See Something Say Something

Below is an email thread from the Google Group & friendly reminder about addressing aggressive dog


Hi Dog Owners

I got an email this evening from an owner who was at the big run when a Chihuahua got roughed up pretty badly by a Husky. UPDATE: the chihuahua is okay and the Husky had just been adopted.

Thought this is a good time to re-distribute two helpful documents from our friend, Denise of Empire of the Dog. www.empireofthedog.com. Check them out on the right side of the Blog.

* Dog Park 101 is just some basic information.
* And the other is about aggression. Always good to review the documents from time to time.

(And if you have access to free printing, make copies and bring to the run when you come. It's a tool for anyone especially people not on the email list...I KNOW it is crazy that there are people not on the list ;) HEY - JOIN THE GOOGLE GROUP...SEND AN EMAIL TO MCDOGRUN@GMAIL.COM.

And it is each of our responsibilities to ensure that the Dog Run is safe for all dogs (big & small).

If you see something that doesn't seem right, say something. Don't know how to approach it, start with something like "New dog?" or "Hey what kinda dog is that?" or "How old is your dog?"

Don't did the classic NYC thing and ignore it.

Thanks for your attention to our dogs safety and letting others know about how to be a responsible dog run user.

Christine (VALENCIA)

Thank you, Christine, for alerting the community about the Husky/Chihuahua incident.

A reminder that New York has a dog bite law

In this case, the owner of the Husky is responsible for the Chihuahua's vet bills.

There is a warning on the gates of each run that aggressive dogs are not allowed in either run. Of course, many people don't read signs (those displayed by dogs or those written by humans). Or don't understand what variety of packages
dog aggression comes in. So I am glad to see Denise's handouts again.

The people who belong to this email group usually are those who are very involved in taking care of the run and their animals. Those on this list typically are responsible, aware owners. NOT ON THE LIST...JOIN IT BY SENDING AN EMAIL TO MCDOGRUN@GMAIL.COM

As members of the McDogRun community, we are interested in keeping the run safe. Part of ensuring that safety is to educate people who are behaving in an unsafe way (or allowing their dogs to to the same).

Best, Rebecca (Sanford)

Thanks Christine, and Rebecca.

I know it's hard to approach an aggressive dog's owner, especially if they seem indifferent, or even aggressive themselves. It's easier to just wait it out or hope they leave.

I encourage everyone here to help each other in approaching and educating these owners, and in the extreme cases asking them to leave. I've seen "good" dog owners leave the park because an aggressive-dog or bully-dog owner wouldn't take their dog out of the park, and that shouldn't happen.


In the future, when I see a dog whose owner might need a little, "Is that a new dog? Do you want a rec for a trainer?" I'll see if I can get another owner to go with me into the conversation. I'm a little gun shy when approaching potential conflict and asking a friend, or new friend, to help makes it easier for me. Feel free to ask me the same if you need a copilot.

-Marc (Phoenix)