THIS is why I DON'T walk my dogs in parks

[Mrs. CountryGuy]

OK, we have done 600 miles in 2 days, and we just left behind our beloved Winter home, Texas, so, I am tired and I am sad.

BUTTTTT, that does not excuse this behavior in my mind, not my behavior, that of the work campers/managers of this park.

We pulled in a few hours ago, a rather new campground near Lafayette Louisiana, Frog City RV Park, Duson, LA to be exact.

I usually don't walk the dogs very far from our campsite, as Al and I have had yorkies since around 1984, and have yet to stay in a park where there were not dogs running lose (last night for example, several dogs), or where we have not been charged at or attacked by other dogs.

I fed the kids, and took them around a short walk to go potty. After a hour or so, Gallagher, Mr. G for short, was indicating that another walk was in order, NOW.

So, I took him and ONLY him, on his leash, and decided to go a bit further. Thank gawd I only took the ONE dog.

As I rounded the corner down the way, where all the work campers were having a good ole LA style dinner of crawfish, etc., all of a sudden, a small dog, I think it was a min pin, came charging across the street, no leash, and believe it or not, NOT EVEN A COLLAR!!! Mr. G saw this dog coming and started squawking and squealing (his annoying way of saying OUCHIE MOM!!). Somehow, I managed to grab him up by his harness into the safety of my arms in just the nick of time, the other dog was within 6 inches of biting Mr. G. He was growling and there is NO doubt in my mind the dog would have taken a hunk out of Mr. G's hide!

The lady that was yelling, "I'm sorry" is the same lady that checked us in not 2 hours ago. I guess the rules don't apply to them??? Their rules state in no uncertain terms, even highlighted in yellow: "Pets must be constrained or restrained on a leash." DUHHHHHHHH???????????????

I not so nicely informed her this kind of crap was why I had one dog with a collapsed trachea already and that there were leash laws for a reason, and then I stomped off to my trailer.

So, I guess we will only spend one night here, no matter what and we will have to think twice about coming back here again.

Sorry for the venting and screaming, thanks for listening, I am gonna go have a good cry now, I am so upset.

And, you wonder why I get on my soapbox and scream flipping bloody murder when I read, ANYWHERE, that you don't walk your dog on a leash. Now you KNOW why!

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

[PartyCrashers]

Oh Mrs. CountryGuy-

I feel for you.

I am glad you spoke out to the owner of the dog....no matter who she is.

I hope you make one more voice complaint.....to whoever over sees her position.

I know it will take your personal time and energy, but by doing this will help all other pet owners who do follow the rules and laws. Little by little a difference can be made.

Take care and give your dog a hug.

[Mrs. CountryGuy]

PartyCrashers,

I believe just about all the staff was sitting down there, they all heard me.

I did look up the email addy for the campground, and sent a copy of this post to them, with the added comment that I was NOT very happy, or something to that affect.

My luck, [:0], the email will get opened by one of those staff members.

Oh, well, got it off my chest.

Please folks, be responsible pet owners. The rules ARE FOR ALL OF US!

[William H. Collier]

Gee, Carol, sounds like you really had a bad experience. We stayed there on the way back from Florida and found it to be a really enjoyable place...no problem with our dog or anyone elses. Sorry to have missed you at the Montana luncheon. Truth is, no calender, and we just plain forgot. Hope you have a better rest of your journey. Great seeing you both in the valley.
Linda

[Ozzie]

How scary that must've been...it makes me want to carry a little bottle of mace with me. Good for you for speaking up!

[RC and Samantha]

Carol, so sorry to read about Mr G and your horrifying experience today. Glad you were able to get him up in your arms in time. The rules should apply to everyone and the fact that this was an employee's dog makes it even worse.

I too am glad you spoke your mind and wrote the e-mail. You may even try and snail mail eh? Maybe you can find out the campground's owner's name and address it to him/her/they specifically.

I hope your night and tomorrow is WAY better. Just read your post out loud to Dick and it's got him thinking how a new puppy will not be a good idea. So, sad to think you/we can't walk our dogs when they love it so and really need the exercise.
Big hugs to you and Mr G!

