A recent incident in South Euclid where a Husky fatally attacked a Chihuahua at a dog park has some dog owners worried about going to the parks.
The owner of the Chihuahua, Rizzo, told police that a much larger Husky grabbed her pet and shook her "like a rag," according to a Plain Dealer story. The Chihuahua died on the way to the emergency vet clinic, police said.
The owner of the Husky is now facing misdemeanor charges.
There was an incident in 2008 at , when a Maltese/poodle puppy was killed after being attacked by a standard poodle. This happened at the park before there was a separate, fenced-in area for small pets.
Watch . Many parks are following suit with Bow Wow Beach and creating small dog areas that keep the little dogs separate from the bigger pooches.
There are several dog park options for Akron-area residents to choose from:
- in Stow
- B.A.R.C. Dog Park in Akron
- in Cuyahoga Falls
- Twinsburg Dog Park
Patch wants to know if you feel safe taking dogs, big or small, to these facilities. Do you only go to the parks with separate areas for smaller dogs like Bow Wow Beach?
Man Circles Dog Park, Threatens Woman After Dog Bitten
Sometimes, it's not the dogs people have to worry about at the parks, it's the people.
Read one of the latest incident reports at Bow Wow Beach, when a Tallmadge woman's dog bit another man's dog. The woman told police she was by the other dog owner. The man told the woman she was going "to know what it was like to feel pain" and cursed at her, according to the police report.
Director of Parks and Recreation Linda Nahrstedt said, "In general, the calls we receive are more related to folks complaining about other people’s behavior, rather than the dogs behavior."
It's these same careless owners who seem to forget they're DOGS! They are animals, become territorial when around other dogs, and will "default" to their instincts in times of high stress. "Oh, but my little Cujo doesn't act this way in my backyard". Yeah, because your dog isn't around dozens of other dogs in your fenced-in backyard, Ignorant Dog Owner.
so my point is: it's more often than not negligent owners that cause these situations, not their dogs. you should know your dog well enough to know if it will behave well in a dog park. and you should never let it off its leash in a public setting; i don't care how good of dog it is you think you have, it's illegal and dangerous, period.