Dog Park Etiquette

In Severn, Md., a dog was shot to death in a dog park. Apparently a dog owner brought his dog into the dog park on leash while a Husky approached the dog. The play got rough, the owner felt threatened, pulled the gun and shot the Husky.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/pawprintpost/post/2010/08/dog-shot-to-death-at-dog-park/1

Bear-Bear, a brown and white Husky that's about three years old, was playing in the Quail Run dog park at about 6:30 p.m., running off leash inside the fenced-in area, when the officer and his wife arrived with a German Shepherd, who was kept on a leash. When the dogs began to play roughly — the federal officer asked Bear-Bear's guardian, his owner's brother, to call off the dog. But before he could do anything, the officer pulled out a gun and shot Bear-Bear.

Bear-Bear, who belongs to Rachel Rettaliala, died of his injuries a few hours later.

"I've been bawling my eyes out since 7 p.m. last night," Retalliala said. "It's grief mixed with anger. We're so angry this guy was able to take our animal for what we feel was no reason at all.

"We still don't believe that he's gone. We just want so badly to be diligent about this. [The officer] has to pay some sort of consequence for his foolishness."

A spokesman for Anne Arundel County Police Department said no charges will be filed and investigators found no evidence of criminal activity.

REALLY?

That probably isn't the whole story but is pulling a gun and shooting the dog justified?
If the story is true that man should be prosecuted to the full extend.

However, there are things that I don't like about dog parks. Too many people let their dogs run up to the gate once somebody new is coming in. Some people walk their dogs into the dog park on leash, which happened in this case and no matter how friendly your dog is, just don't let your dog approach a dog that is on leash.

I started to go there only when nobody else is around, because I don't want to get into trouble and once somebody is coming in I leave, just because a lot of people don't use common sense.

• If somebody new is coming to the dog park, recall your dog. Let them get in and unleash the dog before you let your dog approach the newbie.
• Do not accept that your dog is being chased by the whole pack once he gets in.
  
• Do not let your dog hump others or let it happen that another dog is humping yours
  
• Don't ever let your dog approach a dog that is leashed, it can cause all kind of problems
• Learn to read dogs, is it rough play or serious
• SPEAK YOUR MIND if you don't like whats going on
  
• Last but not least: LEAVE(!) before it's to late!

I learned to abide these rules. Sometimes the dog park is the only possibility to let our dogs run free and we all have a responsibility. Not just for our own dogs but for every dog in there. Our job is to protect our own dogs from being attacked by others AND to protect other dogs from being harmed by our very own dogs.

Also, read the rules. Every dog park has it's own rules. If it says that kids under the age of 16 have to be supervised, please don't send your 12 years old in there all by themselves.

USE COMMON SENSE, PEOPLE!

The Dog Handler