Patty

[Waynem]

Carol,
Would you like to borrow Miya (Husky/Chow) for a return visit there? Miya is a very sociable dog. She will play with any dog that wants to play ( or any human) but once a dog growls at her in that non-sociable way, she is a different puppy. Pin-min would have been desert! Of course, I keep a very tight collar on her when ever a dog or human approaches. She's very good - until!!!!

The park we just finished staying at for two weeks had many dogs, and a 130 by 30 ft dog run. Play time galore. The only dog in the park that was not leashed was the owners dog, and he was dominant. Fortunately the owner had some pretty good voice control, but the possibility was there.

What people don't realize is that if an happy camper has a big dog on a leash and the little dog comes charging over, who do you think is going to win? The big dog. I don't know why those idiots that let there dogs loose don't realize that.

Come on back to Texas where the mutts are friendlier!!!

[jpbcny]

quote:Originally posted by Ozzie

How scary that must've been...it makes me want to carry a little bottle of mace with me. Good for you for speaking up!


I don't have a dog, but I do walk 3 to 8 miles a day in the colder months when I can't golf, or do other warm weather activities. During these walks I encounter MANY unleashed dogs, as I generally walk in rural areas. I always carry Canine Mace (http://www.opamerica.com/muzzle-canine-pepper-spray-p-1517.html), I've only had to use it once, I'm not afraid of dogs as a rule (I'm 6'2" 235 LBS), but I'm not going to let an aggressive large dog get near me, while the owner is yelling from a quarter mile away for me NOT TO WORRY.

Most of these PROBLEM dog owners are just LAZY, as where I live in the "Great White North", it's just too inconvenient for them to have to expose themselves to the cold elements to leash their dog, so they just open the door, and let them go...

JP

[Mrs. CountryGuy]

thanks all.

Patty, one fact that is really good about yorkies, is that they don't HAVE to have the huge amount of exercise that other dogs do, mine romp here in Tana and a short walk will suffice.

They could use more, but, cut back the fattening food a bit and they don't put on weight.

It is probably me that all these dogs are charging! Not my dogs! HA HA, I see lots of other people walking yorkies, and they all are surprised at my experiences.

Go figure. Life is strange, eh???

Wayne, Al and I will be back to our Winter Home, in Texas, ASAP. God Willing.

Linda, we enjoyed our visits in the RGV as well, hope to see you soon, maybe the Fall Rally?????

Nite all, tomorrow is another long day, the pups are well, they are fed, they will forget all this ruckus by morning! HA HA

[Ozzie]

Ahh...thanks for that link. I saved it and will be looking into that.

[Dustytuu]

Carol, so glad Mr G didn't get hurt. That is one of my pet peeves to see dogs running loose. We were in CO Springs during July 4th week last year and walking our two Schnauzers for their last walk of the evening, still day light out. One of the people that live on the campground had a big black dog that came over and jumped on Lucylou. Thank God Don was there, he grabed her up just in time. We looked her all over and couldn't see any bite mark. Scared us! We told the campground host and they said they would take care of it. Didn't see that dog after that. Maybe the lady with the black dog was visiting someone but it was near the edge of the area where a lot of trailers don't move.

A woman was killed 5 miles from where we live by 2 pit bulls running loose. The owners are in jail now. Dogs had attacked a lady walking before this and injured her leg bad. This lady that was killed was out feeding her horses. After they killed her, they went to another neighbor's yard and a man had to jump into the back of his pickup to escape them. He said they almost got him down before he made it. He yelled at his son in house and he came out and shot at them and they left. Sheriff killed both of them later. This is in a rural area with 5 acres and more lots.

