Dog Park Rationalization Lady Who Can Go Get Bent

[33anda3rd]

Beautiful day in Chicago today. Beautiful. Someone should start a thread about how great it is when it's spring and the sun is out and it's in the 50s/60s and you're coming out of winter.

I take our little 5 month old puppy to the Wicker Park dog park. She loves it. She gets to rip around and chase dogs, they chase her, they play, she gets attention from the other dog owners, it's a blast. We've done this every day that I've had time and it's been warm enough since we got her.

Lady in the park today. Has a 10 month old pit bull. I have no problem with the breed, I think dogs are dicks when their owners are dicks whether they're a pit bull or a chihuahua. Her dog won't leave my dog alone. Chases her, my dog dives under the park benches, her dog squeezes in there, pegs my beautiful happy big-hearted playful little girl on her back and clamps down on her throat. And we repeat this for a couple minutes.

Then this horrible piece of excrement lady explains to me that because my dog is a puppy she has no status in the pack therefore will get bullied, while I leash up my pup and leave.

All I could think was "Yeah, go ahead and rationalize you [expletive] piece of [expletive] that it's not actually your dog that's aggressive, it's my dog that's too young. And BTW, I've brought her to this park a dozen times the last three weeks and she's played in a non-aggro way with several dozen adult dogs and yours is the only one that's pinned her to the ground and gone for her throat so, y'know, maybe, again, the rationalization, you need to kind of get over it and maybe take your dog to an obedience class and get that [expletive] thing socialized. And if someone is leaving the dog park because your dog is aggressive, perhaps it should be you, since, y'know, it's your dog that's spoiling the fun here, not mine."

I hope I see this lady there again soon. I pray for it. I've got my speech all rehearsed.

[slide_into_first]

In a flash Buck knew it. The time had come. It was to the death. As they circled about, snarling, ears laid back, keenly watchful for the advantage, the scene came to Buck with a sense of familiarity. He seemed to remember it all--the white woods, and earth, and moonlight, and the thrill of battle. Over the whiteness and silence brooded a ghostly calm. There was not the faintest whisper of air--nothing moved, not a leaf quivered, the visible breaths of the dogs rising slowly and lingering in the frosty air. They had made short work of the snowshoe rabbit, these dogs that were ill-tamed wolves; and they were now drawn up in an expectant circle. They, too, were silent, their eyes only gleaming and their breaths drifting slowly upward. To Buck it was nothing new or strange, this scene of old time. It was as though it had always been, the wonted way of things.

Spitz was a practiced fighter. From Spitzbergen through the Arctic, and across Canada and the Barrens, he had held his own with all manner of dogs and achieved to mastery over them. Bitter rage was his, but never blind rage. In passion to rend and destroy, he never forgot that his enemy was in like passion to rend and destroy. He never rushed till he was prepared to receive a rush; never attacked till he had first defended that attack.

In vain Buck strove to sink his teeth in the neck of the big white dog. Wherever his fangs struck for the softer flesh, they were countered by the fangs of Spitz. Fang clashed fang, and lips were cut and bleeding, but Buck could not penetrate his enemy's guard. Then he warmed up and enveloped Spitz in a whirlwind of rushes. Time and time again he tried for the snow-white throat, where life bubbled near to the surface, and each time and every time Spitz slashed him and got away. Then Buck took to rushing, as though for the throat, when, suddenly drawing back his head and curving in from the side, he would drive his shoulder at the shoulder of Spitz, as a ram by which to overthrow him. But instead, Buck's shoulder was slashed down each time as Spitz leaped lightly away.

Spitz was untouched, while Buck was streaming with blood and panting hard. The fight was growing desperate. And all the while the silent and wolfish circle waited to finish off whichever dog went down. As Buck grew winded, Spitz took to rushing, and he kept him staggering for footing. Once Buck went over, and the whole circle of sixty dogs started up; but he recovered himself, almost in mid air, and the circle sank down again and waited.

But Buck possessed a quality that made for greatness--imagination. He fought by instinct, but he could fight by head as well he rushed, as though attempting the old shoulder trick, but at the last instant swept low to the snow and in. His teeth closed on Spitz's left fore leg. There was a crunch of breaking bone, and the white dog faced him on three legs. Thrice he tried to knock him over, then repeated the trick and broke the right fore leg. Despite the pain and helplessness, Spitz struggled madly to keep up. He saw the silent circle, with gleaming eyes, lolling tongues, and silvery breaths drifting upward, closing in upon him as he had seen similar circles close in upon beaten antagonists in the past. Only this time he was the one who was beaten.

