Dog Owners Need to Control Their Dogs
Today at the dog park, Mocha was cowered into submission by a pack of dogs. It was an ugly sight.
As soon as we entered the park, a pit bull gunned right for Mocha. Apparently, the pit bull sensed Mocha’s fear and lunged towards him. This noticeably made Mocha even more frightened, so he ran off. Perhaps his previous encounter with a pit bull didn’t help.
Suddenly, there was a chase. Most of the other dogs joined in. Pretty soon, there was Mocha, tail between his legs, galloping as fast as he could away from a torrent of teeth and barks. In the front of the pack was the pit bull.
The pit bull’s owner jumped in and tore her dog away. As soon as she did that, the pack stopped chasing and Mocha shivered between our legs.
The owner apologized. “My dog sensed your dog’s fear. That’s why he chased him,” she explained.
Okay, great. So if she knew that, why didn’t she hold back her fear-sensing pit bull back until Mocha entered the park and became acclimated? I’ve seen other dog owners do that before with their aggressive dogs. Once a new dog enters the territory and becomes accepted by the pack, then the aggressive dog is let free and able to inspect the new dog him/herself.
While the owner was chasing her pit bull around, I heard other dog owners mutter comments like, “Why did she bring him in there?” “Doesn’t she know there’s a dog park for large dogs around the corner?” “What a vicious dog.” One mother even pulled her daughter back from trying to pet the pit bull.
After the fiasco, we retreated to a faraway corner of the dog park. We played fetch with Mocha, which cheered him up immensely. Then I looked up and noticed that the pit bull and owner had left.
Dog owners need to control their dogs. It’s fine, and perhaps even recommended, to socialize their dogs in a dog park. But a dog with a potentially aggressive temperament may need some Cesar Milan magic before playing with others. In my humble opinion, it’s common courtesy and responsible dog ownership.
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