[Longwell]

Carol, I'm glad there were no injuries, other than to your nerves.
WOW! jpbcny, thanks for the posting about the spray!!!!
A neighbor, 2 houses away, lets their huge white bulldog run loose through about a 1-mile stretch of our neighborhood. He has a history of fighting other dogs and I'm worried about letting our dog (who is always on a leash, even in our yard) out to go to the bathroom, even while on her leash!
He is a mean SOB (not a trailer!) and has stopped me dead in my tracks several times, both on the road and in my own yard. I have had the animal control officer here 3 times; 1 warning, 1 minimum fine and 1 maximum fine, yet they still let him loose occasionally.
I didn't want to use mace on the dog since it would injure the dog, but I sure would like to use it on the neighbor whose fault it is!!!
This product looks like a possible answer.
You may have helped keep a dog from being shot.
It also should help with my bicycle riding in the summer in unknown areas.
Thanks again.
Larry

[DarMar]

We've been there and done that on tooooo many occasions, so most of us know exactly how you feel on this subject. I don't consider myself an ill tempered person but these incidents just set me off like a time bomb, usually ruins my day till I sit down and cool off, perhaps with a beverage. Just the other day I was saying to the DW that we need to get a walking stick that might help out during these all too frequent experiences. We will be looking into the canine pepper spray as well! Sad to say that one now has to arm themselves with protective equipment before walking our dogs that are ALWAYS on their leases. Unfortunely, the aggressive dogs will get the brunt of the stick or spray, when in most cases it should have used on the owners who repeatedly fail to get the message!!!

[SlickWillie]

Carol, if you are wanting to stay in the Lafayette area for a few days, there is a new RV park in Henderson, LA called Cajun Palms (http://www.cajunpalms.com/). Not sure if it is finished yet, but it looked like it was going to be very nice. Hopefully they have some sites finished. There is also a good eating joint nearby; Crawfish Town. Henderson is on I10 at the west end of the the Atchafalaya Basin. Also close by is Breaux Bridge, the self proclaimed crawfish capitol of the world and home of Mulate's restaurant.

[Mrs. CountryGuy]

Will, thanks for the heads up on that, I will have to make some notes on your suggestions, as I know Al would LOVE that crawfish!! Wahooooo.

Sadly, for him, this trip we kept on trucking and towing, we are past Baton Rouge, and you were right about that too, whew, that was a challenge, and slow. Heading towards Gulf Shores.

As far as the dog thing, this does happen, as DarMar points out, all too frequently. This is why campground owners get ulcers?? And, some of them ban us all together. SIGHHH

This is also why I urge everyone to have a game plan worked out in your mind, WHAT are YOU gonna do when you are charged by a dog, no matter what the size. I do several, all, or some of the following:

1.) Grab dog by harness and turn them into the flying Wolenda's of the canine world.

2.) Turn my back to the offending owner and refuse to acknowledge their existance, and do not utter a word till they get their dog away from me. If I am tired, option 2 is not taken, and we go to option 3! [}:)]

3.) Blast em verbally, as I did last night, NO, I was not nice, I probably sounded like a "B", you fill in the other letters of that word. Do, I care, NOPE! I am getting to be an old lady, in years past I would have meekly gone about my business, but, I have had all this crapola I am gonna take meekly, and if I chose to say something, I will make no pretense of being NICE about it. Call me what you may, I don't care much. Geesssh, I guess there is something good about gettin old, eh?? WHO CARES, blast away ole Carol! HAHA

And, as usual, I ask, nicely, or not so nicely, PLEASE KEEP YOUR DOG CONTAINED OR RESTRAINED! Thank you.

[Rocky2]

Carol,
Happy to hear that neither you or Mr. G was hurt.
I have 3 medium large dogs and when it was just 2 dogs I got cornered by a large Rotty while walking in our old neighborhood, I stood there screaming and not a sole helped I managed to get away but it was not easy, trying to hang on to my 2 and kicking at the Rotty. I agree that when walking by yourself you should carry some form of protection - I could have used the canine spray that day.
A walking stick is a very good idea too.
I too tell people in a nice and sometimes not so nice way that they must contain their loose dogs.

Laura (aka Rocky2)

[MacDR50]

Really sorry to hear of your incident. I am a dog person myself although the DW has no interest in them. Unfortunately every dog still has a bit of wild left in them, more in some than others. Size doesn't seem to matter. The breed and the dog's nurturing/training are important but given the right circumstance any dog may bite. It was a good thing that your protagonist was a small dog. A large dog may have turned on you when you lifted your yorkie out of the way.

