I used to love going to the Sausalito Dog Park. I went there for years; first with my dogs Stella and Macaroni, and then with Aggie Pocket. It was the first place we went after I picked Aggie out eight years ago at a huge adoption event in San Rafael. She was 8-months-old. There was a clique of women I was close to and they scooped up Aggie with love as if she were my newly adopted child.
In the years since, I stopped going because my dog began guarding the gates, the fences, other dog’s holes, the people she knew and loved.
I’ve run into so many people I once socialized with there who have also stopped going.
“Too many dog fights,” most of them say. “Too much socializing and not enough attention being paid to the animals. It’s a dangerous place.”
The first dog park in the United States was the Ohlone Dog Park, which was founded by Martha Scott Benedict and Doris Richards in 1979 in Berkeley, Calif. Since then, dog parks have become standard amenities in developing city and suburban neighborhoods across the country, but are they actually good for dogs? Surprisingly, canine behavior experts aren’t so sure.
A recent article in the NYT The Dog Park is Bad, Actually concurs, noting that dog parks have proliferated around the country, and citing a study by the National Recreation and Park Association (N.R.P.A.), showing 91 percent of Americans believe dog parks provide benefits to their communities. “This was especially true among millennials and Gen Xers, who overwhelmingly recognized dog parks as beneficial amenities. The study found that the top two reasons responders cited for supporting dog parks were that 60 percent thought that they gave dogs a safe space to exercise and roam freely, and 48 percent felt that dog parks were important because they allowed dogs to socialize.”
“The dog park is not a place for you to let your dog run unsupervised while you socialize with other people,” Mr. Hof said. “Keep an eye on your dog and make sure that they are both being good and having a good time.” This means watching the actions and behaviors of your dog and the other dogs in the park. If things are getting too intense, that’s a good time to leave.
But what exactly should you be watching for? Dr. Loenser says that subtle signs of fear or aggression include “lip licking, yawning or panting when not hot.” Other signs of discomfort or a brewing issue include stiff bodies and erect tails. Keeping an eye out for these signs can give you the edge to intervene on your dog’s behalf before an interaction with another dog escalates. from The Dog Park Is Bad, Actually
Are you a dog park person?
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