Help me here..is this my prejudice or is this a problem?

The condo complex I live in has a dog run area and a tennis court. The dog run goes around the tennis court on 3 sides. We have an over abundance of pit bull mixes living here now, but for the most part, they have good owners. And we have some chi's ..some are nice, some are psycho. Here is a "cast of characters".


Jasmine: Pit/Spaniel mix. Spayed F: Owned by an idiot who has a 13 yo nephew who takes care of the dog. At first he encouraged her to go after birds, cats, etc. and she killed quite a few. Now he is being better with this. She is 2.

Jazz: Spayed:F: 1 yo Pit/Boxer mix. Owned by a 12 yo girl who does take good care of her. She is really submissive and will roll on her back with ease.

Sage: 8 mo mostly pit. She was adopted from the pound at 7 weeks. They took her to Pet Smart training. She is VERY strong.

Mister: 6 mo Chi. Unneutered who loves to smell naughty parts but is a really sweet dog.

These dogs all LOVE to run!! Ususally they separate them between the fences (the pittys) and they run for at least 1/2 hour..and they get all wired and bark like crazy.

OK...on 2 occasions, Sage has gotten into it with other dogs. First was Jasmine over a stick (I didn't see this), then Jazz over a toy...she dre blood at Jazz's eye (Phoebe broke free of me and ran into the middle of this one and almost gave me a heart attack).

and tonight...Sage and Jasmine were running between the fences when Mister got into the side with Sage. She immediately went after him, grabbing him by the neck. I totally freaked out and couldn't watch (their owners were there). There was no blood drawn but his neck was all wet.

Sage's owner just brushed it off and said "Oh she's just playing and she doesn't know how to play with small dogs." I told her she needed to take her home right away as their had to be some punishment for that behavior. She agreed but it was kind of half assed. She continued to walk her with the other dogs while on leash.

Please, tell me what you think about this situation?

First of all, bringing toys into a dog area is an absolute no-no. It will start a fight every time. I actually pick sticks/old balls etc up in our local dog park and throw them over the fence. I've seen way too many fights start.

The episode with the little dog is more worrisome. Partly because regardless of the motives, the bigger dog could seriously hurt the little one and ultimately pay the consequences. Especially given the mix. Might be worth talking to both the pit owner and the little dog owner and explain that one, the chi is at risk partly because of his size and partly because of his testicles and secondly, no matter what happens or how it gets instigated, the pit will carry the blame for any injury to the little dog with potentially dire consequences.

Sounds like many of these dogs are hyper adrenalizing dureing their park experience.

There's a lot to be said for off-leash parks that are segregated into big dog and little dogs areas.

pugpillow wrote:There's a lot to be said for off-leash parks that are segregated into big dog and little dogs areas.

We had a little 5 month old corgi get killed at a dog park when the owners let the dog run loose on the big dog side. If there's a big size difference, not only is there the worry about the larger dog playing too rough, there's also the prey drive issue. And Blanche is right, the dangly bits add a whole 'nother level of escalation to worry about.

anytime there is the possibility of something like this happenning, you're not over-reacting, you're not prejudice, you're not in the wrong at all......you're a responsible dog owner.....don't let the rest of these idiots try to gaslight you into doubting your own perception of reality......your perception is accurate, it's an unsafe situation, an accident waiting to happen......I'd steer real clear of that area.

your perception is accurate, it's an unsafe situation, an accident waiting to happen......I'd steer real clear of that area

I whole-heartedly agree.

In addition, it might be a good and conscientious idea to inform the apartment complex and/or the property management of your concerns. There's power and safety in numbers. Maybe a written petition would be effective in emphasizing your concerns as well as the concerns of other responsible dog owners.

I steer clear of those areas for both doggie safety and fear of Parvo. I just don't trust them.

Drives me NUTS when owners of bigger, slighty more aggressive dogs say "Oh, he's just playing". Your reaction to all this is completely justified Roxane. I would definitely see if some rules could be instigated. Sounds like a tragedy in the making.

We have some people here in the complex who own pits or pit mixes who shouldn't own a goldfish. Some of them love to watch their dogs chase Miss Kitty. We tell them that we are not worried about Miss Kitty (although we are), but are more worried about what Miss Kitty would do to their dog. Or they let their dogs bark and jump at Jukie, Kellie's cat, when she is sitting in the window. Or, despite my repeating "Penny is not good with big dogs, please don't let your dog near her," they keep letting their dog come up to Penny until she snaps at their dog. Invariably, the response is "Oh, he/she just wants to play." Um, Miss Kitty is not a chew toy! And Penny doesn't want to play! And please help me understand how jumping at a window at an inside cat is playing! No, Roxane, you are not overreacting. I think it is a disaster waiting to happen. And I'm also with elisemarie - letter to the management or a petition to the management. You could also call Animal Control, maybe?

I am not sure how much good it will do to call Animal Control. If the dog run/park is located on private property, chances are Animal Control will shy away from getting involved - unless the Police Department is called in to intervene.

They will intervene here in Reno/Sparks. I have called on a barking dog before (8 hours straight, no kidding!) and they responded, and they responded when the pit bull attacked a neighbor who was trying to protect her Shih Tzu. Don't know about other areas, though.

puglover22 wrote:anytime there is the possibility of something like this happenning, you're not over-reacting, you're not prejudice, you're not in the wrong at all......you're a responsible dog owner.....don't let the rest of these idiots try to gaslight you into doubting your own perception of reality......your perception is accurate, it's an unsafe situation, an accident waiting to happen......I'd steer real clear of that area.

What Steph says.

They will intervene here in Reno/Sparks. I have called on a barking dog before (8 hours straight, no kidding!) and they responded, and they responded when the pit bull attacked a neighbor who was trying to protect her Shih Tzu. Don't know about other areas, though.

I was told to call the Police Department by Animal Control when Toby was attacked in Mesa, Arizona. The squad arrived first, followed by the pet paddy wagon.

The same thing happened twice here in Rock Springs by my new apartment. I called Animal Control to report the across-the-street Labs' incessant barking, and their repeated escapes from their backyard. Animal Control told me I had to contact the RSPD for all 'nuisances', including animals. When the elderly lady across the street became concerned over the VERY LOUD and continuous barking coming from her next door neighbor's residence, it was the RSPD, and the RSPD K-9 Unit who arrived first, before the pet paddy wagon. The pet paddy wagon arrived, got a roll-by de-briefing, and took off cruising down the street. Since I was walking A'chi and Bubba at the very same time, I got a first-hand observation to the whole event.

I have been instructed to call RSPD every time I have been able to corral/rescue/re-direct stray pups into my temporary care. The police have taken the strays in their patrol cars more times than not. Animal Control doesn't do much around this town save for 'rounding up feral felines.

I guess the proper choice of who to call depends on the area. Personally, with regard to the scenario at the apartment complex, I would prefer to have police-type law enforcement involved and present. Irresponsible dog owners have been known to become quite irate and unpredictable, and I am not sure how much 'protection' Animal Control packs in their 'holster'.

I don't think it's a prejudice at all. Safety first is always correct.

Many a small dogs have been killed with "oh ,s/he's just playing". I wouldn't go nowhere near the whole thing with any of mine in tow.

Perhaps I'm overly cautious but I work at a shelter where we have plenty of "would like to play" bigones but they don't have a clue as to their actual size.

I even have 5 small chis here at home right now and don't allow my bruisers any access to them. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't harm the little fellows but the size difference alone makes "what could happen" enough for me.