This last season I saw a man at the park walking his cats in a little enclosed stroller. I just has to ask him about it because I had never seem such a unit before. He explained that it gets him out and gives the cats some fresh air without the worry of them being attacked by dogs. He told me that he has one of those folding pet fences but a large dog had still managed to bowl it over and badly mauled one of his cats. Happily the park I stay in seasonally has a pretty strict leash policy that the manager not only enforces but follows himself. He asked a camper to leave once because the camper would tie his big dog to a tree and then leave the campground for the day. Everyone who walked past that site with a dog was terrorized by this dog barking, lunging and straining on the chain.

My own dog attack story had an unhappy ending for the dog. I was hunting ducks from the banks of a river that wound through farms and woods. Here all rivers and lakes have a 10ft public right-of-way so I wasn't trespassing on anyones property. I had stopped for a drink of coffee from my thermos when I heard a noise and looked up to see 6-7 large dogs on the trail about 100 ft away. They seemed to be led by a big rough looking collie who started to growl, raise his neck hair, lay his ears back etc. I knew he was planning a charge so I stood up and pumped a shell into my gun. That seemed to scare him because he and the rest of the pack went back into the woods. I decided to call it a day and turned to go back to my truck, glancing over my shoulder just to make certain I wasn't being followed. I heard a growl and looked ahead and the collie was coming for me. I was able to kick at him and knocked him aside just enough to swing around. He seemed to be building up for another run at me so I shot him. Only then did I see the other dogs coming up the path. They took off in the other direction when I fired. I shudder to think what the outcome would have been if I had been unarmed or had my young son with me. I never found out who owned the dog but a few years later a farmer told me that he had shot several dogs that were attacking his calves that same year. Perhaps they were from the same pack.

[rames14]

Carol, glad to hear Mr. G didn't get hurt, but sorry you had to go through it. And, once again it gets back to the dog owner. Magnum, in his eleven years, never once lunged or attacked a person or animal (well there was that one squirrel). And as large as he was, a St. Bernard lunged at him during dog training. It's a scary situation regardless of the size of the attackee. My Dad was a mailman, and I know he really got angry when he got bit - especially on Christmas eve. Good luck with your trip.

[simonsrf]

Carol,

Sorry for your troubles.

In our travels, we have found very few bad dogs, just bad owners. Somehow, people who have pets tend to believe that everyone loves "their" dog....and usually, as the dog is charging, the result is the owner saying they won't hurt you, as they are yelling at their misbehaving pet from afar.

Most people would say we do NOT like dogs, that is NOT the case, we dislike the irresponsible owners of those dogs. I would hate to hurt a pet because of their owners lack of concern for my safety, but I am prepared and will take the appropriate action to avoid a confrontation from any dog.

We were just recently camping with some friends who owned a lab mix. Their dog immediately decided I was a foe and showed teeth and aggressive behavior toward me. In fact, I had to get between a chair and the dog to protect myself.

We were parked next door to them. I voiced my disapproval and asked that the dog be kept away from me. During the next 4 days we camped together, I was repeatedly used as a guinea pig by the owner to prove that the dog was no longer aggressive toward me. I did not appreciate the dog being given the benefit of the doubt for bad behaviour at my expense.

Moral of the story for me...if your pet is aggressive and not restrained, I will without remorse take adverse action to preserve our safety.

Thanks for the reminder that not all dogs are created equal, and neither are their owners.

[Skip]

