Dog Parks???Do they exist??

Whispered

Thanks a million Vel, that gives a really good idea of what to expect.

Vel

Enjoy Helena and let us know how you get on. Everyone we have met up there has been really nice and total doggy people and we have seen some fabulous dogs. Its wonderful to watch dogs of all shapes and sizes mingling and having fun. But I would definetely recommend for your first time going, to go up early before it gets busy, just so you feel comfortable

Paul91

anyone got any pictures of the bow wow's running wild?

Mirror Image

Anyone know if there are any dog parks in the north east?

Would love to take the lads if there is one close by.

Crazyivan 1979

Just back from Marley park dog park. Ben loved it, he is shattered now. If any of ye were there, Ben was the big black guy.

allypal

wow...i'm so glad i put out my query about the dog parks....am deffinatley going to marley with the maggot....cant beleive i didnt know about it as marley is just up the road from me.......i think i'm still going to get on to the canine society and the parks department because i think every decent sized park should have an area for dogs to run and play. thanks everyone....maybe we should all be annoying the canine society about this issue!!!

Vel

Just remember that as great as these off lead areas are there is a chance that eventually they will be the only areas in public where dogs are allowed off lead. Councils will provide them and then begin to ban off lead dogs anywhere else. This is what happened in some states in America and now they are the only public places where dogs are allowed off lead, leading to them being oversubscribed and not the pleasant places they could be.

So lobby away but it might become a case of be careful what you wish for. Those in power have proved they aren't animal lovers with their failure to implement important animal welfare legislation and their insistance on implementing the misguided restricted breeds legislation, so who's to say they won't provide a few off lead parks and then ban dogs everywhere else.

bookerboy

Try castletown house in Celbridge.Dozens of dogs of lead all the time and no one has a problem especially mid week.
Avail of the river for a swim or even the muddy pond.
All great fun

PetrovthePrat

Hey,a big thanks to all the posters aboout the dog park,and to Allypal for the query! We had our brat there for the first time today,and never would have heard about it without Boards. He loved it. It was the first chance he's had to play with other dogs,and it seems to have done him the world of good. The other owners were very friendly,even when he helped himself to someone elses water. As was posted earlier the hyper bouncy dogs seem to find each other. There were some really lovely dogs,a couple of Newfoundlands,first ones I've ever meet,a springer our pup befriended and lots more. We'll be back without a doubt. If any Boardsies were there today,we were the couple with the mental tan lab cross with a black face.

iguana

Vel wrote: »

Just remember that as great as these off lead areas are there is a chance that eventually they will be the only areas in public where dogs are allowed off lead. Councils will provide them and then begin to ban off lead dogs anywhere else. This is what happened in some states in America and now they are the only public places where dogs are allowed off lead, leading to them being oversubscribed and not the pleasant places they could be.

Very good point. If any lobbying was to be done it should be asking for the opposite. Allow well controlled dogs to be allowed off lead in all large parks, but make certain areas within those parks dog free. If it works in high density cities like London it will work in any park in Ireland.

I seriously dread the day my husband and I move back to Dublin in terms of our dogs. They will go from having a rich and varied walking life in all manner of parks, to being restricted to small areas most of the time.

ronbyrne2005

iguana wrote: »

Very good point. If any lobbying was to be done it should be asking for the opposite. Allow well controlled dogs to be allowed off lead in all large parks, but make certain areas within those parks dog free. If it works in high density cities like London it will work in any park in Ireland.

I seriously dread the day my husband and I move back to Dublin in terms of our dogs. They will go from having a rich and varied walking life in all manner of parks, to being restricted to small areas most of the time.

Try and get a place near to a large park or beach or mountains. I think there is actually quite a lot of places in Dublin to bring dogs if you have a car.

iguana

ronbyrne2005 wrote: »

Try and get a place near to a large park or beach or mountains. I think there is actually quite a lot of places in Dublin to bring dogs if you have a car.

