January 11, 2008
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Boy, that made me so darn mad.
I'd hoped to have some photos and video of Dan's dog, Max, running and playing at Fort Woof, Fort Worth's dog park, but 'fraid not. Dan carefully kept Max on his leash after entering the "large dog" area, wanting him to get acclimated first, and a good thing!
Almost immediately two dogs - one Max's size and one even larger - came bounding up to Max, pushing and sniffing at him, to Max's obvious alarm. The owners of the dogs were talking, maybe a hundred feet away (I'm dismal at estimating distances), but were certainly aware of their dogs crowding Max. Both Dan and I shouted for them to call their dogs, but nope....they just watched and kept chatting. Max's ears were back, his eyes wide, and he even growled once. No matter how Dan tried to shield him and Dmitry and I batted the other dogs away, they kept crowding, pushing and sniffing at Max, so we gave up and left.
That was SO RUDE of those horrid people.
BTW, here's a photo of Dan and Max:
Comments (11)
Poor puppy! Sorry that didn't work out. Any other place y'all can go? Sure hope Max finds a happy home! -Alex
I don't know of another dog park. What's needed is a yard with a fence, or another enclosed area so he can run freely for a bit. Hmmm....I wonder if Kirstin might allow him to visit? Just to play for awhile?
Take him for a long walk every day, that is enough, long and daily!!! Dogs like to be with people. We
had a dog that when we moved to a house with a yard, we thought she would love it. She spent all her outdoor
time begging to come in. Long walks. Loooong walks.
Maybe I'll take him for a looong daily walk.
Probably do us both good.
That's the ticket!
I want him. If you still have him and need to find a home when we get back, I'm your girl!
Tell Dan and Dmitry to try the dog park again, though. Those particular dogs and owners aren't going to be there every time, and even if they were, Max would get used to them in time. Dogs are pack mentality, they've got to figure out who's boss, and then they can get busy playing.
We might, but today we took him to Kirstin's house for awhile so he could run and play in her fenced back yard, and he wasn't terribly interested. Max, Dan and Dmitry spent most of the time sitting on the bench. Well, Max sat under the bench. Or on the steps to the lower level of the yard. Dan tried to get him to play some, but said since Max is accustomed to playing outside with Maggie - his family's other dog - it's likely Max just doesn't know what to do when he's the only dog out there.
Basically, it wasn't a roaring success. We might try it again one of these days, though. So far it appears that Max is satisfied being inside and going for frequent walks.
I agree with Gilda. A dog, like a child, needs to be in the same situation a few times before he becomes 'recognised' on the playground. It's very important for a dog to be used to being around other dogs in order to learn that other dogs aren't necessarily a threat to his owner or himself. The cagey behaviour you witnessed there may simply have been dog manners. (of course, I don't know since I wasn't there and you may know more about dogs than I do) Perhaps Dan should have made a point of relaxing and greeting other dogs and owners as well- a dog will 'amplify' the feelings of its owner, I'm told, so if Dan was nervous, then Max would be too. The walks are great though! He'll learn leash manners. When I run, I frequently pass people walking their dogs who are plainly training them. They always make their dog sit down, and then they squat near them and talk softly to them. Since I love dogs, I'll often ask if I can approach the dog and try to pat him, offering my hand to smell first.
Well, as long as Max seems fairly relaxed and content and isn't dribing you all up the walls, then you're probably doing the right things for him. Hey Eleanor, if you love dogs, why don't you get one?
Because I have two Siamese cats, and we travel alot. If I could get one, a dog like Max would be just the thing. Or, a Jack RUssell. I love those pooches!
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