BorderCollieSam Posted February 11, 2009 Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 I've just been reading through some posts within this section a few pages back and somebody mentions a newly opened dog park within their town. Is this common place in the US? I really like the idea of this, over here in the UK everything is so anti-dog, we have a park accross the road from where i live and it has a big notice on entering the car park which says NO DOGS. Such a shame we don't have dog parks.....especially as i live in a park of Kent which has so much countryside, i could imagine the reason for not having them in London for example due to the lack of space..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
in2adventure Posted February 11, 2009 Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 We have dog parks all across the country. It's very big in the bigger cities where parks and hiking are at a minimum. They can be really awesome places to exercise your dog and have a great time socializing with other dog people. On the flip side though, they can be a bad place if you don't pick and choose your company carefully. Not all dog people are considerate. I've seen fights break out and the offending dog's owner blame it on the poor dog that was sitting quietly at his owners feet. Because THEIR dog would never start a fight It's also a germ haven. I would never bring a pup under 6 months. Their immune system might not be stong enought to handle the diseases. All in all, I'm a big fan of dog parks and go every chance I get. I'm just really carefull about watching how the pack interacts and if trouble brews, we go home. It's too bad they are so anti dog where you live. Don't they know pets make the world a happier place! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
claire24 Posted February 12, 2009 Report Share Posted February 12, 2009 I'm the same way about watching the other dogs. If there's trouble, we leave. We have 4 dog parks in Athens, and I've been to 3 but only one of them seems worth it. If there's not a separate area for smaller dogs, then mine just get chased everywhere, which starts fights if there are too many dogs. It's cute until my dog can't outrun the other 15 and someone's dog starts biting her. It's especially not cute when the owner doesn't step up to stop it and leaves it up to me (110 lbs) to throw their 80 lb dog off of mine . I like the small dog area because my dogs usually play with just each other there, and I can relax knowing that I don't have to watch the other 30 dogs there in addition to my own. I also have to be really careful about bringing fleas into the house, and of course I'm still concerned about diseases. Be responsible and clean up after your dog! People don't think that their healthy dog's poop could make another dog sick, but it definitely can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pearls pop Posted February 12, 2009 Report Share Posted February 12, 2009 The Bark Park has become a major factor in Pearls life. There is a new one in my town. Up until last april i had never been to a dog park with Pearl, instead i took her hiking almost daily on national forest land where she could run without leash, bounding over rocks and carrening after rabbits, javalina etc. Pearl is 10 and arthritis is slowing her down now, so I have cut the hiking down to an occasional event. So to keep her body/ brain stimulated we have started almost daily dog park visits, Pearl who is basically anti-social to most other dogs, has developed "friendships' with a surprising mix of other dogs. She has a BC friend and two Blue Healer friends, but has also played and hung out with boxers, labs , goldens and goes just bonkers with excitement when a certain red husky shows up. Pearl who lived with 6 different litters of golden retreivers in her life never had any interest in fetching, now fetches. She is also known as the "monitor" at the park because she will break up any intense rough housing between other dogs. Most of the people at our park are real alert to what their dog is doing and make effort to see that everyone gets along and has fun. If someone's dog is overly aggresive that person is told to tone it down , if not most people will avoid them and they get the message. If afternoon has rolled around and we havent gone to the park Pearl will stand by the door and wimper then come nudge me until i go get my keys, then she is out of the house and waiting by the truck before i get to the front door. so thats my vote for Dog Parks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murjose Posted February 12, 2009 Report Share Posted February 12, 2009 I recently moved from Los Angeles where just about every part of the city had a dog park. The thing I noticed about the dog parks in Los Angeles was that many of the dogs brought to the park were brought there by people who run their own dog walking business. The dog walkers load up a van of several dogs, sometimes 12 dogs at a time and bring them to the park. Its easier for them instead of actually walking the dog. I hated the dog park for that very reason. The dog walkers would not pay attention to all 12 dogs and would not understand how to read the dogs behaviour because there was no personal attachment. We often left the park because of fights and I have also been in verbal arguments with the dog walkers. My experience in Pennsylvania is completely different. Its wonderful. There are no dog walkers and all the owners are very friendly. The Parks are also kept extremely nice and they encourage people to volunteer and help out with the upkeep. My dog gets plenty of exercise, but since hes our only dog its really good for him to socialize with other dogs. Hes even made a couple of girlfriends who he is attached to every time we go. Dog parks are also a great place to meet new people. We didn't know anyone in the area and have met tons of wonderful new friends at the dog park. