Saturday, December 29, 2007

Off Leash Park Hazards

A greyhound was fatally injured in a collision with another dog at the off-leash park in Sequim.

I am sure there are a lot of unreported injuries at off leash parks. Some dogs and activities bring a lot of risk to some dogs. For example, some of the large breeds have a tendency to run and smash into the sides of other dogs, which can blow out the knee joint of the dog that was hit. I know a breeder who does not let her large breed dogs play at full speed together for this very reason. With smaller dogs, say under 70 lbs, this isn't typically a problem. They are more agile and usually have quicker reflexes. You just have to watch what is going on in such a situation and get your dog out of there if you see something that looks risky.

I am not opposed to off leash parks, just so you know... It is just that they are unregulated and managed by novices who might not see the risks before it is too late.

1 comment:

Richard & Elsa Laplante said...

Good advise.We have rotties and have to watch them when playing in our field. On more than one occassion we have been sent flying.