[mtlakejim]

I'll start by saying I love dogs. We are very sad right now at the recent loss of one of ours. Many years ago I had Dobermans. I currently have a Chihuahua.




I think the root cause of most issues (of which this is just one) is that people have simply lost common courtesy of others. Its a sad time in our society when you HAVE to make rules or teach what well mannered people should just know.


No one has to tell me that it is impolite for my dog to disturb others with his barking and we do everything we can to restrict him from doing so. Likewise we don't let him run loose outside of a pen. He is ALWAYS on a leash while in the park and would be even if there wasn't a rule (I wouldn't stay at a park that didn't have a leash law). We never let him run up to anyone either as that can be scary.


While you may THINK that your dog is well behaved (and he may well be) he is still a dog and a large one at that. He may never attack anyone but you can't absolutely guarantee he won't. And even if his INTENT is friendly, the sight of a dog that can POTENTIALLY cause serious injury running up to you is very unnerving.
Then there is the issue of a small dog barking and harassing a larger one. I had a Chihuahua get in a fight with a larger dog in the past. Both dogs were on leashes but we got too close and the person handling the larger dog was not able to pull her dog back quickly enough.
My advice is if you do decide to travel with your dog, RESPECT the general public and only go to parks that allow the breed and do everything you can to mitigate the potential issues above. You choose a bred with a reputation and just like a lot of discussion we make in life there are responsibilities that come along with them. Just remember, strangers don't know your dog and for that matter he doesn't know them either.......