Dog Community

Rough night last night

Posted : 9/27/2006 7:26:28 AM

Okay so we did our usual 2 mile walk and then headed off to the dog park. Everything is going well, Xerxes is playing with his best girl (Eva) and Gaia is playing chase with Stuart a BC mix. A furry golden mix is outside the fence and Xerxes goes over to sniff, then the golden does something, I think he made eye contact and Xerxes starts going ballistic. He had a "fence fight" with this dog. So I finally get him to "Leave it" and everything is fine.

Five minutes later, Gaia is playing with Kylie, an Aussie mix. It should be noted that Kylie is widely regarded as the dog park alpha bitch-by the dogs and by herself. Gaia is a dominant alpha bitch as well. Yup a fight ensues. I go to break it up by yelling "Hey" in my best drill instructor voice and then I grab Gaia's collar. I get nailed like 5 times by Gaia. I'm fine, the skin wasn't broken. I leash up and make sure that Kylie is ok and then gather my other wayward dog and leave.

On our 930pm walk I'm doing the around the neighborhood walk, I get accosted by an older, drunk lady who gives me attitude about "you all allow your dogs to pee and poop anywhere they please, why don't you stay to the designated areas?" Since we don't have designated areas and I'm already stressed from the previous events I went off on the lady and told her to "crawl back into the bottle she just got out of." and I told her that she was harassing me.

I know I didn't do the correct thing, but I was pretty stressed and when she was talking to me I was already on the phone with Xerxes' breeder discussing the day's events and getting advice on how to deal with Gaia.

So here's what I've decided: Gaia goes to the vet to get a complete blood panel including an estrogen test to find out whether she's coming into season or not.

Gaia does not go back to the park without a muzzle.

Oh and I'm not walking by that section of neighborhood with the drunk chain smoking lady on it.

Anybody else have any suggestions?

pofi_pasquale

Posted : 9/27/2006 8:44:39 AM

I think you've made some sound decisions and handled things quite well. I wouldn't think twice about how you handled the drunk.

I guess the only other thing I can think of is basics - I know you find a lot of time for them individually for exercise. Work the basics, name game, recall, etc. during some of that exercise time. My trainer says I want my dogs to snap their heads round to look at me every time I say their name. I'm not there yet, but working on it!

Sorry you had a rough night!

houndlove

Posted : 9/27/2006 9:19:00 AM

Yee-ikes! That is like my nightmare evening! I don't have any further suggestions, just wanted to give my sympathy. I'm always really paranoid about my dogs' behavior (not becuase they ever give me a reason to be, honestly--I'm just an axious person) and when things like what you described happen it just totally sends me for a loop.

We got a nasty anonymous note on our door last week about our dogs being "public nuisances" because of their barking, and threatening to call animal control and I was just mortified. I didn't know the were even barking during the day because by the time I get home, they're not. And every time they potty in public, I'm always hoping that no one is looking, but it's not like you can really control where they do that beyond keeping their leashes short and making sure they stay out of people's actual yards. But I'm totally ready for some crazy person to accost us because my dogs are biological entities and sometimes they excrete waste when I'd rather they not.

Terri

Posted : 9/27/2006 9:35:18 AM

Wow, what a night! Sorry you had such a rough time of it. Don't let it get to you, though. You didn't do anything wrong. You handled everything the way I would've. And it sounds like you've got some good ideas on what to do in the future.

I feel the same way as houndlove. I'm always overly paranoid about my dogs. I am very sensitive to anything that someone says about them and get worried if people look at them funny. I don't want people to see my dogs as a menace and I would hope that if there is a problem, they would come to me first before reporting anything to AC.

But you're an extremely responsible dog owner. Don't feel bad about last night! Especially not about the drunk woman--she was being ridiculous!

jetty

Posted : 9/27/2006 9:36:09 AM

WOW that does sound pretty stressful! I

ersonally wouldn't bring intact dogs to the park but I am sure there is no other way to exercise your dogs. Putting a muzzle on Dodger was actually more traumatic than avoiding the dog park so we stopped going (aside from making Dodger insecure, he couldn't protect himself so we only go to play groups with dogs he knows).

