#Battle at the #dog #Park: with a good ending.

Thank you for protecting me, and feeding me

Contretemps at dog park: Cozy, a hound-type dog, went for Gizmo, growling at him and looking like he was snapping or biting his neck.  This was shortly after we got to the dog park and it was very upsetting.     

     I examined Gizmo and it looked like he wasn’t injured, at least there was no blood.  We both walked away from the dogs and Gizmo was very subdued, lying down beside me.  When he didn’t want to go for a ball, I decided to leave the park and took him to the car.                 

     But then I thought that the owner should take some responsibility for the attack.  Leaving Gizmo in the car, I returned and confronted the owner, Judy, a short lady with a heavy New York accent.                        

       Her first response was that her dog was a wonderful, gentle thing and my dog must have done something to provoke him, which made me even more protective of Gizmo.          

       It is also typical of all dog owners: my dog, even if he or she is a biter, is perfect – your dog is the villain.                                             

       I responded by strongly suggesting that she better control her dog and take some responsibility.  Then she asked if I owned a home in the area.  I said yes I did and, whether I did or not, she should take better control of her dog.                                                       This discussion continued, and got more heated, in front of the association general manager and his wife, who identified herself as a woo-woo dog trainer, involved in massage, etc.  The wife said that Gizmo was “snarking” Cozy, a phrase I hadn’t heard of.  She explained that Gizmo was in Cozy’s face, which was a threatening gesture.  Then she demonstrated by getting directly in my face and, yes, it did feel threatening.                                                      

     The general manager said that there have been almost no complaints from the dog park and indicated that it was important for us to settle our differences between ourselves (something like saying “children, play nice together.”)                                                        As I calmed down a bit, Judy (who after refusing to give me her address or phone number in case my dog was injured, which infuriated me) suggested that I bring Gizmo back and we re-introduce Gizmo and Cozy.  I did and everything went well.                                                        

     Later, after more discussion, including learning the story of the mastiff that belongs to the general manager (from puppy mill to being thrown from the back of a truck and being malnourished to health and happiness after rescue), Judy and I hugged as our dogs alternately romped and ignored each other.  End of crisis.                                                      

     I was happy with the result: I went from righteously upset to allowing that maybe that was the way dogs worked things out – although the attack looked very serious at the time.
     PS: about a week later, another dog owner revealed to me that one of Judy's dogs had been banned from the dog park.  

     “Among God's creatures two, the dog and the guitar, have taken all the sizes and all the shapes, in order not to be separated from the man.”  Andres Segovia