Animal Chatter
By Iris Winston
A trip to our local dog park is one of the highlights of Charlie’s day, especially if one of his canine favourites is there to meet him.
As we drive up, he turns his head to see who’s there and gives a big doggy smile. It’s almost time for a session of running and playing. I hold his leash as we walk sedately (in my dreams) from the car to the gate and unclip him as soon as we are in the park.
Keeping your dog leashed when entering is one of the posted rules. Nobody wants to have to deal with an excited dog chasing a squirrel or bird on the wrong side of the fence and the ruckus that would follow. Most off-leash dog parks post a list of rules, all of them with the welfare of the four-legged occupants in mind. As the dogs, however intelligent and well-trained, do not read, it’s up to their two-legged companions to obey them.
The first requirement is for dogs to be fully vaccinated. Nearly everyone who cares about their pets remembers to keep basic shots and boosters up to date, so tardiness in that direction is usually not an issue. Some dog parks also require pups to be no younger than six months to ensure they are fully protected. I have met very young puppies in our dog park occasionally and, while they are absolutely charming, they are at risk if their first round of shots hasn’t been finished.
Diligence about picking up after the dogs as they relieve themselves is also related to health—both canine and human. This means that humans must be present in every sense, neither distracted by electronic devices nor too deep in conversation with other owners and certainly not sitting outside the park in their vehicles while their dogs are left alone on the other side of the fence. It’s challenge enough to locate your dog’s excrement when you are watching him. You certainly can’t do your pickup duty if you are not looking or are too far off to see what your dog is doing.
You have to be close to talk to him, play with him and make sure he is happy around the other dogs. Charlie, for instance, is comfortable when there are two or three other dogs but heads for the gate when the crowd grows too big or a human reprimands his dog sharply. He looks over his shoulder at me, making it clear that it’s time for us to leave.
While dogs, like people, display particular likes and dislikes, most (though not all) owners do not bring a potentially aggressive dog to the park. Well-socialized dogs are at ease with each other. Concerned owners know if their dog might become too protective over a ball or other toy and don’t use them when there are other dogs around.
In fact, dog and human behaviour in a dog park is all about understanding dogs in general and your dog in particular. Two recent incidents at our local dog park illustrated a lack of knowledge or caring about dogs very clearly.
On the first occasion, a couple brought a dog still in heat. Many parks require females to be spayed and males to be neutered. Although this is not included in our park’s rules, surely common sense should prevail? Bringing a female still in heat (at least 10 to 14 days after any discharge has changed from blood to the colour of straw) can create an issue. Males still awaiting their big operation—which generally takes place when dogs are older these days to give bone development more time—are likely to compete with each other and fights can occur.
Perhaps the owners of the dog whose heat was ongoing did not realize that the stage after a bitch has stopped bleeding is when she is at her most fertile and of greatest interest to males. However, it was certainly explained to them during that first visit, so there was little excuse to bring her to the park on at least three more occasions within the fertile period. It just made life difficult for all the other dogs and owners.
The other negative experience was caused by a woman and her four young sons. They were apparently looking after a small dog for a friend and brought her to the park. This would have been fine if the kids knew anything about dog behaviour. They didn’t. They were running at the dogs, ‘barking’ and shouting at them and stamping their feet. It would not have been surprising if a dog had turned on one of the kids, even though the children were entirely at fault.
We can only hope that non-dog people like these don’t return to the dog park. Responsible dog owners—the vast majority of those who enjoy being there and are grateful to the municipality for making the space available—realize the importance of observing dog-park etiquette and just how valuable the park is in terms of exercising well-socialized dogs and even in making new human friends.
Almonte, Ontario, writer Iris Winston is a former executive director of the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies. She has been an animal lover all her life. Her pets have always been important members of her family.