With regards to designated areas - dog owners in my neighbourhood let their dogs walk all over and eliminate in people's gardens/front lawn (they also allow their dogs to mark garbage bins, raked leaves and recycling boxes etc...) I'd get mad too if it was my property since the other side of the sidewalk is unowned! If you live in a residential area with no sidewalks or public "unowned" spots, I guess your only choice is to make sure your dogs eliminate on your property berforehand so there is no need for them to be targeted by a drunk lady[

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Xerxes

Posted : 9/27/2006 10:35:42 AM

I live in a condo complex. Nobody does their own yardwork...except for the few ground floor dwellers that have nice little backyard gardens. So it's not as if Xerxes was ruining her hydrangea bushes.

As far as exercising the hounds, we have our walks and usually if I'm just walking them we'll do a 3 or more miler and we all collapse afterwards. They are intact, yet Xerxes has been coming to the park since he was 4 months old. He's got problems with 2 dogs and I always, always, always scour the park to see if they are there before we enter. Yesterday was just the day from Hades. The only bright point in my day was the cat-I woke up and she was right next to my pillow looking at me with those yellow glowy eyes...almost like she was watching over me, or getting ready to pounce...either way it was comforting.

houndlove

Posted : 9/27/2006 11:18:11 AM

After we got that nasty note last week, Marlowe was just incredibly sensitive to the fact that I was upset and that my upsetness had something to do with him (he's the barker in the family, so if anyone's going to be a nuisance barker, it's him). He totally velcroed to me all that night and even managed to squish himself (I swear he must have been hovering in mid-air!) between me and Conrad while we were watching TV that night.

They are amazing creatures, aren't they?

jetty

Posted : 9/27/2006 11:40:48 AM

I agree, it sounds like it was just an off day, with circumstances out of your control. I hope Gaia's tests come back normal!

Susan Chandler

Posted : 9/27/2006 12:37:32 PM

Good GOLLY! WHAT a night you had? In my estimation, you did everything right and are taking the appropriate proactive measures to make sure nothing else happens. What more could you do? I think you are fine.

Our neighborhood is an older established neighborhood with a lot of older residents, none of which have dogs. The ones who DO have dogs totally understand about the biological functions and sometimes the spontaneity with which this all happens too. There is one older gal on the block that routinely will cut out things from a local newspaper or circular regarding "minding your dogs and the penalties in regards to that." Now I DO have to tell you, I am DUTIFUL about watching where my dogs go and IF the little stinkers do something I cannot control, which DOES happen occasionally, I am quick to clean EVERY LITTLE STITCH up. I have even picked up other people's dog poop (I have rubber gloves in my pocket) so nobody can blame us for anything our dogs have done. I mean REALLY! It is insane the way people tend to react to these little guys. If only they understood how sweet they are and how responsible we are. I totally understand your dilemma though.

Xerxes

Posted : 9/27/2006 1:55:14 PM

One of the things I detest is those people that walk their dogs and don't clean up the poo. Xerxes is a poo eater so I am dilligent about cleaning up his mess. If we're in the woods and he goes well off the beaten path I won't necessarily pick it up though. I think that the irresponsible owners get more notice that the responsible ones do.

Terri

Posted : 9/27/2006 2:02:33 PM

ORIGINAL: Xerxes

One of the things I detest is those people that walk their dogs and don't clean up the poo. Xerxes is a poo eater so I am dilligent about cleaning up his mess. If we're in the woods and he goes well off the beaten path I won't necessarily pick it up though. I think that the irresponsible owners get more notice that the responsible ones do.

That's definitely true! I've never had someone come up to me and thank me for cleaning up after my dogs. I like to swing the bag of poo around as we walk by people, so they can see that I cleaned it up. [

]

It really bothers me too when people don't clean up after their dogs. I find poop in my yard all the time. I sure don't want to have to clean up my dogs' poop and someone elses too! What got me one day, though, was finding a big pile right under the dog bag dispenser/trash can. How lazy can you get? (sorry for the rant!)

fuzzy_dogs_mom

Posted : 9/27/2006 3:03:39 PM

Geez. Even if there was a designated pee/poop area, it's not like the dog is going to tell you he has to go, and then you can tell him to hold it because you're only 5 min. away from the *designated* spot. All you can do is have a couple of bags with you.

Joyce

Luvntzus

Posted : 9/27/2006 3:13:45 PM

Wow, what an awful night!! Just wow... [

] Sorry you had such a rough time. I think the solutions you came up with are great. Hope things go better your next time out. *Big hug*