Dog Parks - not a good idea

In a perfect world dog parks would be great. However, the world is not perfect and neither are dog parks.
For the following reasons,  I think puppy people should stay away from them at all costs:

  • Dog parks are a cesspool of diseases. Lots of dogs don’t have the correct vaccinations, because many owners don’t care enough, are not educated enough about pets, or cannot afford to keep their shots up to date. Some dogs are not even on flea medications or heartworm medications. Since owners rarely pick up their dogs waste, the dog park is literally a minefield of dog poo, infested with all sorts of diseases. (ie Parvo, Kennel Cough, Mites, Mange, Canine Flu, worms, etc..)
  • Dog parks are dangerous because you never know what kind of dogs come there. You may have the friendliest dog in the world, but that doesn’t matter if someone’s untrained 100 pound dog decides that your dog looked wrong at him. While you are trying to save your dog, others may just stand around yelling that they are just playing around. This is especially dangerous for young puppies.
  • Dog parks are dangerous because majority of owners would rather sit on small islands of grass and chit-chat instead of watching their dogs.
  • Dog parks are dangerous because a lot of parents think it’s a good place to let their children play and bring very young children to park. Imagine the danger when a 5 year old child picks a stick and starts chasing dogs.
  • Dog parks are dangerous because people don’t follow rules about sizes. You often find more small dogs on big side of the park then big dogs. A small dog can be literally stomped to death in a dog park.
  • Dog parks often bring dogs that usually set at home for whole days either locked in a crate or backyard. On weekends, you can see who only lets their dogs run around on weekends in a dog park. Imagine the dog’s behavior in a dog park after it has been locked away for a week.
Given the above dangers, I recommend not to go inside the dog park to train your dog or puppy, and not to take a step near one unless you are positive that your dog has been given all vaccines possible to deal wth any diseases you may encounter, and watch your dog to be sure it is not eating poo of other dogs, and be sure to bath for fleas and ticks when you get home. With impressionable and vulnerable puppies, taking them to Dog Park is like playing Russian roulette with 5 out of 6 bullets in a round.

If you insist on going to dog parks, try to pick time in a day when there are not a lot of dogs and you and your dog both know the dogs there, you know they are healthy, you know they don't have fleas or ticks and Make sure your dog is vaccinated against all he can be, and he is in perfect health. With trained dogs and responsible owners dog parks can be great fun for any dog, but sadly in most cases they are not and this is what leads to your dog having fleas, ticks, and diseases and virus' just like taking your kid to McDonalds and letting them climb in the payground full of germs.