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Dog fight shuts another Jamaica Plain dog park
By adamg on Mon, 08/22/2016 - 11:00am
MSPCA-Angell has temporarily closed its dog park on South Huntington Avenue:
There was a fight between two dogs last week; one seriously injured and treated/released. The park is closed until further notice so we can review additional safety precautions. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Earlier this month, the city ordered unleashed dogs out of the Beecher Street Park.
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Comments
remind me again...
...why people own dogs in the city?
Because some of us
Have yards and/or are committed to taking the pup for long walks/jogs daily. Getting a dog in the city is not a decision to make lightly, no doubt. But with the right planning, lots of us make it work.
⚡️
Some of us grew up in the city, still live here and we like dogs! That is a dumb question.
Long, long before I even moved to the city,
I used to think that one couldn't have pets if they lived in the city. I learned otherwise a long, long time ago, and am glad of it, although it does depend on where one moves, since some condo communities or rental apartment buildings still don't take pets, from what I understand..
Deal-sealer for me
I wouldn't have bought my unit if the building allowed dogs. No way.
You sound fun!!!?
You sound fun!!!?
There just isn't the same
There just isn't the same amount of room in the city for dogs. Trying to make the city have the same recreational space as the suburbs isn't practical.
Kids too
If there's no room for dogs there is no room for children either.
Dogs have been living in cities as long as people. It's work to keep any pet but the city isn't inherently a bad place for a dog if the owner is responsible.
no room for dogs = no room for kids?
i'm sorry but last I looked, there are no leash laws for kids. regardless of whether you think there should be, the fact is that city living for kids affords access to tons of green spaces and public spaces where they can run free. not so much for dogs.
Humans > Dogs
What part of this could possibly be misunderstood?
This is the fundamental problem. There is absolutely no equivalency in any way.
Good grief. People had understood this for millennia.
Boggles my mind.
There's more dogs today.
There's more dogs today. People whining that they don't have enough room should move to the suburb that they are going to move to in a few years anyway.
Childless city
If Boston continues down its current path, past Boutique City to Childless City, it will end up with more dogs than children, like San Francisco.
Owning dogs is easier than raising children for people who work long hours, suck at relationships, live in tiny condos, and/or have to move for work reasons every few years.
Because some people like
Because some people like having a dog?
You wanting one doesn't mean it's good
That doesn't mean it's the best place to have one.
There's hardly enough room for exercise unless you walk them enough or overrun public parks.
So many people feel entitled to treat the city as the suburb that they grew up in and will end up moving back to.
Nope. It's a city.
Dogs are cool
Some people who own dogs are not.
Vast majority of city dog owners are not cool
At all.
Well trained dogs and diligent owners are like unicorns.
And even suburban owners suck now too. Dogs are banned on the beach at Nantasket from May 1st - Sept 31.
I see dogs, often unleashed, on the beach daily. Usually after the life guards and rangers are gone.
Their owners know the rules, they just don't think it applies to their little "baby."
It all went south when these pets were anthropomorphized into children. Utter nonsense. Keep them away form strangers, keep them quiet around other people and clean the hell up after them.
It's not that hard, folks. Your mutts are not special to anyone but you.
I used to tolerate the dogs on the beach if they weren't actively bothering me. After a few rude encounters I now just call the police non-emergency line.
Hyperbole
You're full of it.
Perhaps guilty of hyperbole, ABBQ
I'm anonymous but I'm no bomb thrower. I may have aspersions upon my fellow daily beach goers and for that I apologize and rescind the statement.
I see and know many dog walkers on the boardwalk. I've never seen any of the regulars take their dog onto the beach during off-season.
Sorry I didn't make that clearer.
As for the genesis of my original comment, here's the back story:
I went for a swim in the evening the other night and heard a dog barking while I tried to relax.
Got out and saw an unleashed dog barking and running around the beach.
I ignored it and sat at a bench at top of one of the ramps.
Family came up with dog and dog strained leash to come near me. He didn't look dangerous but I wanted NO part of this mutt.
Daughter holding leash kept giving it lead even as I physically pulled myself away from animal.
She let dog touch my leg and slobber on me while it was clear I wanted no contact.
