We live in a mobile home park (or trailer park whatever you prefer) with an old tennis court, no net or posts anymore just an old worn tennis court connected with a basketball court a fence down the dividing line of course.  The local kids and even adults play in it and destroy the fence yanking it up to get under because their too lazy to walk around to get their ball but we have seen people take their dogs and let them run around playing in there.  No one has said anything about he dogs playing before and the people that come to play just go to the next court if the tennis one is occupied.

Monday we decided to bring my two up there since we haven't gone yet being leery of the fence being broken because of the people playing there.  So I grabbed my spare leashes and we tied the three things that the dogs could escape from, the broke bottom  I wove the leash through the linkage and back down to the main horizontal pole at the ground, the spot were they pushed the fence out to squeeze through to the other side I wove another leash through the linkage and attached back to the vertical pole, then we took Jasper's leash and wove it around the vertical pole beside the door and the doors pole and secured that closed so no dog or my nephew could get out on us. My sister, nephew, niece, neighbor Maritza and let my two beasts loose and run around with Maritza's  rat terrier mix Panda and they had a ball chasing each other, my nephew, just running back to us when we called their names!  Bel and Jas even got to make a new friend when someone brought their lab mix puppy named Chocolate and asked to play with them.  

We actually drew a bit of attention and had one women introduce her small dog through the fence and ask if he could join in next time she sees us there she didn't have the time to stop and let him play this time.  He was almost or just over a year I think a Japanese Chin I honestly cant remember and she hasn't known anyone with a dog so he hasn't had a chance to socialize much, after a few seconds of barking he was all tail wagging and then calmed nicely.  And another women was marveling at how well my two gigantors played nicely and mostly just jogged around and ran with the smaller dogs eventually asking me if it would be alright to bring her pug and puggle up if she saw us again, explaining that when she tried to come with hers she was told it wasn't allowed but she sees dogs in here constantly.  She would like to try socializing her puggle more with friendly dogs to see if she'd come out of her shell a bit.  I guess the dog has some sort of trauma in its past and it very territorial about its space(usually just its home and sometimes the women if it feels threatened) but she felt that the pup might calm a little with ours seeing as when Panda got snappy with Chocolate mine just watched and tried distracting him.  Then tells me her vet said the dog will never get over it and to try taking her to a dog park and group training classes!  Yes lets throw the dog into what its fearing, some people are really dumb, anyways. We told her that it was worth a try as long as she has control of her and will keep her leash on until she seemed completely calm and OK with the situation that it was fine.  She was a little concerned when Jasper attempted to wrestle Chocolate but ended up flipping over him instead but we explained that both those dogs were smaller then the one their used to rough housing with so it was throwing them off for playing and Jasper is a big clumsy oaf sometimes, love my boy but I sometimes wonder if he isn't a St. Bernard pup that hasn't quite found his footing yet the way he can fall over and loose balance.  His legs are too tall for him or something.  Both women suggested putting together a doggie playtime sometime during the week for the friendly community dogs that would like some canine play.  We thought it was a great idea and figure it might help Maritza's Panda since she gets a little snarky and though Maritza has tried socializing her letting her meet dogs since she got her she isn't very secure with meeting other dogs.  

Yesterday we went with my sisters Honee earlier before schools let out because she is dog aggressive so we figured get some play time in earlier then when school lets off then and people walk there dogs to the bus stop.  Then we were going to bring her home and Bel and Jas can continue playing with the other dogs.  Her aggression is something we want to work on but because my sister had a C section two weeks ago she cant handle Honee on a leash yanking her right now.  I think we were there for a half hour and the office manager comes out telling us that the dogs have to be leashed even in the tennis court.  We didn't argue and hooked them back up but I was pissed!  To piss me off even more he stood there staring at me as I collected my leashes and got the dogs prong collars back on, and then looks over at my niece (decked out in pink none the less, pink polka dotted gray jacket little hood up clearly visible wrapped up in a PINK blanket) and says "Oh you had a baby?  What is it a boy or girl?" right after my sister tells Fred "be careful your sister is on the back of the buggy."  I know I'm probably being an ass since I was pissed already but this guy was an idiot and he has always given me the creeps.  His girlfriends female pit puppy's named Casper and when I called Jasper over he looks at Bella who wasn't coming to me but pushing to see little Evelyn in the buggy " oh her names Jasper!" "uh no...that's my female bella, this is my male Jasper" He lives a few doors down and has asked and met the dogs at least a few times being told their names.  And why would I name my female dog Jasper!?  On top of it the guys girlfriend brings her pit up there.  Her, from what I can tell, un-socialized pit bull and I highly doubt its kept on its little 4 foot leash.  Just the other day my two were begging to greet the pup and she greets my moms cat in. front. of. them. then walks away.  I think their asking for problems with her I just wanted to call out " You know that dog needs to be socialized with other dogs right?  You have a pit if you don't socialize your going to have issues.  We socialized the pit mix in our family with the three in this house and she is still giving us aggression issues with other dogs."  Don't get me wrong shes a beautiful little puppy that I know is friendly with people and at her age (about 4-7 months now) probably other dogs and I'd steal her in a heart beat if I could hide her and my mother wouldn't throw a hissy fit about her breed and me adding a fourth dog to the house when she thinks having my two are two too many.  But I know that breed needs to be over socialized and is still prone to other dog aggression.

