Adorned with muddy paw prints and discarded tennis balls, the dog park is the equivalent to Disneyland for many of our furry friends. Dogs are able to meet new playmates and owners are able to connect with fellow pet owners. This concept is one that, on the surface, sounds fun and friendly, but it fails to consider the fact that no matter how trained they may be, dogs are animals at their core.
Daisy, my now five year old dog, used to be an avid enjoyer of Central “Bark”, the dog park within Central Park. She would frolic three to four times a week within the enclosed park, and pursue activities such as chasing other dogs or digging a hole. This all ended, though, on a seemingly harmless Saturday morning that marked Daisy’s last visit to Central Bark.
My dad took Daisy to the park that morning, as it was going to be hot outside later in the day. When she arrived, there were only two other dogs there, two large German Shepherds that were playing together, with one owner watching them. Daisy started running around the park, and being the playful pup that she is, she began to play-fight with the other two dogs.
Quickly, the two dogs began to gang up on Daisy, and the three of them began to seriously fight each other. My dad, who had been standing on the side, intervened and got injured in the process. Afterwards, Daisy was left with an intense anxiety of virtually anything unfamiliar to her, whether it be an inanimate object, a stranger or especially another dog.
The biggest issue with dog parks is how unregulated they are. Many people don’t realize how dangerous it is to let your dogs run free with other dogs that they’ve just met. Your pet dog at home might be the sweetest angel you’ve ever met, but as soon as they meet a fellow wild animal, they revert back to their primal instincts.
The point is, you can take the animal out of the wild, but not the wild out of the animal. The unpredictable behavior of dogs is what makes dog parks so dangerous, and pet owners need to consider the risks when going to one.
