Pugsly, do you want to play with the puppies?
If you've learned anything at all about me on Yelp you'll probably have come to the conclusion that I have a pug named Pugsly. Pugsly and I are a team. He even goes to work with me and serves as our mascot. I take him to the vet once every two weeks and then afterwards he'll start staring at me and wining in the car because he knows I'll give in to him and take him somewhere where he can have fun.
This dog park is rather large and offers dogs the chance to explore. Sadly most of it is dirt in the main area and there are large patches of grass on the sides. There is running water with bowls and in that guy who will always dump out the old water onto the plants and give the pups fresh water. There are some trees but they are generally along the side. There are a few places to sit for humans but as I found out not all of the chairs are stable as I fell to the ground and two dogs near me quick ran over to me and started licking my face and trying to play!
They have opened a small dog park in the front of the main dog park but whomever designed it must not have the slightest idea about small dogs. First of all there is no shade for the small dogs and if you have a brachycephalic dog like a Pekinese, French Bulldog, English Bulldog, Boston Terrier or a Pug they cannot cool off as fast as most other dogs because of the short muzzle and nose. So since there aren't any trees you would at least think that they would have water available and if you would have thought that, you'd have been wrong.
There's no running water and no dog bowl either. But it doesn't end there! Finally the way they built it they have laid down some strange burlap netting along most of the length of the path and the downgrade to keep the dirt in place not thinking that poor Pugsly would get tangled up in it. All of these issues need to be fixed as the summer is coming.
The most insane thing about the small dog park is that they have a sign informing the humans that if your dog needs a time out and there's no small dogs present, feel free to use this space. Well, that's exactly what happened today. Silly me thought the big dog in the area might have been too shy to be with the other large dogs and I understand that, but this dog came charging at like those dogs in the Resident Evil movies (an exaggeration). I think if given the chance, he could have eaten my dog whole (also a bit of an exaggeration). I Picked Pugsly up and started looking for the dogs owner. No where to be found. Later on I find out he's just hanging out in the main dog park talking with the other dog owners. Bad pet parenting skills on display for all to witness. I wanted to totally do the Game of Thrones walk of shame to him, but sadly I left my large shaming bell at home. Shame! Shame! Shame!
I do enjoy going to dog parks with Pugsly because it gives him a chance to socialize with others of his species and also offers me the opportunity to meet other dog owners. There are as many types of dog owners as there are dog breeds and just like dogs there are the good and the bad.
When you have a small dog it's sometimes a bit frustrating because if another small dog starts getting aggressive it's usually not as bad as when it's being done by a larger dog. The problem isn't as much the dog as it is the owner. There was a woman who actually had a muzzle on her dog and another who had a choker collar on her dog and kept him on the leash. These were the good dog owners visiting the dog park today. Then there's the crazy dog lady who brings a herd (slight exaggeration) of large dogs and all of them have behavioral problems. Of course she thinks her dogs are angels (you're fooling yourself lady, they're monsters).
If your dog is unable to control itself that's one thing, when you pluralize this, it's even more complex. It's hard enough to keep your eye on one dog at this dog park let alone a herd. So most of the problems I encountered today were due to poor pet parenting, so the blame is squarely on the humans.
As far as the park itself, they really do need to update the small dog park and the sign there says it would be completed by May 2018 and it's not. The small dog park has potential but needs more work. Two stars until it improves.
Don't feel bad for Pugsly, he did make some friends and have fun. I also met some good pup parents who were responsible and were paying attention to their dogs but damn, I wish I hadn't forgotten my large shaming bell... what a shame! read more