Dog Parks???Do they exist??

Crazyivan 1979

Hi Irushe, I saw your pup last sunday in the dog park. He is gorgeous! What's his name? Any pics? Was the adult rottie you are reffering to jet black? If so that was my fella, Ben (he is crossed with a lab). Don't know if another one arrived after I left.

No one seemed to have a prob with him being there, as he gets on great with everyone and has made best friends with the labradoodle and a french bulldog!

Vel

pig2twig wrote: »

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....

I am in two minds about this issue. First and foremost, I abhor the restricted breed legislation and have stated earlier how my dog played with a lovely doberman and a staffie x in the dog park. But also, I hate when people break rules such as this and while I don't agree with it, if I had a dog on the restricted breed list I would obey it. Its a hard one because my dog has had a fab time with some really well behaved dogs from the restricted breeds list, who technically should not have been in the area in the first place.

Personally, rather then automatically reach for the phone as soon as a restricted dog enters the area, I think people should be watching and monitoring every dog's behaviour and reporting ANY dog who is displaying aggression issues, be it a german shepard or a lab.

I would certainly turn a blind eye to any restricted breed once it was a friendly dog and would rather use my time and energy to lobby DLRCC to stop discriminating against them then be telling tales to the dog warden.

What better way to change the opinion of someone about the restricted breeds than by letting them see a happy, well socialised dog interacting with others? I'm sure you enjoy the opportunity to let people see how lovely your greyhound is with other dogs, as do we with our lurcher and I'm mindful of the fact that some people might take a dislike to them because of their breed, even though they aren't on the restricted breeds list.

As I said, I'm in two minds about the whole thing because they are breaking the rules set down in the park and no one is forcing them to use the park in the first place but on the other hand I hate the rule itself.

Just out of curiousity, does the dog warden come quickly when a report is made and what happended in this particular case with the Akita?

pig2twig

We left around that time so I dunno, but I have been there a few times when people call the warden over kids being in the park and they come SUPERQUICK then...

Yeah I know what you mean about the rule - it's a tricky one

PetrovthePrat

It is indeed a tricky one. I think admission should be open to all dogs who are socialised and well behaved but giving the powers that be an excuse to close down the park is just silly. As for the akita,was it by any chance in the hands of a tracksuit clad skinny little chav? Bumped into an akita with such an owner on our first visit

pig2twig

Indeed it was, and he had with him a very young teenager dangling on the end of a leash holding a MASSIVE husky. Moron

Whispered

I was and still am thinking of going, but the post about giving them an excuse to close it down is making me think again. Harley is a staffie cross - but is often mistaken for a boxer cross so I think I could get away with it. It's a tough one. On the one hand, he loves other dogs and, while very bouncy and rough, is not one bit agressive. On the other hand, what if he was to knock someone over or, unlikely as it sounds to me, have a fight with another dog. It wouldn't be fair on other park users to have the park closed or further restricted.

I might just stick to my mountain walks for now. (their loss anyway :P)

DBCyc

pig2twig wrote: »

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.

PetrovthePrat wrote: »

As for the akita,was it by any chance in the hands of a tracksuit clad skinny little chav? Bumped into an akita with such an owner on our first visit

pig2twig wrote: »

Indeed it was, and he had with him a very young teenager dangling on the end of a leash holding a MASSIVE husky. Moron

Sounds to me like the tension/complaints arose because of the owner rather than the dog. I would welcome a "NO SKANGERS" restriction in all public areas including dog parks

Although I doubt that they would close the dog park just because a few people complained about restricted breeds being brought in, I guessed this situation might happen. It seems that people might not have a problem with any restricted breed at all, but they worry that if people bring them to the dog park, it will be closed.

If only there was a restricted owners list...:(

Tired

Hi all, havent posted on here in a while, anyway my question is, does anyone know of such a park over the northside of the city. Its a bit of a long trek for myself and it sounds brilliant and exactly what i need. I have a cocker spaniel who loves to run run and run some more. Walking him is just not satisfying enough for him. Any help appreciated. Thanks

DBCyc

Tired wrote: »

Hi all, havent posted on here in a while, anyway my question is, does anyone know of such a park over the northside of the city. Its a bit of a long trek for myself and it sounds brilliant and exactly what i need. I have a cocker spaniel who loves to run run and run some more. Walking him is just not satisfying enough for him. Any help appreciated. Thanks

There is one in St. Anne's Park

lrushe

Crazyivan 1979 wrote: »

Hi Irushe, I saw your pup last sunday in the dog park. He is gorgeous! What's his name? Any pics? Was the adult rottie you are reffering to jet black? If so that was my fella, Ben (he is crossed with a lab). Don't know if another one arrived after I left.

No one seemed to have a prob with him being there, as he gets on great with everyone and has made best friends with the labradoodle and a french bulldog!

