Dog parks

[animallover0200]

Do you take your pets to the dog park?
I have listed two websites for 'dog parks' northwest of the Chicago, IL if anyone is interested. This is a great way for your dogs to have fun with other dogs and to socialize with people of the same interest. If you have a dog park near you, feel free to share it.

Both parks require permits

#1 Choice: http://www.lcfpd.org/preserves/index...&object_id=130 (has daily passes available on site.)

#2 Choice
http://www.becklakedogs.org/
Enjoy.

[ChiChi]

where did you get those listings???? kno any down here in NC!?!?! i rele need to socialize my pooch, he is fine wit little dogs (unless they are like LITTLE like chis) and terrified of big ones so i rele need to get him out!

[Rip's Girl]

Nope, I'm completely unfamiliar with dog parks, haven't been to one in a LONG time. I go to parks regularly with my boys, and there are always dogs there, but they are required to be leashed.. Not 100% dog friendly.

[Pugdawg1]

No.. I don't take my pugs to dog parks. Not comfortable with that. My boys are so outgoing and great around other dogs, but I just can't bring myself to turn them loose with dogs I don't know.

[gaddylovesdogs]

The girls have been to ONE dog park. Yes, one . They liked running around, but I wasn't so sure about all the other dogs. What I really like about the park was that they had a few tunnels for the dog and everything (agility equipment). They also had a doggie water fountain, which was nice. I wasn't very comfortable with two Labs, actually....a yellow lab and a black lab mix. I was a little cautious with the other dogs there :shiver:.

However, I like doggie beaches ( ). There's one great beach that I know of, and its simply wonderful. Its HUGE, fenced-in, and the water is great. !

[GreenleafGreyhound]

ALL the Time! The dog parks we go to are usually fairly empty and the people are "regulars". We know one another and if anybody comes in with their dog and has a problem, we never hesitate to tell them. Honestly, I've never worried about loose strange dogs. The rules specifically prohibit females in heat and aggressive dogs. The park-goers are usually very strict and will kick a dog out or they make a show of pulling their dog away from another. It works and people who are idiotic enough to bring an aggressive dog usually get offended and leave immediately. Just my op.

[Barrett]

I take Bailey to our dog park 3 times a week. The park is a huge 5 mile long field that butts up against a big wooded area and it has a lake in the middle. There are lots and lots of trails cut into the field that go in every direction and criss-cross each other. If I see someone walking near that has a big dog off leash I will put Bailey's leash on and let her meet the dog nicely or I will simply jump on a different trail that leads us in a different direction. I don't let her play unless we see another small dog. There is a huge lawn area with nice grass for playing ball or sometimes they have agility courses set up and we watch the competions. The lake has ducks and geese and Bailey goes for a swim in the summer time. It's a great place and very dog friendly.

[GSD]

"The park-goers are usually very strict and will kick a dog out or they make a show of pulling their dog away from another. It works and people who are idiotic enough to bring an aggressive dog usually get offended and leave immediately"

What about the people idiotic enough to let there dogs run freely up to other dogs with no control from 30 yds away. Do they get kicked out too?? I've seen this so many times from dog park cliques it kills me, they think every dog should run and play together. I find it funny that when putting my dog in a down and running 50 yds away to practice a recall and someone elses dog decides to run up on my dog while we're training ( I use the dog park because of the distractions of other dogs running around and people) The owners make no effort to call their dog back, nothing, but when they start sniffing around too much and my dogs takes offense, everyone is all taken back by the vicious dog, who of course was doing nothing more than telling the strange dog to back off.

[Pugdawg1]

I do envy those that take their dogs to the dog parks, have a good time, with no problems. I just can't bring myself to do it with my pugs. Pugs are pretty poor when it comes to defending themselves. I have visions of one of mine walking up to some other dog and getting bit and/or hurt. Doesn't take much to hurt a pug. I know - my first pug was killed a few years ago by the ex roommates boxers. I hear good stories and bad stories. I don't want my boys being a part of a bad story.
I do think they are a wonderful thing - those dog parks. It's just a personal hang up with me and my pugs.

[GSD]

some parks will have a puppy and/or small dog area that is seperately sectioned off. The you wouldn't have to worry about a larger dog attacking it. IMO its never a good idea to let you dog run with strange dogs even at a park. If my dog hasn't met another dog outside of the dog park, i'm not going to let her run and play with it. Too many unknowns for me with a dog I haven't observed before. If you have a nice area to take your dog and play, i'd skip the dog parks if you have any reservations about going there.

[Pugdawg1]

Originally Posted by GSD

some parks will have a puppy and/or small dog area that is seperately sectioned off. The you wouldn't have to worry about a larger dog attacking it. IMO its never a good idea to let you dog run with strange dogs even at a park. If my dog hasn't met another dog outside of the dog park, i'm not going to let her run and play with it. Too many unknowns for me with a dog I haven't observed before. If you have a nice area to take your dog and play, i'd skip the dog parks if you have any reservations about going there.

