Dog Fights And People Fights

When we were kids, we were taught to avoid trouble. We were taught that fighting was always a last resort. I still hold to those values as an adult. 

A woman was allegedly injured, and her dog is now dead, related to a reported dispute about off leash dogs in a park. 

 

Here are my thoughts on incidents like this. I obviously don’t know all the facts of the linked article, so I can only draw my own opinion upon this one article to pick apart the issue of having dogs off leash anywhere. Reporters are notoriously bad at getting all the details of dog stories, so this is post is not to be used as a factual determination of who did what to whom and who is responsible. This is about staying out of trouble with YOUR dog.

 

1. You are not the police. I don’t think it is wise to get involved in police activity, or animal control activity, of any sort. Let the authorities do that work. Call them and stay away from trouble. I don’t think the police or animal control should encourage the public to do police type work. We pay them to do that job, let them do it. We are not in an era where citizens can get involved and not have a ton of bricks fall on them if it goes sideways... right now the Daniel Penny case is before a jury and no one knows how that will turn out. 

 

2. If you know off leash dogs are at a park, and you are concerned about the safety of those dogs, don’t go to that park. 

 

3. Don’t take your dog off leash anywhere you can’t control your dog, whether it is legal or not to have your dog off leash. Does your dog have sufficient training to be off leash in public? 

 

4. Some arguments are not worth having. Is that true for everyone in this incident? Now, let’s say something similar happens in your neighborhood park and someone is hurt, another dog is dead, another bad pit bull story is published, another pit bull is possibly going to be put down, and the owners of the next pit bull might be charged with a crime and might also be sued for a lot of money. Cases like this have happened before… My point is, when you have a fight, can you state that it was a last resort? I think if the answer is no, then walk away from trouble if you can.

 

5. Even if you are obeying the law and your dog is on leash, that doesn’t mean your dog is going to be safe from other animals, dogs or wildlife. Do you have a plan for that?

 

6. Cities need more space dedicated to park areas where dogs can obtain exercise. While I’m not a big fan of off leash areas, there could be parks designed for controlled walk paths and play areas for dogs. That is a concept that needs further development. It is also important to know that it isn't unusual for human fights to happen at off leash parks when the dogs get into a fight. Let the buyer beware.

 

7. Dogs will pick up on human strife and that can set the stage for nearby dogs to fight. 

 

Plan accordingly.