I don't drive.:(

If we move back we are aiming at somewhere near the Dodder or a beach. The Dodder area looks pretty good for dog walkers, we took our boys there a couple of years ago when we brought them for a visit and they enjoyed it. They liked Sandymount too, but they needed a bath after.

funkyjebus

Paul91 wrote: »

anyone got any pictures of the bow wow's running wild?

Was up on saturday in marlay park. The place is great, both dogs and owners are friendly. Would recommend to anyone. Can't wait to go back next weekend. Might see some of you again.

Here are 2 pics i took on sat. Sorry they're not the best, just pics of my guy woth an older wheaten and a tibetan terrier.

Paul91

funkyjebus wrote: »

Was up on saturday in marlay park. The place is great, both dogs and owners are friendly. Would recommend to anyone. Can't wait to go back next weekend. Might see some of you again.

Here are 2 pics i took on sat. Sorry they're not the best, just pics of my guy woth an older wheaten and a tibetan terrier.

coool - there's always something to sniff

hyperit

This dog park in Marley park is great. Going there quite a bit now with 2 westies (among others). Should be a few pix attached here also. :)

DBCyc

I've a staffy who's very good with other dogs and wouldn't hurt a fly. Would it be frowned upon if I brought her to the dog park in Marley Park?

allypal

thanks vel .... thats a great point to keep in mind.....i would hate to see total off lead restriction......the way things are now i know i can be totally comfortable walking the dog off lead up the mountains and i would hate to see anything intrude on that freedom.....so point taken!!

doctor evil

allypal wrote: »

thanks vel .... thats a great point to keep in mind.....i would hate to see total off lead restriction......the way things are now i know i can be totally comfortable walking the dog off lead up the mountains and i would hate to see anything intrude on that freedom.....so point taken!!

Don't mean to be nip-picking allypal but that freedom comes with responsibilities and the animal at all times should have proper recall.

Vel

DBCyc wrote: »

I've a staffy who's very good with other dogs and wouldn't hurt a fly. Would it be frowned upon if I brought her to the dog park in Marley Park?

Hi DBCyc,

I mentioned in a previous post that the restricted breeds (and their crosses) aren't permitted in the off lead area. Such a shame that they have chosen to go down this route :mad: I was reading on another thread about people complaining about the behaviour of a labradoodle using the off lead area, yet your poor staffie who is great with other dogs can't use it solely on the basis of her breed:(

There is a big sign outside the park with the rules and regs on it, including this. We have been up there before and our dog played with a doberman and a staffie cross, so people do seem to break this rule. I personally would have no problem with it but others might I'm not sure how the authorities monitor the area or how strict they are.

DBCyc

Hey Vel,

I am aware that the rules and regs dont permit restricted breed dogs and it is ridiculous! But despite those restrictions, I thought that most dog lovers at the dog park wouldnt have a problem with my staffy as shes great with other dogs and loves running around playing.

With regards to the authorities, does anyone know whether there is dog warden up there that enforces these restrictions? Anyway sure I might aswell head over with her and play it by ear.

Cheers

pig2twig

Hi everyone!
We adopted a little greyhound at the beginning of the summer who had suffered badly from neglect and was quite timid, in fact terrified around strangers.
We've been bringing her to Marley dog park for a few months now. Initially she'd hang around behind us but now she's progressed to the point that she has some pals that she plays with.
I have to say I love the park and the other owners who visit. Peanut has her pals, as do we! We've learned a lot from other owners and its wonderful to be around people who are fine with the rough and tumble behaviour which comes naturally to dogs. Peanut needed to learn how to interact with other dogs, how to defend herself etc and we need to let other dogs take a snap at her and vice versa.
My only crib is people ignoring the no children rule - I have seen people bring 3-4 young kiddies in to "look at the dogs" often without a dog of their own. These kids often go mental, barking at the dogs, provoking them etc. I am waiting for a disaster to happen!
We taken to calling the warden a few times - I know it could be seen as "spoilsporting" but really we've no alternative....

