Dog Park?

[Merlin2000]

What is the name of your state? Arizona

I hope this is the right forum for my question, I looked through the headings for the other forums and it sounded like this kind of fit this question best.

I take my two very playful yellow labs down to the local dog park pretty much every other night. Tonight a guy shows up and doesn't like the fact one of my labs was humping his male dog, so he smacks my dog. I'm not talking about a tap, but halfway between a bitchsmack and a hit.

I asked the guy just to pull mine off, or yell at the dog. His response pretty much said he is always going to do it. I even said I would in return hit his every time he hits mine, and he didn't even seem to care (this makes me feel that the guy is aggressive)! I wouldn't actually do that, but I can't believe he didn't even care...

Is this kind of thing illegal? One of my dogs pretty much always tries it, he isn't aggressive, but is just trying to play.

Could I do anything about this? Maybe have him banned from the local park? Should I show up at the park with a video camera and try to get him doing it on tape?

 

[HappyHusband]

What is the name of your state? Arizona

I hope this is the right forum for my question, I looked through the headings for the other forums and it sounded like this kind of fit this question best.

I take my two very playful yellow labs down to the local dog park pretty much every other night. Tonight a guy shows up and doesn't like the fact one of my labs was humping his male dog, so he smacks my dog. I'm not talking about a tap, but halfway between a bitchsmack and a hit.

I asked the guy just to pull mine off, or yell at the dog. His response pretty much said he is always going to do it. I even said I would in return hit his every time he hits mine, and he didn't even seem to care (this makes me feel that the guy is aggressive)! I wouldn't actually do that, but I can't believe he didn't even care...

Is this kind of thing illegal? One of my dogs pretty much always tries it, he isn't aggressive, but is just trying to play.

Could I do anything about this? Maybe have him banned from the local park? Should I show up at the park with a video camera and try to get him doing it on tape?

Could I do anything about this?

Yes. Maintain control of your animal.

 

[You Are Guilty]

You should hump the guy's leg.

 

[Merlin2000]

Yes. Maintain control of your animal.

- The dog is playing, he isn't aggressive. I don't think I should be expected to have my dog trained to know who he can and can't play with. I don't mind if someone pulls mine off, but hitting him? I don't feel like that is required.

 

[fairisfair]

- The dog is playing, he isn't aggressive. I don't think I should be expected to have my dog trained to know who he can and can't play with. I don't mind if someone pulls mine off, but hitting him? I don't feel like that is required.

Playing?? you call that playing?? remind me not to let my kids play with yours!!

 

[Merlin2000]

Playing?? you call that playing?? remind me not to let my kids play with yours!!

- Yes... my dog also runs around, chases other dogs, barks, and sniffs dog's butts.

 

[Merlin2000]

Does this fall under:

ARS 13-2910

4. Recklessly subjects any animal to cruel mistreatment.

 

[fairisfair]

OMG he didn't beat your dog with a 2x4. Although I agree, physical violence towards any living thing is unnecessary, you are in a public park, and you do need to control your animal's behavior. This is not simply playing. Perhaps he should charge your dog with sexual assault?? Get over it, teach your dog that it is not acceptable behavior, or find another park.

 

[Ozark_Sophist]

As a dog owner, this is a worry of mine as well. When we take our dogs out, we maintain postive control over them unless in a dog park. Even then, I don't release postive control (leash, tie out, etc) unless the dog is trained to respond to my voice command. This mean that until he learns to be a good canine citizen, my wife's new puppy will be kept on a tight lease.

At home, it's a completely different situation, but I still enforce expectations that they stay in the yard, when I give a command (for example: when we say "kennel," all the dogs go to their respective kennel gate and sit and wait to be let in--even if the rabbit looks tempting), I still expect it to be enforced. This way my wife and I remain the 'alpha' members of the pack.

When we go out to the park or store, our dogs responds to our commands to leave other dogs alone (like if our dog wants to get extra friendly). I worry that if they can't reliable do this that the liabilty is too great.

Still, I wouldn't tolerate anyone striking our dog anymore than I would if it were my child.