This may sound horrible but I am a retired police officer and still have a few cans of pepper mace. ( The K-nine mace is similar) Some dog owners (the bad kind) were in the RV park drinking and were letting their pit bull run loose. I have a golf cart and use it due to heart problems. I was talking to some friends in another area of the park. As I started to leave the dog starts growling and coming at me. He was about 4 feet away when I grabbed the mace I had in the cart and hit him full in the face. He yelped and ran back to his owners RV, went inside and immediately started rubbing his face on the floor, couch, bed etc. to get the mace off. The owners went in and came out coughing and cussing trying to figure out what was going on and why their eyes and nose were burning. I drove by and told them their dog was attempting to attack me and I maced him. I also told them park rules stated all dogs must be on a leash. They were yelling, cussing and talking about cleaning their RV. I told them their cleaning it was cheaper than a lawsuit if the dog had bitten me. I then left. They complained to the park Mgr. the next day and said their eyes burnt all night and they had to wash their dog before they could let him back in. The Mgr also told them it was their fault for not having the dog on a leash. They pulled out that day. The point I guess I'm trying to make is mace works very well, does no permant damage to the animal, and will also make the animals owners think twice and remember to use a leash. (Must admit it was hard not to laugh when the owners came running out of the RV.)

[Exnavydiver]

We have two 80-100lb labs, both are well enough trained that they don't need to be leashed, however we leash them anyway. We walk them several times a day and normally don't have any problems. We have however had a couple. All the dog problems we have had involved little dogs, ankle biters, a.k.a. Kick-a-poos. A lot of them seem to have a complex about being little and get it into their heads that they can kick ass on any dog bigger than them. Under normal circumstances (at home for instance) I would just let the chocolate lab have a snack cause she has attitude and demands respect from any dog. The yellow is more forgiving but I am not. I don't have any dog or bear spray (yet), but I did buy a regular light weight cattle prod at Agri-supply. It works very well on either rude dogs or irate owners. Only had to use it once at home but that was on a mastif with a real bad attitude. It worked very nicely. I guess the point I am trying to make is pet ownership is a privilege not a right and as such we should behave accordingly. I control my dogs and try to follow the rules, so should everybody else.. Dave JMHO

[Mrs. CountryGuy]

Dave,

Our 3 kick-a-poos, errr, yorkshire terriers, err, terriorsts, are not quite sure how to take your post, so, since we all had a hard day, and are a tad tired, and so as to not over react and say something we might later regret - - -

We shall just say, Campgrounds have leash rules, they should apply to ALL dogs, kick-a-poos, or larger versions that like snacks of kick-a-poos.

It is the owners that figure the rules do not apply to them that cause trouble, and make parks bann certain breeds, bann owners with more than 2 dogs per unit, or charge $5.00 per day per dog on top of your camping fees.

And it is those same owners that force me to be very leary of other dogs and make it very difficult for me to walk my terrorists, errrr, sweet, cuddly yorkies.

[Exnavydiver]

Oops! Carol, not meant to point finger at you and yours, just tried to make a dual point and I guess I failed terribly, sorry:( no more remarks about little people.. Dave

[Mrs. CountryGuy]

Apology accepted.

Duel point, or multi sized point, we all agree,

KEEP YOUR DOGS CONSTRAINED OR RESTRAINED (as in ON A LEASH)!

[PartyCrashers]

I have two sweet miniature poodles. One will greet anybody and everybody, the other shy's away.

But when you hold either dogs, they will love you up. When you sit down they will cuddle up to you and give and take all the lovin' they can.

Outside, (on a leash), they will bark their heads off at another dog. Big and small.
Dave, my little dogs THINK they are big dogs barking away, until they come face to face to the big dog, then it is under my legs they go.

I know this well about my dogs and take responsibilities for them.

When they are yapping at the big guy across the street, I till them "you'd better be careful your inviting yourself (to be) for lunch"! LOL LOL LOL!

Dogs are like our kids.....It is the owners that need to take responsibility

[Exnavydiver]

Where we are at at the moment, Brooklet, Ga. they have a small about 30 lb shepard mix, and a small also about 30 lb boxer, both females. Beau the yellow loves them to death, he spends most of the day running in circles with them and chasing them. They chase him all day too. Murphy (the beotch) goes out for a bit and growls at everybody then comes back in since she has done her job for the day (being the Beotch). Beau is gonna miss the girls when we head back north but that is the life of a sailor, a dog in every port. But THEY WILL STAY HERE IN GA. DO YOU HEAR THAT BETSY????

