the puppy out of her hands.  She claims the standard poodle bit Sophie on the neck . . . ”

Problem: “Gsellman said she was making her way to the small-dog area of the park during the incident, explaining that section of the facility cannot be accessed without first going through the large-dog section.”

Solution: Stow Parks and Recreation Director Nick Wren said the parks department plans to install a separate entrance into the small-dog area that “would be adjacent to the small-dog area.”

Also perhaps the victim dog was too young to be in the park.  Tampa’s rules prohibit dogs younger than 6 months  (Hillsborough County is 4 months.)

April 2008 -Hillsboro, Oregon -Police will look into dog’s death at park

“Allie, a landscape contractor who lives in the West Union area outside Hillsboro, said she was at Hondo Dog Park about 1:30 p.m. Friday with her 6-pound Pomeranian, Clyde, and her 55-pound Samoyed puppy, Oona. The four-acre park has a separate fenced area for small and timid dogs, but Allie said she brought her dogs into the general-use area, where she’d never seen problems before. Allie said Clyde was yappy but friendly and didn’t have a history of fights. Clyde was standing alone, Allie said, when she saw him react nervously to a large black dog. Some bystanders described it as a Rottweiler, Allie said, although she doubts it was. Before Allie could pick up Clyde, the other dog clamped its jaws around Clyde’s body and shook him, Allie said. ”After I started screaming, everybody came and helped get my dog out of that dog’s jaws,” Allie said.

Problem and solution according to the Parks Dept. “She emphasized that owners are required to take responsibility for their dogs and leave if they become aggressive, as stated in rules posted at the park. ”We hope that people will be even more vigilant in watching over their dogs,” she said.”

Other stories:
Dog Park violence on the rise

Pet death shows dog park danger

Tiny Dog Killed By Larger Animal At Dog Park

Does your dog park have the rules about children posted?

Children under age six are not allowed at the Lutz dog park, yet I have seen parents bring toddlers inside and let them play willy-nilly while a pack of big dogs tears around,  sometimes smacking into people. A child could easily get knocked down and injured.  In my opinion, parents who bring children that young to the dog park are guilty of neglect.  Dogs at the park usually get along, but at least once a week I  witness a dogfight. Ocassionally, I see dogs act agressive towards people.  A running child,  especially one screaming in a high-pitched voice, is  natural prey to dogs.  Adding to the danger, are children who come with food,  drawing the interest of more than one dog. It creates the potential for an explosive situation.  Equally concerning is the risk of disease. Children are attracted to dirt. At the dog park, the dirt has been peed, pooped and vomited on. Who knows what germs or parasites dwell in that soil?

Our culture fuels the fantasy that dogs and children are automatic friends,  implying dogs do not harm children.  I grew up with Timmy and Lassie  and every year we see more child/dog buddy films.

But reality persists. 

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) “The rate of dog bite-related injuries is highest for children ages 5 to 9 years, and the rate decreases as children age. Almost two thirds of injuries among children ages four years and younger are to the head or neck region.”

“Examples among children included a girl aged 18 months who was attacked by the family dog in the backyard and sustained an open depressed skull fracture, mandible fractures, and avulsion of an ear and part of a cheek; a boy aged 4 years who was bitten on the lip by a dog that was guarding her pups; and a girl aged 3 years who was bitten on the face when trying to take food away from the family dog.”

The Tampa Tribune’s Dog Bite Tracker tracked dog bites in Hillsborough County for an eighteen month period in 2008-2009.  There were 401 bites for children under 1 years old .

Others share my concerns. Upper Dublin Township has a very good flyer on children in dog parks. Victoria Stillwell  writes about children and dog safety.

She says: “So why are children more likely to be bitten by dogs than adults? A child moves faster than an adult and a fast movement can sometimes illicit a dog’s chasing instinct and stimulates its prey drive. Children talk in higher pitched voices than adults, which can sometimes startle a dog and make it fearful. They can frustrate a dog by rough play and teasing, or they can inadvertently inflict pain with the pull of a tail or a poke in the eye. Younger children are closer to a dog’s eye level, making it easier for a dog to feel threatened by eye-to-eye contact and for the child to be bitten in the face. It is also much harder for a child to read and understand a dog’s body language and, therefore, miss vital signals that can put them in harm’s way.”

The CDC offers the following safety tips for children:

Do not approach an unfamiliar dog.
Do not run from a dog or scream.
Remain motionless (e.g., “be still like a tree”) when approached by an unfamiliar dog.
If knocked over by a dog, roll into a ball and lie still (e.g., “be still like a log”).
Do not play with a dog unless supervised by an adult.
Immediately report stray dogs or dogs displaying unusual behavior to an adult.
Avoid direct eye contact with a dog.
Do not disturb a dog that is sleeping, eating, or caring for puppies.
Do not pet a dog without allowing it to see and sniff you first.
If bitten, immediately report the bite to an adult.

The Safe Kids/Safe Dogs Project has downloadable materials for children on dog safety.

I am not implying children should not be around dogs. In fact, I believe most children benefit from a close relationship with a pet. Adults should nurture children’s interest in all animals, but they also need to remember that animals are not toys and dog parks are not playgrounds.

Ella just turned four. We adopted her as a semi-feral six-month old pup. The photo  above illustrates her typical behavior, whether indoors or out… she hid from the world. When we moved to Lutz in 2007, the dog park became a regular part of our routine. Ella loved to run from one end of the field to the other.  She interacted with passive small dogs. But she remained fearful of other dogs, rolling on her back and showing them her belly. She rarely approached people and when she did it was with her tail between her legs. Gradually, Ella came out of her shell. Last month, she growled at a German Shepherd who pestered her past politeness.  The shepherd backed off and Ella’s human friends applauded her effort. It was the first time Ella stood up for herself.

This month people have commented on how sociable Ella is becoming. She’s hanging out with the crowd, approaching selected folks  with her tail wagging. She even let a couple of children (her nemeses) get close.  I credit the kindness of dedicated animal lovers at the park for Ella’s transformation. In particular, Lesli and Randy. For the past two years they have encouraged Ella. They focus on what she needs to be comfortable and they never push her limits. These people are my heroes. They worked a small miracle in a dog with gigantic fear.

This afternoon, Ella slept beside me on the couch while I worked. I heard thumping and looked to see what made the sound. It was her tail beating the couch. I wondered if she was dreaming about her dog park friends.