 

[Merlin2000]

OMG he didn't beat your dog with a 2x4.

- Nowhere at all did I say or imply that happened...

you do need to control your animal's behavior

- My dog wasn't being aggressive. What kind of control are you talking about here? I don't always stand right next to the dog, usually there is about 20 feet from where he is playing and where I am at. When I see mine doing what he was doing, I go up to him and pull him off.

If I just don't do it fast enough to the other dogs' owner's expectations (1 second, 10 seconds, whatever he thinks it is), he thinks he can hit him.

This is not simply playing. Perhaps he should charge your dog with sexual assault?

- lol.. I've always thought of it as playing, he doesn't do anything other than get on top of the dog. He's fixed, and can't even find the right hole. Think about when a dog sniffs another's ass, if I was to walk around and do that I'm sure I could be charged with that, but with dogs it seems different.

When we take our dogs out, we maintain postive control over them unless in a dog park. Even then, I don't release postive control (leash, tie out, etc) unless the dog is trained to respond to my voice command.

- That's a good way of looking at it. I'll admit that if I was to yell from far away mine would most likely not listen, however, if I am right next to him and tell him to get off, he would.

I was thinking about getting it on video, as well as a recoding of me asking him not to do it, and then call the police after it happens again. But I won't do it unless I know for sure there is a chance that what he did is wrong.

If my dog was aggressively attacking another dog, I would hope the owner do whatever it takes to get mine to stop- even if it takes a hit. But when the dog is playing I don't think a hit is needed from another dog's owner if he/she doesn't want mine to play with his/hers.

 

[fairisfair]

how about the guests who come to your home Merlin? Do you allow this dog to "play" with them in the same way? Of course not, so the animal can be taught that certain behavior is acceptable, while other behavior is not.

The police would probably find a great deal of amusement in your video tape, but little else I am afraid.

A swat at your dog, for accosting his, is not animal abuse, by any stretch of the imagination. Perhaps his dog would be provoked to attack your dog if the behavior continued and he is merely attempting to prevent that as you seem unable to prevent the situation your animal is creating.

However, you seem hell bent on this, so make your doggie porn film and see what comes of it.

By the way, I see now that you are in Arizona. You aren't going to the dog park over by the college are you? cause there is some guy there with a "humping" dog that I have wanted to smack a few times myself. (the guy though, not the dog)

 

[You Are Guilty]

Boy some people just don't get it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defense_of_property

Short of killing your dog, the other owner is pretty much free to separate your dog from his just about any way imaginable. Just be glad he's not using a crowbar.

 

[Merlin2000]

Boy some people just don't get it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defense_of_property

- Doesn't that assume that my dog is harming his, or will harm his? If not, then it seems like he has every right to hit and/or kick my dog.

how about the guests who come to your home Merlin? Do you allow this dog to "play" with them in the same way?

- People are different from dogs, your point seems meaningless.

However, you seem hell bent on this, so make your doggie porn film and see what comes of it.

- I'm not "bent" on any of this... I'm just trying to get clear on this issue. Comments like what you have stated are not helpful at all. I guess your time isnt worth that much, because you have wasted it by replying with useless information in this thread.

Without You Are Guilty's comments, this thread has very little legal information.

 

[You Are Guilty]

- Doesn't that assume that my dog is harming his, or will harm his? If not, then it seems like he has every right to hit and/or kick my dog.

-Without You Are Guilty's comments, this thread has very little legal information.

Sorry - I tend to mess up otherwise good threads.

Actual physical "harm" is not required. Anything beyond an unwanted touching (i.e. physical contact of any sort) is sufficient. There is a "reasonableness" standard that applies, but swatting a strange dog off one's own dog is probably going to be reasonable just about anywhere in the country (except maybe San Francisco, lol). If, instead of a swat, the guy pulled out a taser and applied it to your dog's eyes, then you might have a claim. Otherwise, as everyone else has told you, it's best to just make sure you keep your dog off other dogs, people, etc.

 

[HappyHusband]

Maintain control of your animal.