Anyways, here is what really made me mad, there are people up there all the time with their dogs they are never leashed AND they do not make the effort to close off the court so the dogs cannot escape.  But here we are not bothering anyone using all our leashes to tie things shut, hell my sisters boyfriend even went over and FIXED the one side of the fence nor do we let our dogs use the court as a bathroom and leave it laying around its picked up immediately and water is poured over the spot.  Yet we are told to leash our dogs.  I just feel like we are being told to do something no one else around here does and the only thing I can think of is because of the breeds of our dogs, Huskies and Pit.  I don't know if someone maybe complained or something but I'm aggravated. So we are thinking of just putting the twenty footers on my two my sister doesn't have one but we can connect some leashes to make one and letting them run there with those on so we can grab them up if need be.  Our whole point was to let them run off some energy and play since we cant do it at home right now with a newborn in the house, Jas and Honee are pretty clumsy and do not pay attention to where they are going or what their slamming into where Bel often tries avoiding us and furniture but Honee will be sure to slam her into both.  And its a big plus that they get to play with other dogs there they don't go to dog parks because of Honee's aggression issues and we just don't trust other people to do what needs to be done if anything were to happen plus we have a three year old and newborn that cant go to a dog park.  And Bella takes any and all frustration out on Jasper so I could just see a dog aggravating her and I would have a fight on my hands at a park then have to drive them home still.  

We really were thinking of trying to organize a little community play thing for the dogs.  I know there are at least two more Huskies in the park and a mastiff owner had wanted to try doing a play date with us at one time that I think mine would have a ball playing with.  This is like to year for everyone to get a dog and tons of people have shown up with them recently.  But I cant see having dogs in there trying to play while leashed.  Our plan is to put 20' leashes on ours and let them play in there just dropping the leashes and letting them drag behind them.  Am I being to sensitive about this (probably) and asking for problems from the office by leaving leashes on them but letting them drag behind them?  Technically they have a leash on them then.  And if I see his dog in there without a leash he can kiss my ass he has no right to talk to me about leashes then.

Is this manager around all the time? Even when you've seen other dogs there? I would go back with an army and see if he still has the fit. I would almost dare him to come out and try to run all of you off during a play date, that way if he's playing favorites it'll be obvious. The more people he pisses off the better so you have others on your side. If they don't want dogs off leash in the tennis courts then I think they should have to post a sign. If it's a community tennis court you maybe able to get the community to vote a change of rules if there even are any to back him up.

I've seen dogs in there during the times he should have been in the office still but haven't heard anything from anyone else about being told to leash the dogs. The lady with the two pugs said he had told her it wasn't allowed quite awhile ago and she was scared to come try again after that but since others are doing it she wants to join in. We are going to try keeping an eye out for anyone else in there. What really gets me is that he shouldn't have even been able to see us since where he is in the office is at the front of the building while the tennis/basketball courts are out behind it. We think someone may have gone and complained but still I don't think its right for us to have to leash our dogs when one can clearly see that we have blocked every section of possible escape and we are minding our own business. Hell the dogs don't do any damage to the place while the people that use it are nothing but destructive, I drove past this morning and in less then 24 hours the fence section that was fixed by my sisters boyfriend is already ripped back up. I just hate that people have to be so ignorant.