There was no hope for him. Buck was inexorable. Mercy was a thing reserved for gentler climes. He maneuvered for the final rush. The circle had tightened till he could feel the breaths of the huskies on his flanks. He could see them, beyond Spitz and to either side, half-crouching for the spring, their eyes fixed upon him. A pause seemed to fall. Every animal was motionless as though turned to stone. Only Spitz quivered and bristled as he staggered back and forth, snarling with horrible menace, as though to frighten off impending death. Then Buck sprang in and out; but while he was in, shoulder had at last squarely met shoulder. The dark circle became a dot on the moon flooded snow as Spitz disappeared from view. Buck stood and looked on, the successful champion, the dominant primordial beast who had made his kill and found it good.

http://london.sonoma.edu/Writings/CallO ... pter3.html

With all due respect I wouldn't take my puppy back there if the pitbull was there.

[Socnorb11]

Beautiful day in Chicago today. Beautiful. Someone should start a thread about how great it is when it's spring and the sun is out and it's in the 50s/60s and you're coming out of winter.

I take our little 5 month old puppy to the Wicker Park dog park. She loves it. She gets to rip around and chase dogs, they chase her, they play, she gets attention from the other dog owners, it's a blast. We've done this every day that I've had time and it's been warm enough since we got her.

Lady in the park today. Has a 10 month old pit bull. I have no problem with the breed, I think dogs are dicks when their owners are dicks whether they're a pit bull or a chihuahua. Her dog won't leave my dog alone. Chases her, my dog dives under the park benches, her dog squeezes in there, pegs my beautiful happy big-hearted playful little girl on her back and clamps down on her throat. And we repeat this for a couple minutes.

Then this horrible piece of excrement lady explains to me that because my dog is a puppy she has no status in the pack therefore will get bullied, while I leash up my pup and leave.

All I could think was "Yeah, go ahead and rationalize you [expletive] piece of [expletive] that it's not actually your dog that's aggressive, it's my dog that's too young. And BTW, I've brought her to this park a dozen times the last three weeks and she's played in a non-aggro way with several dozen adult dogs and yours is the only one that's pinned her to the ground and gone for her throat so, y'know, maybe, again, the rationalization, you need to kind of get over it and maybe take your dog to an obedience class and get that [expletive] thing socialized. And if someone is leaving the dog park because your dog is aggressive, perhaps it should be you, since, y'know, it's your dog that's spoiling the fun here, not mine."

I hope I see this lady there again soon. I pray for it. I've got my speech all rehearsed.

You should have told her ALL of this. Hope you get a second chance.

[Secret Weapon]

A golden retriever was killed by another dog at a dog park in STL, that would suck to watch your dog get killed by another dog

[Michael]

Chicago dog parks are the worst because that's where all the terrible dog owners take their horrible dogs. I've found taking my dog to a normal park is a much better option. Theoretically I can get ticketed, but it has never happened.

[Sutter'sBeard]

A golden retriever was killed by another dog at a dog park in STL, that would suck to watch your dog get killed by another dog

Unless you had money on the one that won.

[wart57]

The problem with pit bulls isn't their attitudes, that can be controlled by good training, the problem is that their jaws are so damn strong, a bite from a different breed may only cause a little pain, or break the skin, a bite from a pit bull can break bone. They can also be quite relentless, when other dogs attack, they will often stop once the intruder backs off, a lot of pit bulls will keep the attack up until the opponent is down and not moving. If you have ever seen the gruesome picture of the pit bull who attacked a porcupine, you know what I mean by relentless. I will never own a pit bull, and will avoid any dog park that has them in it.

Some mutt attacked my dog at a dog park at the apartment complex I was living at several years ago, the dog bit me in the face when I pulled them apart, luckily it didn't clamp down, and after I punched the dog in the head a few times it retreated to the other side of the park and would not come within 50 yards of me from then on. Any dog can attack, but I doubt a pit bull would have been phased by my punches, and probably would have ripped half my face off.

[33anda3rd]

I'm a dog park newbie and my first dozen or so trips were all positive. I enjoy it. The little girl normally gets to tear ass around with other dogs, make friends, sniff some butts and have a good time. It's normally a joy to just sit there and watch. That's what bugged me the most is the lady rationalizing that her lousy dog that she hasn't bothered to take to obedience school and get properly socialized is the norm.

[AWvsCBsteeeerike3]

Is there a spot in Chicago that you can take the dogs to swim? Obviously there's that big ass lake to the east, is there a place to go throw sticks and let them swim and get them? Preferably a spot with no current?

[AWvsCBsteeeerike3]

I'm a dog park newbie and my first dozen or so trips were all positive. I enjoy it. The little girl normally gets to tear ass around with other dogs, make friends, sniff some butts and have a good time. It's normally a joy to just sit there and watch. That's what bugged me the most is the lady rationalizing that her lousy dog that she hasn't bothered to take to obedience school and get properly socialized is the norm.

Right, people are stupid. I go to dog parks because I want my dog to be happy and get exercise/tired, not listen to how much other people think they know about dogs or whatever.