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Maryland suburb barking mad over dog park


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This is one of the funniest things I’ve read in The Washington Post because the reporter is so snarky 

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/no-excessive-barking-a-chevy-chase-dog-park-divides-the-rich-and-powerful/2019/08/27/0b9fd242-c4e5-11e9-9986-1fb3e4397be4_story.html

I sympathize some since my back neighbors have the loudest dogs on earth (I can hear them from my bedroom. And my next door neighbors can hear them too. Houses in my neighborhood have huge lots so the sound has to travel a fair distance), but this is hilarious. And so over the top. The neighborhood hired a freaking epidemiologist to study the behavior of dogs and their humans.

Some of my favorite excerpts:

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Everyone knows there’s a problem with Chubbs.

Dirt is smeared across his face. His tongue is rolling out of his mouth. He’s surrounded by signs that say “NO EXCESSIVE BARKING.”

But the 5-month-old golden retriever does not know how to read.

 

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The park regulars, he acknowledged, were trying to hush their hounds. He heard that they were ostracizing the yappiest dogs, including, he told the board, “a certain standard poodle whose name should be withheld.”

One guy is particularly frustrated with people calling the police over this

Quote

“They should be put in jail,” said Doug Gansler, a former Maryland attorney general and an unsuccessful gubernatorial candidate, while his King Charles spaniel, Jack, searched for a new dog to hump.

 

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Look, if it's not 7:30 in the morning or 9:30 at night, deal with it. Kids yell, dogs bark, noise happens. 

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That article is all kinds of ridiculous, but the reporter definitely gets bonus points for snark. ?

I don’t care about barking or anything during normal daytime hours, so long as it’s not truly excessive or because the dog is in distress. My personal issue with dog parks are when people bring dogs who clearly should not be there because they’re aggressive or a danger to others. There’s a dog park a few minutes from where we live and there have been multiple problems since it’s been open with dogs attacking each other. We took our dog when she was young, but we quickly stopped because it became clear that:

1. Other owners weren’t supervising their dogs properly

2. Dogs who shouldn’t have been there were causing a lot of issues

3. Our dog was not enjoying herself

We actually feel bad about bringing her now because we think some of her reactivity to other dogs stems from her experiences there. We were first time dog owners and didn’t know any better though. If we ever have another dog we won’t be bringing them to any dog parks though. It’s just not worth it. 

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I brought my dog to the local dog park for years and he LOVED it. But he thought we went there so people would pet him. He'd marhc up to to everyone and plop his head in their lap. The worst incident I had was pretty bad. Someone's dog freaked out at the gate (a common issue), bit my dog on the face, and the owner ran off without a word, not wanting to be responsible for his own dog. 

 

ETA: My dog was fine. One puncture on his cheek and a bloody lip, but it all healed up just fine. And he still loved the park. People were his FAVORITE.

Edited by Terrie
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3 minutes ago, Terrie said:

I brought my dog to the local dog park for years and he LOVED it. But he thought we went there so people would pet him. He'd marhc up to to everyone and plop his head in their lap. The worst incident I had was pretty bad. Someone's dog freaked out at the gate (a common issue), bit my dog on the face, and the owner ran off without a word, not wanting to be responsible for his own dog. 

Oh man! We’re lucky our dog was never bitten like that. The last time we brought her was when I was pregnant with my daughter. I was getting her leash back on so we could leave and a dog bigger than mine that wasn’t paying attention ran right into us. My dog was taken completely off guard and started fighting the other dog to defend herself. Luckily, that dog’s owner got over really fast to help pull their dog away and no one got hurt (I made sure their dog was ok before we left), but I was so shaken up that we decided not to bring her anymore. It was a complete accident, but we didn’t want to risk the health and safety of our dog or another dog. 

I have seen stories shared on the town Facebook page about dogs being hurt by aggressive dogs at that dog park though. So I think we probably made the right call not to bring our dog anymore - it wouldn’t benefit her and would likely just make her even more reactive than she already is. 

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I have itty-bitty dogs now, so I would never go to anything but a dedicated small dog park. And, really, I don't even do that anymore. My back yard is plenty big and my current guy is not a fan of most other dogs. I foster, and he spends most of his time going "Is this one leaving yet? Can it please go away?" He thinks naps and cuddles should be competitive sports.

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36 minutes ago, Terrie said:

Can it please go away?" He thinks naps and cuddles should be competitive sports.

Awwwwwww. 

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4 hours ago, Terrie said:

Look, if it's not 7:30 in the morning or 9:30 at night, deal with it. Kids yell, dogs bark, noise happens. 

Or before noon on the weekend? Lol. I’m not a morning person.

I’m sorry some of you have had such bad experiences at dog parks. :( 

My favorite dog park story: One of my cousins used to be a physical therapy aid at a center for kids. They made the PT fun, doing things like obstacle courses and trampolines. He got along really well with the families, and sometimes taught kids how to ride bikes and such. One kid LOVED dogs. He’d want to stop to pet every dog in his path. Along this particular trail it meant he’d see a dog every five minutes.  One day as a reward, I forget the reason, he took the kid to a dog park and told him to have fun. My cousin hung back with all the owners, who were talking about which dog was theirs. “Mine is the cocker spaniel over there” “That golden retriever is my dog, which one is yours?” And my cousin points to the kid who is having the time of his life and is like, “That one.”

I can’t get over the signs directed at the dogs. Damn the riffraff who don’t teach their dogs how to read!! So rude. :pearlclutching:  Illiterate dogs! What is the world coming to? Back in my day dogs could read by the time they were weaned! 

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We don't have a dog park close by, but our neighbors across the street have about 10 dogs.  They have a fenced back yard and a big dog lot/house for the dogs.  Their barking doesn't bother me that much, but it drives a friend of mine (the same dog-loving neighbor who rescued the kittens I fostered) nuts.  The noise goes right up the hill to her house.  She can't file a complaint though as she's not a close enough neighbor.  You have to live within 200 feet of the offending neighbor.  

The near neighbors just have too damn many dogs for where they live.  

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A week ago I would have thought this was nuts. But

Our new neighbor has a yapping small dog. All day - every day and late into the evening. I peeked over the fence yesterday thinking maybe it was in distress but nope - dog is fine. She’s sitting there wothbit while it barks. Met the neighbour lady who says she just lets the dog have “bark time” in the day. ? I work from home sometimes, we have neighbors who work shift work AND the dog is keeping my kids up at night.

I mentioned the last one and she said she’ll try to keep the dog in later in the evening. All day- every day - barking!

Some barking - I can see but constant-  I can see why people would get upset about it! It’s hot too so can’t shut the windows since we don’t have a/c - looking forward to the PNW rain! Should keep the dog inside and at least windows will be shut! 

I do not want neighbor issues but this Is driving me insane! We have kids and hens so I feel I can’t complain about daytime noise. Just the late at night stuff and may just leave it at this point. Some people with dogs do not get how nerve wracking constant barking is for others! I already want to move and it’s been a week!

Edited by CherylV
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