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildFlower Posted February 12, 2009 Report Share Posted February 12, 2009 I live in the city and we have 2 "dog parks" but I am really lucky and there is a park right across the street from that has a large field. So while it is not "labeled" a dog park, everyone in the neighborhood brings their dogs there to play. And most people are really good about picking up after their dogs so it is a lot cleaner than an actual dog park. I actually have never been to a dog park. BCS - I am surprised that you say that the UK is anti-dog. I was over in England in September last year and people were able to bring dogs into stores and shops as long as they were on a leash? I wish I was able to take my dog more places with me here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BorderCollieSam Posted February 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2009 We have dog parks all across the country. It's very big in the bigger cities where parks and hiking are at a minimum. They can be really awesome places to exercise your dog and have a great time socializing with other dog people. On the flip side though, they can be a bad place if you don't pick and choose your company carefully. Not all dog people are considerate. I've seen fights break out and the offending dog's owner blame it on the poor dog that was sitting quietly at his owners feet. Because THEIR dog would never start a fight It's also a germ haven. I would never bring a pup under 6 months. Their immune system might not be stong enought to handle the diseases. All in all, I'm a big fan of dog parks and go every chance I get. I'm just really carefull about watching how the pack interacts and if trouble brews, we go home. It's too bad they are so anti dog where you live. Don't they know pets make the world a happier place! I've never even heard of a dog park before, as i say it must be a US thing only, but what a brilliant idea, apart form obviously the disease aspect that you highlighted. Is it an on the-spot-fine in your country if your dog messes and you don't pick it up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BorderCollieSam Posted February 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2009 I'm the same way about watching the other dogs. If there's trouble, we leave. We have 4 dog parks in Athens, and I've been to 3 but only one of them seems worth it. If there's not a separate area for smaller dogs, then mine just get chased everywhere, which starts fights if there are too many dogs. It's cute until my dog can't outrun the other 15 and someone's dog starts biting her. It's especially not cute when the owner doesn't step up to stop it and leaves it up to me (110 lbs) to throw their 80 lb dog off of mine . I like the small dog area because my dogs usually play with just each other there, and I can relax knowing that I don't have to watch the other 30 dogs there in addition to my own.I also have to be really careful about bringing fleas into the house, and of course I'm still concerned about diseases. Be responsible and clean up after your dog! People don't think that their healthy dog's poop could make another dog sick, but it definitely can. Athens? You are so lucky living in Greece, i've been to many greek islands and also the 3 fingers off the main land (sorry can't remember the name of it but they have a monestry on one of the fingers) and absolutely love Greece. I can imagine parks do get a little bit inconvenient then judging by your experience above.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BorderCollieSam Posted February 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2009 I live in the country and have lots of farmers fields around, and there as some public footpaths around the edges of the fields. However years ago when i lived at home we could walk/run our dogs off the leash in a school field which was great, however as i've said, this country seems to have gone very anti-dog......and you will get an on-the-spot fine if your dog is caught fouling and you don't pick it up. Don't get me wrong, i'm all for clean footpaths as only a few months ago i was taking my 2 young girls to our car and when they got in the car it stunk, then they showd me their shoes they had dogs muck all of ther bottom of their shoes and then all over the carpets in the car, upon further inspection i noticed that somebody had let their dog mess directly outside my footpath on the pavement.....it would have only taken a second to pick up.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbc1963 Posted February 14, 2009 Report Share Posted February 14, 2009 We don't have a dog park in our town (though the mayor is trying to find a place for one!)... but we used to have a college campus that had closed. It became a de facto dog park, without fences or rules or governance. All in all, it was good for my early days with Buddy, even though he is reactive. Because it was so large, I could simply remove my him from situations or dogs that set him off - I could just make a wide berth around potential trouble. At the same time, though, Buddy would see the same dogs over and over, which allowed me to desensitize him on a case by case basis to each new dog we met. With the right, slow introduction and treats, he can learn to be relaxed around just about any new dog. The college is now re-inhabited, which is great for my town. But it's really knocked down my dog's progress at becoming less reactive to other dogs. Now, when we go to the park and walk, we meet dog after dog after dog that we'll never see again, which means most of the meetings are tense, rather than happy and calm. They say dogs aren't good generalizers, and boy, is that true! Buddy can learn to relax and even be elated to see specific dogs, but he can never seem to make the leap to "dogs = good." As far as more "typical" dog parks - I don't think I'd ever be able to bring my boy to one, if it meant a fenced-in area where the dogs were all roughhousing. He's too much of a canine fun police dog to allow that. Mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