That's what I do.. we just don't go to the dog parks, and do our own thing. The pugs get out often, and do a variety of things, so it's all good. Tomorrow the pugs and I, and a friend and her two pugs, are going to go for a walk downtown, go window shopping. I love to do that.

[Carrie]

The dog park I go to has very seldom a dog in it and for that matter, very seldom do I meet up with anyone, especially this time of year.....nobody around at all. But except for hybernation, there can be black bears and grizzly bears. They could be aggressive and no one tells them to be nice or leave. There aren't any laws other than trails for motorized toys and trails for walking or x-country skiing/snowshoeing etc...The area is thousands and thousands of acreas of undisturbed wilderness, with more than 400 miles of trails system. There's also a gigantic lake, beaches and trails along side the beach. There's a big golf course that we can use when there are no golfers out, early spring, fall and winter. There have been cougars seen there very occasionally. :shiver:

As I sing along the walk, all the bears in the area leave. Do you think there's something wrong with my singing?

Anyhow, once in a blue moon we meet another hiker or dog. (pretty much just in summer or spring) There are no leash laws and no one seems to be bothered or bother anyone. Most everyone likes dogs here and I've never had any problems with aggression. I guess that's because it's so sparsly populated.

Of course, when you're in a place where there are lots of dogs, someone is going to get aggressive. It may not be an aggressive dog normally, but you get a bunch together that aren't from the same pack, naturally there is bound to be trouble at some time or instance.

So, for exercise I like to keep to ourselves (or just my niece and her dog with us) so we can do the off leash running, roaring and exploring and for socialization of a puppy, I do classes where there's some control or take a seperate trip somewhere for meeting people.

[GreenleafGreyhound]

What about the people idiotic enough to let there dogs run freely up to other dogs with no control from 30 yds away. Do they get kicked out too?? I've seen this so many times from dog park cliques it kills me, they think every dog should run and play together. I find it funny that when putting my dog in a down and running 50 yds away to practice a recall and someone elses dog decides to run up on my dog while we're training ( I use the dog park because of the distractions of other dogs running around and people) The owners make no effort to call their dog back, nothing, but when they start sniffing around too much and my dogs takes offense, everyone is all taken back by the vicious dog, who of course was doing nothing more than telling the strange dog to back off.

Rhetorical question, but I'll answer anyways. No, they do not get kicked out. However, park-goers who find a strange dog come up to them will always look around for their owner (at least in my experience). Almost all the time, they will work as a group to locate the irresponsible owner. Our parks are extremely small (SF Bay Area=little areas), and the irresponsible owner is always questioned and the dog is always returned to him/her. I do not think every dog should run and play together. Having a dog with paper skin I watch her like a hawk. I choose which dog my dog can/can't play with. What happened to your dog has happened to mine, except my experiences conintually feed the fire of the "aggressive, bunny-killing Greyhound" myth. Whenever this happens, I do not hesitate to tell the owner that- NO! She did NOT think it was a bunny. Their dog should not have intruded her "space", and that if I am training, I do not wish to be disturbed by other dogs. We warn other owners when we're training and 99.9% of the time, the other owners will respect our wish to be alone. Dog Parks are not all evil, and I think it's a shame that the only area we, sighthound people, can visit are regarded as unsafe for the dog. I *do* get nervous from time to time, but asking questions and advising others never hurts. The dog park is the only fully fenced, moderately large open area where my dog can run, and I'll keep taking advantage of it.

[Carrie]

When I was visiting my Mom, I took Lyric to a dog park there. There weren't any dogs around and it was not a huge place. Lyric just stood there like, duh.....? What am I suppose to do? LOL. The next day there was a little dog there, a Corgi and the two of them chased around eachother and got along. But Lyric likes most dogs and if they tell him off, he just kind of backs off.

[Barrett]

My first experience with a dog park was bad. My husband and I walk Bailey down to the park and gave her a ball to play with. We were in our own little area just playing with Bailey and it was the first time she had ever been off leash. She was only about 6 months old. A pack of about 10 big dogs ran up to her and started knocking her over and sniffing and stepping on her. She was very scared and got a big scratch across her eye and started screaming. My husband literaly dove into the middle of the dogs and scooped up Bailey and held her over his head. The big dogs were jumping up on him trying to get at Bailey. None of the owners called their dogs back and my husband was about to start hitting them to get them off of him.We were all scared. It was a bad experience. I would never bring a small breed dog back to a park like that again.

I am so glad we found this other dog park with trails and 5 miles of space. I can choose if I want Bailey to meet another dog. I can easily stay away from any other dog walkers by choosing another trail. Our first experience was bad because we have a small breed dog that can easily get hurt but our new park is wonderful!