In case they were unaware I pointed out to them that dogs weren't allowed on beach this time of year.
Patriarch thanked me and said they got it.
A few minutes later I was leaving as, they were. Car ran a stop sign and then drove by me and they were all laughing as they held mutt out window to bark at me.
Special, right?
No hyperbole in this story.
Just straight up dog owner assholes.
And I stand by what I've seen in the city.
Simply more obnoxiousness.
War is Peace
War is Peace
Freedom is Slavery
Ignorance is Strength
Pets are important to people,
are wonderful companions when taken care of and treated properly, and become so like and so part of the family.
Then don't leave them alone
Then don't leave them alone for 8 hours a day in an small apartment where you take them outside just for a few walks to crowded parks. Own a dog in a better location.
Exactly why I have cats
Exactly why I have cats
Not quite, mr. knowitall
Not everyone leaves their dogs home alone for 8 hours:
Dogs, much like cats, will sleep the majority of the day away.
When you're invested in your pet, you do what you can to make their lives enjoyable.
what precautions can a dog
what precautions can a dog park take against someone showing up with a dog aggressive dog and expecting it to magically get along with other dogs? I feel like dog parks should be treated like pools or beaches without life guards, use at your own risk.
That's an argument for shutting them down
That's a false analogy. In a pool or beach without a lifeguard, the risk applies equally to all, and no one's use makes it riskier for anyone else. In a dog park, the presence of an aggressive and poorly controlled dog and a clueless owner makes it unsafe for other users. Your "use at your own risk" remedy leaves the parks to those dogs and owners who are confident that their dog can go and are indifferent to the damage done, to their own dog or others. I just don't think that's a good use of public space, and if "use at your own risk" is the rule, I say that's an argument for shutting 'em down.
Owners
Dog owners need to know their dogs and be honest with themselves about it.
We had one pup who felt all puppies of about 1 year or younger must die. Puppies: they move in weird and unpredictable ways. So, when we approached the dog park, if he growled at the fenceline (through the fence) when approached by the dogs, we'd ask the ages of the clearly younger dogs. If within our pup's "must die" age, we continued on our walk and didn't go in. Or if we were already in and an owner with a young pup came in (sometimes obliviously), we'd leave. Occasionally others would let us continue playing, but we'd try not to let that happen too often: the other dogs needed to stretch their legs as well. And we'd had our turn.
Our other pup (recent RIP) felt any animal smaller than her was a stuffed toy that she must destroy. So we approached her interactions with other dogs in a similar manner.
We knew our dogs. And while they got along famously with other dogs outside of the above parameters, we knew their limitations. We did try to reduce their instincts, but for a breed that is still semi-feral in the Congo (Basenji), that's many, many years of instinct to work with / against.
I'm not putting myself on a pedestal, by no means were we perfect, but we also never considered our dogs to be perfect little snowflakes either. I just wish others weren't so oblivious to their dogs' predilections.
Honest advice?
Be responsible for your own dog, first.
Socialize the living hell out of them as early as you can. Dogs of all sizes, people of all genders and colors (fun fact! Dogs are totally capable of being racist!). Try to make all engagements fun and rewarding. Also, do this in as many environments as possible. New things can be scary to dogs, and the more socialized and confident they are, the less likely to react aggressively.
Work on obedience training, especially attention. Ensure that your dog knows his/her name, and will look at you when called (even an ear twitch of some kind will do). Keep working attention, starting small, and working up to the point where you consistently get their attention, even when there's distractions; with the eventual goal of being able to disengage them from other dogs. Practice consistently, and eventually practice at the dog park. You want the ability to be able to prevent a dog fight before it even happens.
Also, familiarize yourself with doggy body language. Lili Chen has a great pictograph that illustrates signs of fear, so be watchful of new dogs. If you see a stiff stance, excessive whale-eye, or any signs of anxiety, step in and disengage your dog (via attention, if you have worked up to that point), and let them try again once things are more situated.
Be aware of your dog's personality. One of my dog dislikes intact males, and tends to try to push around larger dogs.
