The ignorance and lack of self-awareness that some people have is incredible.
I think I can safely speak for everybody when I say there are unwritten rules at the dog park that shouldn't have to be written down.
Staying in your vehicle while you release your dog into a fenced-in area with other dogs they've never met before should be criminal.
I wouldn't be this upset over it if there were tons of dog parks to allow our pups to romp through in Maine, but simply put, there are not.
There are only two parks in the Portland area, one of which is Valley View, which is my dog's favorite. However, every time we go, we have to leave and do a different activity whenever we see these two particular big dogs, and it's for a good reason.
They're adorable. However, when they get put in the ring at the dog park unattended, they gang up on other dogs very aggressively. I've seen one of them draw blood after holding down another person's dog and attacking them.
There are a couple of problems here.
1. If your dogs do not play well with others, they have no business being in a public dog park while there are a bunch of other animals around. If they are knowingly aggressive to other animals, it's unfair to put dog owners at risk of a dog fight.
2. It is never acceptable to leave your dog unattended in a dog park for others to look after. I'm sorry, but I'll say it. You are responsible for your own dog's actions. While I understand that we never know what our animals will do and we can't help it, what we can do is keep a close eye on them to stop it.
I've had to step in multiple times on multiple different occasions to stop these two dogs from injuring another dog, since the owner seemingly couldn't be bothered to get out of the car.
Overall, as a general rule of thumb, if you're going to take your dogs into a public space, have the common decency to be attentive and close by just in case.
So to the owner with the two big dogs, do better. Watch your dogs and let all our pups have a fun and safe time at the park.
Have you ever been in a situation with a dog owner not being attentive to their dogs?
Gallery Credit: Sophia June
