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Thread: Bark Park

  1. #1
    Member FMD's Avatar
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    Bark Park

    So a friend of mine says theres a park at lasalle park where I can take my dog and he can mingle with other dogs... off leash fenced in area.

    I am wondering what others have experienced tips and stuff. Id like to take Sparky up there... hes 2years old and doesnt really mingle too much with other pups so he has a tendency to get a bit rambunctious. However, I think it would be good for him and me, to get out of the yard... let him really run...

    Thoughts?
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  2. #2
    Member nogods's Avatar
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    You can get more information about the Lasalle Park dog park here:

    http://www.thebarkyard.org/

    Off leash dog parks are a great idea for people who want to allow their dogs to roam free, or at least roam free in a confined space.

    The biggest problem with establishing and maintaining an off leash dog park are the people who feel free to ignore leash rules. They have no incentive to contribute to a dog park because they have no integrity when it comes to leash rules. Why should they pay to have their dog off leash when they can just as easily get away with breaking the law by letting their dog off leash illegally?

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    We've had a few threads over the years about the "Dog Park" In LaSalle Park.


    Lack of dog parks has pet owners howling

    "Incident" at City Dog Park

    I'll see if I can dig up a few more for ya, FMD

  4. #4
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    I know you are watching your budget, but you might check out one of the local doggy daycares for a first time socialization. Most of them are run by professionals that can evaluate and offer advice that can make Bark Park visits more fun and stress-free.

  5. #5
    Member Chet Kowal's Avatar
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    Be sure to read the stories about the little dogs who were killed at this spot, before you expose your pup to the general population

  6. #6
    Member nogods's Avatar
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    By the way - your dog doesn't have to be off leash to socialize with other dogs. Meet up with a group of like minded dog owners and you can all socialize your dogs in a public park even on leash.

    Humans think their dogs want to be free to roam off leash because they as humans would not want to be "tied up all the time."

    But dogs aren't human. Would a human enjoy serving its master just for a small treat? Would a human retrieve slippers for a biscuit?

    Dogs enjoy things we as humans would find objectionable.

    If your dog trusts you, then when it is on leash it has security. It knows that you will protect it from danger. An untrained dog will even use the leash to pull and tug as it stretches to explore the world, all the time depending on you to restrict it from going too near the precipice of danger to itself.

    Don’t make the mistake of thinking your dog thinks the way you do.

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    Quote Originally Posted by nogods View Post
    By the way - your dog doesn't have to be off leash to socialize with other dogs. Meet up with a group of like minded dog owners and you can all socialize your dogs in a public park even on leash.

    Humans think their dogs want to be free to roam off leash because they as humans would not want to be "tied up all the time."

    But dogs aren't human. Would a human enjoy serving its master just for a small treat? Would a human retrieve slippers for a biscuit?

    Dogs enjoy things we as humans would find objectionable.

    If your dog trusts you, then when it is on leash it has security. It knows that you will protect it from danger. An untrained dog will even use the leash to pull and tug as it stretches to explore the world, all the time depending on you to restrict it from going too near the precipice of danger to itself.

    Don’t make the mistake of thinking your dog thinks the way you do.
    I disagree with you there. I think that mixing a leashed dog with unleashed ones is asking for trouble.

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    Member nogods's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by therising View Post
    I disagree with you there. I think that mixing a leashed dog with unleashed ones is asking for trouble.
    We don't disagree - I agree that dogs should socialize under the same conditions. My point was that they could all be on leashes and still socialize.

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    Quote Originally Posted by nogods View Post
    We don't disagree - I agree that dogs should socialize under the same conditions. My point was that they could all be on leashes and still socialize.
    Sorry, I misunderstood what you said.

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    Quote Originally Posted by therising View Post
    I disagree with you there. I think that mixing a leashed dog with unleashed ones is asking for trouble.
    very true. that could be trouble.

    ---------

    read this i pass this out at our pack meetings


    http://www.4pawsu.com/Dog%20Parks.pdf
    Last edited by cheekman; September 7th, 2009 at 05:02 PM.
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    I started taking my dog to the dog park last Summer - but then he got ringworm, and that was the end of that.

    As far as the leash thing goes - there's a few places I go where I do occasionally take him off the leash. They're all wooded, secluded, areas, and I don't take the leash off till I'm far from the road - because, it has happened in the past, where he bolted after a deer, and was off, disappeared into the woods. I wouldn't want that happening near the road.

    Sometimes, we'll come across a dog that's off its leash, when my guy is still on his. I usually take him off right away (unless we're still very close to the road.) On the unlikely chance that something goes wrong, it doesn't seem fair that one is constrained by a leash, and the other isn't.