[labmom]

In response to Dave's opinion, these two dogs are just plain sweet. Never have I seen so many dogs that are allowed to just run and be dumped off. The tan one (Pork Chop) is sooooo very sweet and just likes to be hugged and loved. I wanted to spray both the little dogs with Bio-Spot and have them stay in the fifth wheel for the night as it is going to be cold. I was met with a resounding NO!!!!!!!! If any one knows of anyone who is looking for two sweet small dogs, please let me know and I will see if we can meet up on the way home. I would love to see these two girls go to great homes.
We have been told that it would be great if we could take them off their hands. So, any takers? Or know anybody that is in the market for one or two sweet little girls?
Let me know.
Betsy

[lwcdg]

Betsy have you ever worked in a veterinary clinic? Most employees have this same DNA makeup, trying to help find homes etc. Thanks for your efforts, Chuck

[Mrs. CountryGuy]

if you can determine (maybe) what breed they are, see if you can contact the national rescue group for that breed. See if they can assist.

[Ms McGyver]

Your comments regarding the size of the dogs--most don't realize that they're not the stock they were bred down in size from!

Our pom thinks he's a big guy, acts like a big guy--until mom puts him in his place. Responsible ownership makes life lovely for all of us, and irresponsibility wreaks havoc. Ringo is in training to become a therapy dog and as such, must spend time with unknown people, off leash, and still obey commands. When he becomes the tiniest bit headstrong during these training times, he gets treated like a two week old puppy by the head "bitch" of the pack and then he behaves. Still no leash necessary.

When he's not in training, he's leashed or contained, poop scooped, and water always available. I, too, will reroute my walks when there are unrestrained dogs--of any size. I can predict how Ringo will respond, but not the other dog.

The only real trouble we've had with dogs was 1) one who was suffering and in extreme pain. She attacked my bitch and could have killed her. A swift kick to where I knew she was hurting made her re-think her actions. Still, she shouldn't have been loose.
2) a very protective dog mis-interpreted DH's actions as an attack (it was a hug) on it's owner. Bill just missed having his arm severely bitten by a large boxer. Two band aids, a few bruises, and a new shirt was all that came of that. Except that owner doesn't take that particular dog camping anymore.

There is a leash law here in VA, and in many other states. Perhaps the phone numbers to local animal control is something each of us should look into when we pay for our reservations.

It's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog" or in this case, the fight in righteous owners!

[richfaa]

Commenting on Rogers experience while hunting. We have had the same experience in the NW PA mountains. It was customary before hunting season to hunt down dog packs..and cat's (cats do not run in packs) that had been dumped in the wild..It does not take long for these animals, even the little guys to revert to the wild. The smaller dogs do not last long as they will starve or be killed by the bigger guys so usually the packs are big guys only. Your friendly house cat can grow very large and get very mean in a short time and they no longer meow.. The dogs in order to survive will run down deer and kill livestock..they are animals and revert to their natural hunter and killer instinct quickly..it is not a pretty sight. A friend and myself (we always hunted packs in pairs) were once charged by a very large mixed breed dog who had no fear of us what so ever..he was hungry and saw prey..We blew him up..no choice..the others scattered..but not far.. You friendly fur ball companion pet.. is capable of the same..

[JimF]

Last fall the wife and I stopped in that same park (Frog City) while on the way to Houston. We had the same thing happen, found out the offending dog belonged to the owner/manager of the park. The same lady that had signed me in and pointed out the highlighted dogs on lease rule. We were about 50 feet from the office when this happened, her dog actually came out of the campground office.

Being a grumpy old retired CWO I pulled my scrawney ol self up to my full 6' and started a tirade that you wouldn't believe. I got the same sorry crap and I let her know that what she was saying was crap and I didn't buy a bit of it, then I started calling 911 just to prove the point. She realized I was deadly serious and cuffed her dog and got the heck back in her office, by the way, we got a full refund for that nights camping.

Obviously they didn't learn much from that if it also happend to you, sorry.

[Mrs. CountryGuy]

Jim,

Sorry you had to deal with it as well.

I wrote an email to the campground, no response, but, I did not expect one.

Got no refund, so you done good! [}:)]

The human condition and study of it sure is interesting, and that is not always a good thing. [V]