Yep that was me!:D My pups name is Brook, that was her first walk, I think she might have been a bit overwhelmed by all the doggy attention she got so I might leave it a week or two before bringing her back up, wait until her confidence outside her comfort zone (home!) builds up.
Yeah the jet black rottie was the one I saw there on Sunday, I guessed he had some other breed in him but the rottie in him certainly stood out He had better manners that alot of the other 'acceptable' breeds that were there, its so frustrating as the owner of a restricted breed trying to do your best to socialise your dog and do right by them so they grow up to be an ambassitor for their breed only to find that they are treated like leapers wherever they go Anyway rant over, here's a pic of my girl
Brook 12 weeks old.JPG

mellaine

I am so jealous reading all your posts, we don't have any facilities like that 'down the country'. Like a lot of you I love to let my dog off the lead, he loves running off and sniffing to his hearts content. He is our only dog so he loves meeting other dogs when he is out and I love to see him running and messing with others aswell. He is totally worshipped and doted on in our house but I do think he needs and enjoys socialising with other dogs which is not possible if he is restricted by a leash.

p.s. all the doggie photos are gorgeous I love reading posts from other dog lovers who really know the value and the joy a dog can bring to you

LordDorington

hyperit wrote: »

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. :)

thanks for the info and pics are great! My dog has a wheelchair so I am always looking for suitable palces to take her. Do you think this place would be suitable having seen it? She needs somewhere thats not too hilly or bumpy!

LordDorington

PetrovthePrat wrote: »

It is indeed a tricky one. I think admission should be open to all dogs who are socialised and well behaved but giving the powers that be an excuse to close down the park is just silly. As for the akita,was it by any chance in the hands of a tracksuit clad skinny little chav? Bumped into an akita with such an owner on our first visit

I dont think that narrows it down ha ha! I have worked with an animal charity and nearly every akita I saw had a skinny hooded owner. They seem to be kind of status or masculinity symbol? of course there are others who do not fit this type,a dn I dont mean to generalise, but from what I have seen....

Whispered

LordDorington wrote: »

I dont think that narrows it down ha ha! I have worked with an animal charity and nearly every akita I saw had a skinny hooded owner. They seem to be kind of status or masculinity symbol? of course there are others who do not fit this type,a dn I dont mean to generalise, but from what I have seen....

I met a lovely akita in the pet shop in carlow a while ago. He was with a family (well 1 adult 2 kids) and was so well behaved, the girl on the checkout was fawing all over him, he seemed to be a bit of a regular. . Isn't it a pity the image a few bad owners can give to a breed.

LordDorington

helena.ryan wrote: »

I met a lovely akita in the pet shop in carlow a while ago. He was with a family (well 1 adult 2 kids) and was so well behaved, the girl on the checkout was fawing all over him, he seemed to be a bit of a regular. . Isn't it a pity the image a few bad owners can give to a breed.

thats true, I would believe in the theory that there are no bad dogs...only bad owners. Having said that, akitas are known for being best suited to single dog families as they do not like other dogs (that is ageneral rule for the breed) and they were intially bred for fighting. Personally there are no dogs that I actively dislike (and another example of the bad press of course are staffordshire bull terriers which are lovely dogs but have a terrible name because they are used in fighting)

That said...I wouldnt leave my own dog alone with an akita, but I am obsessively protective over her ha ha

thecornerboy

Anyknow what time the Marlay Park dog area is supposed to close?

Got there before 4.30 and the warden, who is one of the most ignorant swines I've ever had the misfortune of meeting, already had the entry gate shut.

LordDorington

thecornerboy wrote: »

Anyknow what time the Marlay Park dog area is supposed to close?

Got there before 4.30 and the warden, who is one of the most ignorant swines I've ever had the misfortune of meeting, already had the entry gate shut.

Hi, what is it about people like that who are given a little power and wish to lord it over the rest of us? We went to Marlay on Saturday to try to find it but ended up over the other side of the aprk near the old playground. My dad rang the ranger to ask where it was and he was like "well its over the other side but you will never make it now, its 4pm"!! Anyway our little one was tired so we will try another day!

I think its supposed to open until 5..like the rest of the park, but we heard the bell going off at 4.30 to shunt people out.

thecornerboy

It closes at 5pm all winter.

Manners cost nothing too. They seem to make it a policy to be as rude as humanly possible. The construction guy I spoke to on the other side of the park warned me about them when I asked what time the gate closed at.

ronbyrne2005

Knowing what council/public sector workers are like they probably are unhappy about being given new tasks without extra pay. In years gone by they would have got extra money to open/close/monitor the dog park.

LordDorington

ronbyrne2005 wrote: »

Knowing what council/public sector workers are like they probably are unhappy about being given new tasks without extra pay. In years gone by they would have got extra money to open/close/monitor the dog park.

Good point, I would imagine that it probably cuts down on a certian amount of work aswell though because there wouldnt be as many dog owners to monitor in the other areas of the park. Us dog owners get an awful time from what I can see! I remember I used to walk my darling doggy down by the canal at adelaide road, and she loved nothing more than to dig around the edges of the water for rocks. The amount of times I got filthy looks off people and I remember this one guy who was falling out of his standing drunk and had deposited a few empty cider cans along the way ahving a go at me because my dog was "upsetting the eco system" by paddling around at the canal edge!

thecornerboy

ronbyrne2005 wrote: »

Knowing what council/public sector workers are like they probably are unhappy about being given new tasks without extra pay. In years gone by they would have got extra money to open/close/monitor the dog park.

