Dog Parks

A death trap pained with rose coloured glasses

You know it's really funny how many people try and sell themselves as great homes by telling me they live close to a dog park.
For me that is a HUGE red flag as to why you should not own one of my dogs.
Yup you heard that right, I HATE dog parks and if I can't convince you of how horrible and dangerous they are for my puppies,
then you will not be approved to own one of my dogs. So sit down and prepare to be educated.

The first thing I want you to realise is that the only dog at the dog park that you might have any control over is your own dog. Period.
You DO NOT have any control over any of the other dogs or their owners. You DO NOT know their temperament. You don't know if they
are friendly. You don't know if they dislike a certain gender, some dogs only like dogs of certain genders, so right off the bat your taking
a 50/50 chance that if there is a dog at the park that is gender prejudice, your dog may be a target.
You do not know if any of the dog at the park have prey drive. Your little 8 week old puppy may look a lot like a rabbit bouncing around
at a distance. You don't know if any of the dogs at the park have a dislike for puppies.
You do not know if any of the owners have any control over their own dogs.
You don't know the health of any of those animals.

Face it, go to a few dog parks and just sit and observe. You will see a lot of people enter the park, take their dog off leash and they go sit
and have coffee and maybe talk to other owners and totally ignore their dogs. If they are not watching their dog, how can they see if it's
going to cause a problem with your dog?
If they do communicate with their dogs take note of how many dogs do not readily respond. If the owner can't get the dog to come and
sit in a calm friendly situation, do you think they will have any control over their dog if it's in the middle of a chase or a fight? I guarantee
they won't.

Next look at the size of your puppy or other peoples puppies (or small dogs) and then look at the size difference of the big dogs.
What do you suppose will happen if a big dog like a lab or German shepherd decides to take a chunk out of something the size of a
chihuahua? Guess who's going to loose? The puppy or small dog.

The other dog does not have to be aggressive, it may just want to play, but your small 5lb puppy watching a 100lb dog run at it can be
down right terrifying. If they larger dog wants to play and hit your dog with a paw, because that's very common dog play language,
your puppy could end up with a broken back.

Next think about how often we tell you that the puppy needs to be socialized and needs to have good positive experiences. If he goes to a
dog park and gets mauled do you think he's going to be the same dog. No way! Aussies are a very sensitive breed and if they get attacked,
specially as a puppy, you have altered their personality for ever. You have created a dog who sees other dogs as a threat, your dog will
become the bully, he will become the dog who thinks it's better to attack first before the other dog comes at him.  

Not only that but think physical damage. If the dog survives the attack he will likely have damage. Broken bones, torn muscles, torn ligaments,
puncture wounds. You can be looking at anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars in damage and unless you are a lawyer who catches
the attack on camera, and knows how to contact the offending dogs owners, chances are the offending dog and his owner will not even have
to cough up a penny to help.

If that does not frighten you off, have you ever wanted to play in a toilet? Any idea what germs lay in a dog park with hundreds if not thousands
of dogs using it as a community toilet? Your puppy has a juvenile immune system and they can not fight of the germs an adult dog may be
able to. You are setting your dog up to catch Parvo, Coccidia, Giardia or a host of other nasty germs and bacteria that can kill your puppy.
It's absolutely crazy how many people will use dog parks or community dog areas in Condo's and then call me after having the puppy
a couple of weeks and say it is sick and expect that it is my fault and be very frustrated when none of the treatment works because
you insist on going back to the same contaminated area.

There are so many other ways to exercise your dog safely, you never have to go to a dog park.

If you do not believe me, join my facebook page and ask those owners what they think about dog parks. We have many people who ignored
my advice and have paid the price, you don't have to take my word for it, but please take theirs!