  12. #12
    Member nogods's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by therising View Post
    I started taking my dog to the dog park last Summer - but then he got ringworm, and that was the end of that.

    As far as the leash thing goes - there's a few places I go where I do occasionally take him off the leash. They're all wooded, secluded, areas, and I don't take the leash off till I'm far from the road - because, it has happened in the past, where he bolted after a deer, and was off, disappeared into the woods. I wouldn't want that happening near the road.

    Sometimes, we'll come across a dog that's off its leash, when my guy is still on his. I usually take him off right away (unless we're still very close to the road.) On the unlikely chance that something goes wrong, it doesn't seem fair that one is constrained by a leash, and the other isn't.
    I like the DEC rule for most state forests under its jurisdiction. Dogs have to be under owner control at all times, but only have to be leashed around other people.

    When I'm hiking and being approached or overcome by another person or group, whether they have dogs or not with them, I leash my dog and put myself between them and my dog.

    This relieves them of having to deal with my dog if the prefer not to do so, and it relieves my dog of having to guard me.

    The only problem is when the other people have a dog and don’t bother leashing it as they approach or overtake me. Leaving my dog on a leash under those circumstances can lead to trouble, but letting her off leash is a violation of the otherwise very liberal DEC rule.

    The problem is created solely by the irresponsible people who won’t leash their dog for the few seconds it takes to pass by another person on the trail. These are the same people who don’t pick up their dogs poop, who steal candy from babies, and who sexually assault little children (oh, alright, I admit I made the part up about stealing candy from babies.)

  13. #13
    Member cheekman's Avatar
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    fmd, the amherst state park off mill st. is a good place to go with your dog tooo. again leashed dog with unleashed, no fence and you can let the dog run. most dogs are leashed and the sign says all dogs must be leashed but i really don't see that.
    God must love stupid people; He made so many

  14. #14
    Member Chet Kowal's Avatar
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    Another thought: I see lots of people bring their dogs to Rumsey Road. Park the car, then take the pups down the hill a bit. That part of Delaware Park seems to be an unofficial doggie free-run section, and I've yet to see a problem. I go a couple of days per week, and have seen only friendly poochies.

  15. #15
    Member Linda_D's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by cheekman View Post
    fmd, the amherst state park off mill st. is a good place to go with your dog tooo. again leashed dog with unleashed, no fence and you can let the dog run. most dogs are leashed and the sign says all dogs must be leashed but i really don't see that.
    The Ellicott Island section of Ellicott Creek Park in Amherst has also become an unofficial dog park. When I've visited the area with my dog, the people who brought their dogs there seemed very responsible. They were all "regulars" whose dogs were well socialized and friendly, they picked up after their pooches, kept them away from any non-doggie people, etc. Most of the "dog people" said they don't bring their dogs on week-ends when the park is busier. I was also told that they aren't hassled by park staff or police because the regular presence of people and dogs has discouraged the use of that part of the park by certain people interested in engaging in undesirable activities there.

    The Rumsey Road area of Delaware Park is another unofficial doggie park. There are many more dogs there, and probably more than are at the Bark Park in LaSalle. Most seem very responsible as well. As with ECP, there's more space and a variety of terrain, so dogs can choose to join the pack or just do their own thing (or their owners make the choice for them).

    I think that the biggest problem with the Bark Park is that it is too small, so dogs can't "do their own thing" but are more or less forced to be part of the pack. Also, if your dog likes to chase balls or frisbees, it's hardly large enough for a lab-sized dog to get in a good run after a ball (I used an old tennis racket to get distance when my dog was younger). It would be really great if there was a fenced area with a longer run for the ball hawks, and also a separate fenced area for small dogs only.

    Where-ever you chose to take your dog, you need to be sure that your dog is obedient on and off leash. He/she should also be neutered/spayed and vaccinated for rabies, distemper, and bordatella. You also need to have your dog socialized. Puppies and dogs that haven't been around other dogs may not know "doggie etiquette". They may also be so excited to see other dogs that they forget their "doggie manners". The best way to start that is to take your dog to a place like the "Bark Park" and let him see and sniff the other dogs through the fence first. If you have an aggressive, dominant dog, then it is your responsibility to keep him/her on a leash at all times and away from other dogs. It is also your responsibility to keep your dog away from more aggressive dogs by putting him/her on a leash.

    I think problems generally occur between leashed/unleashed dogs (assuming we're talking about non-aggressive ones) when the handler of the leashed dog is nervous/afraid. Dogs sense that and react accordingly. If you have your dog on a leash because he doesn't listen well off-leash or thinks that every car exists to bring him/her a new doggie friend (or in my dog's case, is old and sometimes gets confused), then meeting or being around unleashed dogs is not a big problem.

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