So we had an incident at the park yesterday and I'd been debating whether or not to report it. This dog park is privately owned and operated. The owners do temperament testing before you can even become a member and use the park. They are very serious and diligent about making sure everyone is safe and responsible and they encourage you to report any incidents. I ended up deciding to report yesterday and I'll paste the report in here to save me some time from typing the whole thing out again. I'm using Poodle instead of the dog's name just for privacy reasons.

I wanted to report an incident that occurred yesterday, 9/12 around 4:30-5pm.

I was debating whether or not to report this because it was minor and hard to tell what happened, but I would rather have it on file since we do have a little history with the dog, Poodle. He has been dominating and slightly aggressive to Bode before, so we have tried to just avoid them but this was kind of sudden. I do believe that some dogs simply don't get along for whatever reason, and I believe that this is the case here, but I have had other members mention to me in conversation that Poodle didn't get along with their dogs as well, so I just wanted to get it on file.

We were heading towards the exit from the play field to leave and Poodle and his owner had just arrived with another poodle and owner and started to walk around the loop away from us. I didn't know that they had entered and Bode was up slightly ahead of us heading towards the exit. The poodles noticed and turned around to see him. Poodle and Bode started sniffing one another and then it broke into a scuffle very quickly, there was no play first. I do believe that Poodle was the instigator due to experiences with him in the past, but in situations like this it can be very hard to tell because it happens so fast.

It got broken up quickly and we each took our dogs. Poodle and his owner walked away and Bode started yelping very loudly. I got him to lie down to examine him and calm him down. After continued yelping, Poodle's owner came back to check if Bode was ok, I didn't see any immediate injury so I said he was and I thought he was just shaken up. We left. Later at home I noticed he did indeed have a puncture wound on his side that requires vet care.

Basically, our park is 18 wooded acres with a play yard in the middle and trails throughout. From the entry there is a trail that goes to the yard and one that enters the loop around the park. We were coming from the yard to the exit and they had started on the loop, but we couldn't see them because it's wooded and overgrown with no line of sight. Guys, this dog is a major a**hole. Bode was up ahead of us going to the exit because he knows where we're going. I saw Poodle come up to him and tried to get up there quick, but not quick enough. It was obvious to me that the other dog instigated it, as he has done before to Bode, but it was never that bad. Bode is not generally submissive. If another dog starts to attack him, he fights back, which escalates things.

And then the owner didn't even try to stop them! I ran up to them to separate it. The guy feigned concern when he heard Bode SCREAMING his head off and came back to check. He saw that I had him on the ground and said "Oh, you've got him pinned down" as if I was restraining my ferocious animal from attacking his dog again. NO. He's on the ground because he's hurt! I got Bode calmed down and stopped screaming and he got up ok. I hadn't seen any visible injuries at the time, so we wanted to just get out of there. And then the guy starts asking questions about Bode, how old is he, is he fixed, as if it was him that was the problem. Now, I know that no dog owner wants to admit that it was their dog's fault, but you generally know if it is. I really think this guy didn't. I didn't want to put in a report, because there really was no way to tell whose fault it was since it happened so quick. I just know that his dog has been problematic before and if no one ever reports it, nothing will ever be done.

As for the injury, I didn't notice it until this morning when I was petting Bode's side and felt a little mat of fur. I thought maybe we just didn't get some pickers out from the park yesterday but I looked closer and saw it was matted blood. In a really weird spot, on his side ribcage. I don't even know how the dog bit him there. It's not too bad, but we had an appointment already scheduled for today for vaccine boosters so I am going to have the vet take a look at it.

Ugh. So stressful. And I am super paranoid about this guy thinking it was all Bode's fault and filing a report of his own. Do you think I was right to report it?

I think it was smart of you to file the report. I'm guessing he probably did as well. He may have been asking those questions about Bode to figure out what his dogs issues stem from. Dizzy has been repeatedly lunged at and almost attacked once by our neighbor's vizla. He asked me the same questions about Dizzy, although in this case it was obvious his dog was the aggressor since Diz was like 3 months old at the time. Maybe mention it to the other folks that have had issues with the dog and asked if they reported it. If they have several reports against poodle and none against Bode, that will make things more clear.

wpskier222 wrote:

If they have several reports against poodle and none against Bode, that will make things more clear.

Jenn, that's what I'm hoping. And I though that about the questions too, but the way he was asking them seemed very accusatory. Maybe that's just how he comes across though...

I see, I'm sure you're right, hopefully it all works out though!

If I lived closer I would totally bring Kenzi up to teach that poodle a thing or two. I'm about convinced she was part of a fighting ring before I got her. His tone may have stemmed from adrenaline. A guy who is upset by the incident may try to mask it to feel more in control. It's a silly psychological masculinity thing but I see it happen often.

TwisterII wrote:

If I lived closer I would totally bring Kenzi up to teach that poodle a thing or two. I'm about convinced she was part of a fighting ring before I got her. His tone may have stemmed from adrenaline. A guy who is upset by the incident may try to mask it to feel more in control. It's a silly psychological masculinity thing but I see it happen often.

Oh, Bode can defend himself. He gets pretty ferocious if he is attacked, which makes it scarier. He is really good about distinguishing rough play and threats. Because man, does he play rough sometimes. But it is really obvious to me when he is playing and when he is on the defensive.

It was right of you to report it. Your letter seems level headed, and not just one-sided. I would have done the same thing! I hope it goes well for you.