They don't have to do anything with it. It's not opened, closed or monitored.

LordDorington

thecornerboy wrote: »

They don't have to do anything with it. It's not opened, closed or monitored.

I have heard people say it is

thecornerboy

LordDorington wrote: »

I have heard people say it is

They close the gates to the big park itself, not the dog park.

LordDorington

thecornerboy wrote: »

They close the gates to the big park itself, not the dog park.

ok but I have heard people say there are some whose responsibility it is to uphold rules re children, listed breeds etc

princevirgiljr

The Dog Park is brilliant. I made a group on Facebook for people who visit the Marlay Park Dog Park to plan meet ups or to post photos on. please join if you are interested.

<snip>sorry no facebook groups<snip>

kita525

LordDorington wrote: »

thats true, I would believe in the theory that there are no bad dogs...only bad owners. Having said that, akitas are known for being best suited to single dog families as they do not like other dogs (that is ageneral rule for the breed) and they were intially bred for fighting. Personally there are no dogs that I actively dislike (and another example of the bad press of course are staffordshire bull terriers which are lovely dogs but have a terrible name because they are used in fighting)

That said...I wouldnt leave my own dog alone with an akita, but I am obsessively protective over her ha ha

Hey, Just joined the forum... I have 2 year old akita. I know that sometimes they might seem a bit intimidating, however Austin is the most friendly and lovely of its kind (I know that prob every owner will say that about their dog ). To tell you the truth though Im not sure what is it all about, but since he was a pup it was other dogs "giving out" to him. Even when we're at park with him (on the lead unfortunately ) there would be always at least one dog that would be running freely, that would come up to him and start behaving a bit aggressive... Until they are called back by their owners...
I just think that many people think that all akitas are the same, but you know yourself - same with ppl - we cannot really generalize that.
Saying that - are there any akitas there that would like to socialize somewhere on the north side (Swords) with another of their kind

adser53

LordDorington wrote: »

thats true, I would believe in the theory that there are no bad dogs...only bad owners. Having said that, akitas are known for being best suited to single dog families as they do not like other dogs (that is ageneral rule for the breed) and they were initially bred for fighting. Personally there are no dogs that I actively dislike (and another example of the bad press of course are staffordshire bull terriers which are lovely dogs but have a terrible name because they are used in fighting)

That said...I wouldnt leave my own dog alone with an akita, but I am obsessively protective over her ha ha

If an akita is raised with another dog(s) (or cats) and socialised enough there won't be an issue. I have an akita and 2 cavs and they sleep ON him, no bother at all. Plus they weren't "initially" bred for fighting, that just happened after dog fighting became popular in 19th century Japan so they started crossing Akitas with Tosa's and the like

LordDorington

adser53 wrote: »

If an akita is raised with another dog(s) (or cats) and socialised enough there won't be an issue. I have an akita and 2 cavs and they sleep ON him, no bother at all. Plus they weren't "initially" bred for fighting, that just happened after dog fighting became popular in 19th century Japan so they started crossing Akitas with Tosa's and the like

Many Akitas have protective instincts toward strangers and so they do need extensive exposure to friendly people so they learn to recognize the behaviour of "normal" people who will not threaten them. Without careful socialization, they may be suspicious of everyone, which could lead to problems.

Akitas are not golden labs. They are not pushovers that can be trained as you wish, they have very independent minds. This is not necessarily a nad thing in ALL akitas but is IS a fact and dogs with independent minds need strong owners with good leadership skills and responsibility.

They also have strong instinct to chase and seize fleeing creatures. Again this is a fact of the breed, like the way gun dogs have an instinct to chase and sniff out for example. It is simply fact.

Of course there are good akitas and bad akitas, just as there is good and bad across the board of breeds, but we do need to accept some facts about the breed in order to bring about responsible ownership.

There are some people who are very good akita owners and who really know their breed, but unfortunately there are a LOT of stringy teenagers who seem to think that an akita on their arm will make them look more manly. People like this ruin it for everyone of course.

PS my best mates cat, Fluffles, was kille dby an akita. So sad he was old and arthritic and stuff and he basically fell into the neighbours garden off the wall and that was the end of him :eek:

All things taken into consideration, I would not be happy with my precious dog socialising with an akita, and sorry if that offends but as an owner that is my prerogative!

Gerty

I would love to bring my king charles out there for the day.

I am coming from portmarnock so its a bit of a trek but i think it'd be worth it.

http://maps.google.com/maps?client=safari&rls=en&q=marley%20park%20dublin%20map&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wl

If anyone would be able to point out in google maps the best area to head to, to park the car that would be brilliant. thanks

VERYinterested

Gerty, not sure how to point that out for you in Google Maps but there are only two car parks that the public have access to, handiest would be to park in the one on Grange Road opposite Lidl. There is a second car park on College Road and the dog park is the same distance away, but the College Road Car Park adds a little more to your car trek. So come off the M50 at Junction 13 and follow signs for Rathfarnham, you'll see Lidl and Centra on your right after about a mile and then the Marlay entrance is on the left a hundred yards past Lidl/Centra.