Also be aware that sometimes fights will happen, for no obvious reason. be prepared to step in. read up on the best approach to breaking up a dog fight, with or without another owner's help. As a side-note, your reactions will also influence your dog's behavior. A tightened leash, or even your own hormones can put your own dog on guard.
Before entering a dog park, make sure you have the number for the ACO, and police on hand. If there is any problems, call them.
The bottom line is that a-holes exist, and there's nothing you can do about it. We can go on and on about what these people should be doing, or how the world should work, but that's a fairy tale. Live up to your own standards first, be mindful and responsible for your own dog, and put the time and effort in to raising your dog to be as adjusted and socialized as possible. And, yes... that does include making the conscious decision of avoiding areas where irresponsible owners are usually found. Sorry.
dog parks
People and dogs have been living together for hundreds of year and it isn't going to stop any time soon. Dog parks are a logical way for people to get together with their animals so that their animals can run and play with their species in an environment that is safe from cars and protects people who don't like dogs or are afraid of them. It should be a win-win. It is sad that it isn't.
I think it is fine to have your dog in the city but that in order to do so a dog owner has to respect a different set of rules than in the suburbs.
In a city people of all types are packed together so training your dog is essential. If you can't take the time to train your dog or pay to have it trained then don't own a dog.
In the city you should clean up after your dog - why isn't this obvious? (no, really- why is there still dog poop on the sidewalk- ever??)
In the city you have to respect that not everyone loves your special snowflake- totally agree. Some people are petrified of dogs. no judgement but with that in mind, don't let your dog jump on them or pull at the front of the leash so that they are on a person before you can control it - See training.
Keep your dog leashed! I've seen a terrified kid run from a large, wet unleashed Labrador that the lab then just ran harder after, thinking it was fun, -and the dog owner yelled at the kid for over reacting...
Leash your dog.
Those around dogs ( maybe who don't have dogs) have rules too-
- please don't run up to a strange animal and try and hug it or pet it (you don't know that dog and if you scare it and it bites - since it can't tell you to leave it be- then it will be to the detriment of the dog and not you and your dumb enthusiasm). It makes everyone sad.
- don't leave dog biscuits out for dogs to pick up (did you hear about the poison dog biscuits some random left out just to be mean?).
-don't punish all dog owners because some people are irresponsible... higher rents, no animals in parks... sigh.
Leash your dog.
When you own your acre or two in the suburbs you can set your own rules.
All that being said- a dog park can be a great place for playdates and meeting dogs of the same energy. Having different kinds of dog parks that what we are used to is an option i haven't much heard explored - instead of the large open space maybe a common area and then longer dog runs for dogs that just want to fetch or aren't great with other dogs? New kinds of dog parks with playdate areas or agility courses for focused dogs to practice and explore. It doesn't have to be a big giant space where every animal must get along - humans don't do that well in that scenario either- why should dogs?
Maybe the city can help with new designs or new ideas and some support for dog friendly areas that are designed for a variety of temperaments and energy levels (and owners).
Maybe people can not complain as much an offer new solutions to a tired old problem - of how do we all live together.
1) People own dogs in the
1) People own dogs in the city b/c they want to have a dog. This isn't brain surgery. You can co-exist. It's not that hard.
2) To say that you should only have a dog if you live in the burbs is ridiculous and makes zero sense. Are you aware that Great Danes are great for apartments?
3) People that have dogs also pay taxes. In fact they help pay for little Timmy and Tammy to go to our public schools amongst other things. Because of this there should be large off leash areas for dogs to socialize, run and play. Just like parks for people and their offspring.
4) Good dog owners are not like unicorns. There are plenty of good dog owners that also police the not so great ones.
5) Dog fights happen. Dog owners should know if their dog can handle being at a dog park. They should also be watching their dog(s) whilst there. You can usually tell when it's time to go. Part of the issue though is the size of these dog parks. Way to small - they do not offer enough space. And yes we do have enough space to share in this city. It's just that many human parents don't want to and think it should all go to them and their children.
7) People that have dogs have the right to raise their dogs wherever they want.
You can always set your dogs
You can always set your dogs free at Clemente Field. Not lawfully, of course, but there are no consequences AFAIK.