in2adventure Posted February 14, 2009 Report Share Posted February 14, 2009 I've never even heard of a dog park before, as i say it must be a US thing only, but what a brilliant idea, apart form obviously the disease aspect that you highlighted. Is it an on the-spot-fine in your country if your dog messes and you don't pick it up? In most places, if an officer sees you leave a pile behind, you'll get a ticket. I once lived in place that gave you a ticket if you didn't carry something to pick up the poop. An officer would ask you to show him/her the poop bag when you walked your dog and if you didn't have one you got a ticket. I used to walk my friend's cattle dogs (before I had my own pups) and she always left bags on the counter for me to carry, just in case. Most of the dog parks I've used have plastic boxes that people can stuff old grocery bags in for future use. This way there is no excuse for not picking up your dogs pooh. People at the parks are very self policing and will announce when a dog poohs "The GSD is pooping along the fence!" This way everyone looks at the offending dog and makes the owner the center of attention until it's picked up. Kinda funny and it works. There is still a lot of pooh that doesn't make it to the trash can and it's pretty gross when all the dogs run through it and spread it around Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewie'sMom Posted February 14, 2009 Report Share Posted February 14, 2009 I’m lucky enough to have a dog park “plus” in my area. About five years ago, a couple purchased an old par three golf course and converted it to a 48 acre, members-only dog park/boarding/grooming/training facility. They have several fenced areas for specific uses; active dog, small dog/puppy, an area reserved for special occasions such as birthday parties, and my favorite, the 28-acre woods, fenced and pathed containing one of the parks two ponds, an arena and probably more that I’m forgetting. It’s a full service dog park and they really spoil their clients and charges. Members have access 24/7/365 and the best part about the park is that all dogs are temperment tested before being allowed to enter the park. It's really nice to know that the dogs we meet in the park have been tested and are dog and people friendly. If anybody’s interested in looking, their website is www.dogstarranch.com and their blog is www.dogstarranch/blogspot.com. disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with DSR except as a very satisfied client Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anda Posted February 14, 2009 Report Share Posted February 14, 2009 Patty, I checked the links and yes, it sounds like dog paradise, but wow at the rates!!! Annual rate: $258.00 per dog and Partner for life $1290.00 per dog OMG!!! We're paying $60/year to have unlimited access to ALL Colorado State parks, two of which have HUGE dog training areas. I guess I should stop whining about the $60 and just go get it already (been postponing it this year... ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewie'sMom Posted February 14, 2009 Report Share Posted February 14, 2009 Anda, you're right about the cost. DSR isn't cheap but they are completely dedicated to dogs and their well-being. When Lewie is there, whether it's for day-care or boarding I'm confident that he is safe, happy and well taken care of. When I bought Lewie's Sirus Star Membership Partner for Life, Carol (the owner) was more than willing to work with me so I didn't have to pay the fee all at once. She allowed me to make bi-weekly payments (my offer) till it was paid in full. Ya' know, when DSR opened, I scoffed. I didn't think anybody would pay for doggie-day care. But, that was before I had Lewie, the wild-dog puppy. He was so much more pup than any other puppy I'd owned and I had a real concern I didn't have what he needed to get proper exercise and socialization. I was recovering from a torn meniscus and couldn't even get on the floor with him to play. I took him to DSR in desperation and quickly learned what a fabulous place it is. One day when I picked him up from day-care, Carol told me she had to give him a time-out because he wouldn't quit tugging on her pant leg. I asked her how she gave him a time-out (I'm kinda dumb). She just put him behind a little fence set up in the office so he couldn't reach her. Nice idea. It worked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anda Posted February 14, 2009 Report Share Posted February 14, 2009 Patty, it sounds like it's worth the fees to have him happy, safe, socialized and secure. Now you just need to post a bunch of pictures of him having fun at DSR, so we can all see how wonderful it is Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizabeth77 Posted February 14, 2009 Report Share Posted February 14, 2009 No Dog parks in Ireland either and I envy all of you who have them. I think Meg would love that environment. We are lucky in that where I live there are places I can take Meg where she can have a great run around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alligande Posted February 16, 2009 Report Share Posted February 16, 2009 The town I live in has a dog park but we have never been as it is a small wire fenced area no grass no bushes etc. just dirt. The area I live in as some great parks and other areas for walking and everytime I drive by the dog park it just looks sorry and I am always jellous when I hear of other dog parks. That said I would trade where I live for where my mother lives for dog walking, she is on the Kent coast (UK) and you can walk dogs down the beach and footpath off lease they just have to be under control, plus there are other common type areas where dogs can go off leash. I always think of England being much more dog friendly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luv2napp Posted February 18, 2009 Report Share Posted February 18, 2009 I’m lucky enough to have a dog park “plus” in my area. About five years ago, a couple purchased an old par three golf course and converted it to a 48 acre, members-only dog park/boarding/grooming/training facility. They have several fenced areas for specific uses; active dog, small dog/puppy, an area reserved for special occasions such as birthday parties, and my favorite, the 28-acre woods, fenced and pathed containing one of the parks two ponds, an arena and probably more that I’m forgetting. It’s a full service dog park and they really spoil their clients and charges. Members have access 24/7/365 and the best part about the park is that all dogs are temperment tested before being allowed to enter the park. It's really nice to know that the dogs we meet in the park have been tested and are dog and people friendly. If anybody’s interested in looking, their website is www.dogstarranch.com and their blog is www.dogstarranch/blogspot.com. disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with DSR except as a very satisfied client We have the same thing here. We have no public dog parks in our county (Loudoun), so when I found this, I was thrilled. It's hard living in a townhouse with a border collie. Lacee loves to go to the "club". Here's the link: http://www.leesburgcaninecountryclub.com/ If you scroll down the very bottom of this page, you'll see Lacee sharing water with her friends! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luv2napp Posted February 18, 2009 Report Share Posted February 18, 2009 Here are some pictures of Lacee enjoying the "club". Sorry if this isn't the way to post pictures. Not sure how to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms.DaisyDuke Posted February 18, 2009 Report Share Posted February 18, 2009 Most of the larger cities in Canada have them as well. Or at least I think. I am very lucky and live in a city with lots of green space. The majority of green space is dog friendly, except school yards. There are designated off leash areas in a lot of the green spaces and there are a few designated off-leash dog parks as well. The one we go to is like Nirvana for dogs. I don't know how big it is, but it takes about 2 hours to walk around the entire thing and it follows the river. Half of it has a bike path going through, so we stay clear of that area, but now they are fencing off the bike path so that dogs and bikes can live in harmony! The entire park is fenced off and there is a smaller area fenced for small/elderly/reactive dogs, there is also a marsh-y area fenced off for ducks to nest. It's really neat in the spring and you can see all the little ducklings. Oddly enough, the amount of retriever types that go there, the ducks are never bothered! Every spring they have a big 2 day clean up and tons of people go out to clean up poop and garbage (yes, you are supposed to clean up after your dogs, but sometimes it gets lost in the snow). They also have old plastic milk jugs tied to the parking lot fence posts so you can leave extra baggies behind or get one if you forgot. My biggest problem with dog parks though, are the owners who take their dog out once a week and just let them go. Most of the time these dogs are so "high" that they can not control themselves and there is usually a group of them who just go bonkers. No manners, no owners in sight. Running into people and harassing other dogs. It drives me up the wall. We go early in the morning so that we don't have to deal with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afrancis Posted February 18, 2009 Report Share Posted February 18, 2009 Athens? You are so lucky living in Greece, i've been to many greek islands and also the 3 fingers off the main land (sorry can't remember the name of it but they have a monestry on one of the fingers) and absolutely love Greece. Well this peaked (peeked? ) my interest since I would move with somebody to Greece in a NY minute, or less. But I see that its really Athens, Georgia! LOL! Anyway, our Canadian city (Ottawa) has them as well. But there is an on-going war against dog-owners and their dogs I'm afraid. So our designated dog parks are fewer and farther between, with off-leash areas being almost non-existent. Hence my driving all over hell's half acre in search of nice, peaceful spots to walk -- yesterday we had a fairy-tale fox sit and stare at us for what seemed like 15 minutes! But it won't be the airport greenspace tomorrow -- Republicans avert your eyes... Rock-star Obama is coming to visit!!!!! My biggest problem with dog parks though, are the owners who take their dog out once a week and just let them go. Most of the time these dogs are so "high" that they can not control themselves and there is usually a group of them who just go bonkers. No manners, no owners in sight. Running into people and harassing other dogs. It drives me up the wall. We go early in the morning so that we don't have to deal with that. YES!!!!!! Here too . Ailsa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
claire24 Posted February 19, 2009 Report Share Posted February 19, 2009 Athens? You are so lucky living in Greece, i've been to many greek islands and also the 3 fingers off the main land (sorry can't remember the name of it but they have a monestry on one of the fingers) and absolutely love Greece. Yeah that would be awesome, but I actually live in the cop-out city in Georgia, named of course after the great Greek city for the university here. We do boast the oldest state university in the US, and we have a tree that legally owns itself, but other than that it's nothing great. Anyone up for moving to the real Athens? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylebrk Posted February 19, 2009 Report Share Posted February 19, 2009 Yeah that would be awesome, but I actually live in the cop-out city in Georgia, named of course after the great Greek city for the university here. We do boast the oldest state university in the US, and we have a tree that legally owns itself, but other than that it's nothing great. Anyone up for moving to the real Athens? Count me in. Shoot, I'd settle for the one in Georgia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BorderCollieSam Posted February 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2009 Isn't it strange how no matter where you live, you're never happy and always think the grass is greener in another country, well it probably is in England compared with Athens Greece I was only thinking the other day how great it would be to be able to do a job swap and house swap with somebody in another country, i suppose it will only he a question of time before a website emerges Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnLloydJones Posted February 20, 2009 Report Share Posted February 20, 2009 ...and always think the grass is greener in another country... Living in a desert (Sonora desert. AZ), I understand why. Most grass here is scorched brown for all but a few months of the year. Oh and at our local dog park, most of the area has been churned up so that there isn't even brown grass remaing; just dirt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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