PetrovthePrat

That's not "spoilsporting" at all. Kids to the playground where they belong,not in one of the few places for dogs to be dogs. GRRRR

iguana

Why can't the dogs and children co-exist. The only way the dogs that live in childless households and children that live in dogless households can learn about each other is to spend time together. I love introducing curious children to my dogs. The kids adore getting to stroke a real live dog, I can teach them how to handle a dog properly and to only approach them after asking the owner. And my dogs learn to be gentle around children and get used to how children move so they aren't startled by their sudden movements. It's win, win.

pig2twig

iguana wrote: »

Why can't the dogs and children co-exist. The only way the dogs that live in childless households and children that live in dogless households can learn about each other is to spend time together. I love introducing curious children to my dogs. The kids adore getting to stroke a real live dog, I can teach them how to handle a dog properly and to only approach them after asking the owner. And my dogs learn to be gentle around children and get used to how children move so they aren't startled by their sudden movements. It's win, win.

To a certain extent I agree - I am carefully teaching my nieces and nephews how to treat Peanut etc and they get a real thrill at being allow have contact with her (my brother is terrified of dogs so this is the only contact they have). However, the dog park was built with public money and could be seen as a bit of a pain in the arse to maintain. The kind of parent who ignores the copious "no children" signs are exactly the people to complain to the council when their kiddies get knocked over.

Basically what I am saying is: I don't want to give anyone the opportunity to punish the dogs and their owners, by closing the park

DBCyc

yeah it seems strange to me that they dont let children in a dog park. Sure they have banned restricted breeds in there so its okay, the children will not be eaten

pig2twig

DBCyc wrote: »

yeah it seems strange to me that they dont let children in a dog park. Sure they have banned restricted breeds in there so its okay, the children will not be eaten

I'd be more likely to eat a child (if hungry enough ) than any of the staffys I have come across - SOFTIES!

Crazyivan 1979

Fair point Iguana, but I don't think a packed dog park is the right place for it happen, where there is so much going on. There is a lot of running around by the dogs with each other, all it takes is for a small nudge to send a child flying and then to incur the wrath of their parent(s).

Last weekend, there were some older children there (10,11,12 yr olds), this seemed fine as they were physically bigger than alot of the dogs and were from dog households, so respected the dogs. While children younger than this were kept behind then fence at the gate. I think this was the best way.

I'd hate for a child to be injured. I think child/ dog introductions should be done on the lead (at first) or in a more controlled environment (in the family home when relatives are round).

bionic.laura

Just want to thank whoever brought up the subject of the dog park in Marley. We didn't know it existed before now. We brought our fella there on sunday and he had so much fun. I think he thought he was in doggie heaven.
It was great as we've been trying to train him to come back when he's off lead. So it was a great place to practice this in.
Here's a photo or two.

lrushe

DBCyc wrote: »

I've a staffy who's very good with other dogs and wouldn't hurt a fly. Would it be frowned upon if I brought her to the dog park in Marley Park?

I was in the dog park on Sunday with my Rottie pup, granted she's only 2 months old but there was another adult Rottie in there aswell!!!

pig2twig

As someone who uses the dog park all the time and who loves staffies, I would object I have to say.
The restricted list is advertised at the entrance and banned from entering. Now I know that nearly all the dogs on that list are completely fine - BUT if people begin regularly ignoring the rules, we run the risk of being shut down...
Someone brought a Japanese Atika in the other day and whilst I and the hubby were admiring it, there was a palpable level of tension and people were ringing the wardens.
Everyone in there is a dog lover, and I don't think there's a huge difference in behaviour between mainstream dogs and the restricted one (it's all about the environment, I say) BUT I just don't want to give DLRDcoco ANY excuse to get rid of the dog park....