Now that we’ve got two dogs, we try to get to the dog park regularly – like every day. When that’s not possible – weather, other commitments – we take Nika and Noah down to the dog park in our neighborhood. They have the place to themselves, enjoy sniffing around and battling over the Frisbee, but we can tell it’s just not the same experience as the real dog park.
During our visit to the dog park the other day, we see this very weird German shepherd prowling the fence as we approach the gate. There’s something wrong with this dog, Rosie. We’ve seen her before, and we suspect her owner is a diehard, extremist Republican and that she may be the canine version!
As soon as Nika steps inside the gate, Rosie is all over her, a hundred plus pounds versus 42 pounds. But Nika, who is just ten months old and used to playing with Noah – a BIG Golden Retriever, 100 pounds of muscle – defends herself valiantly. Yet, she invariably ends up on her back, whimpering.
So the other day, Rosie is making Nika’s life miserable and Trish is trying to snap the leash on her so we can take her to another part of the park, and Rob is pushing Rosie away from our dog. Rosie’s owner comes rushing over, shouting, “Hey, hey, stop pushing my dog. She doesn’t have a mean or hostile bone in her body!”
“Then get her away from our dog!” Rob snaps.
“They’re just playing.”
Uh, no, beg to differ. Rosie is attacking Nika. There’s a difference between dogs who are playing and dogs who are seriously attacking. The difference lies in body language, bared teeth. Rush Limbaugh is like Rosie. Oh, I’m just an entertainer, I don’t mean to defile or damage anyone.
So Rob gets Rosie off of Nika, and we head toward another part of the park. But en route, Rosie’s human makes a big mistake – he grabs Rob’s shoulder. Rob, who is so physically fit and flexible from the gym and yoga that he puts everyone else to shame, pushes Rose’s human away from him. And wow, then profanities fly. “What the f**!! is wrong with you, man? I’ve been nothing but courteous to you, you can’t come in here and push my dog around and then shove me.”
Really? You pushed Rob first, guy.Then I’m thinking, Uh-oh. This guy is asking for trouble. Rob is the most non-violent person I’ve ever known – until the other person makes a move first. Then all bets are off.
Meanwhile, I’m just trying to get Nika and Noah into another part of the dog park, where there’s a fence between us and this weirdo. We finally get into the smaller park and Rosie, oddball dog that she is, races along the fence, still trying to get at Nika. Rosie tries to dig a hole under the fence. She drools, salivates, barks, moans. She’s like Limbaugh going on for days about whatever his current pet peeve is, twisting facts to fit his agenda.
After that, we skipped a few days at the park and today went over there early, before Limbaugh and Rosie had arrived. Our friend Karin was there with Cody, a husky and Noah’s best friend last summer. I told her the story about Rosie and Limbaugh. She just shook her head.
“Sometimes, it’s like high school here. Cliques, politics, and bullshit.” She gazed wistfully at the larger park that has been closed since late January so that the city can build a pavilion large enough to accommodate humans when it rains, or it’s windy or cold or scorching hot. “They need to open the larger part of the dog park. We get on each other’s nerves here.”
Yes, we do. Liberals and conservatives rarely mix well. Their pets tend to reflect that. Rosie, I’m sorry to report, is a conservative extremist who feels she absolutely must overpower every smaller dog in the park while her human shouts, There’s not a hostile bone in her body! Nika, I’m happy to report, is a joyful liberal who will defend herself when she must but is happiest just doing her thing –greeting everyone with licks and a wiggling whisper, Hey, dude, you on my side?
The dogs know. They get it. Dog park politics is human politics on a smaller, more intimate scale.
Not to pick on pit bull “parents”…our oldest son had one…..but how often do we see on TV where the family of these canines are swearing their dogs have never been aggressive, this, after the dog has mauled a child or even an adult to death? I was horrified when my ex DIL got our son a four-week-old pedigreed pit for Christmas. Dog’s name was Drake. They had to keep Drake inside their garage; he couldn’t even be allowed around their three children, and they had him from age four weeks until he was five years old. He was simply a vicious animal. Son finally found him a home out in the country with a farm couple who were accustomed to pits and who had no neighbors, and several fenced acres where Drake could run without harming anyone or anything. Dogs are like people, I think. Some are loving and gentle, some are just plain mean and nasty. That German Shepherd, Rosie, has an owner that may end up with a lawsuit on her hands, considering that she refuses to recognize the danger her pet poses. Such a shame. Incorrigible canines, like their human counterparts, can often be rehabilitated when placed with people who are able to do that.
Wow.
Rosie as Limbaugh. Perfect.
Really. You have to see Rosie skulking along. Very weird.
So glad Nika and Noah are OK! Must pleasantly debate, though, with one comment: animals and children don’t ALWAYS learn bad, unacceptable behavior from owners and parents. With canines, often there is a genetic tendency within the breed to be either aggressive, with or without provocation, such as pit bulls and dobermans; or laid back, easy going, intelligent, obedient, such as the labs, goldens, and other breeds also used for service and/or search and rescue canines. There are breeds that are genetically disposed to shyness and nervousness and no matter how much the owners attempt to gently bring them out, it doesn’t work. (Chihuahuas, poms, poodles) And some breeds, like some humans, exist most happily when in quietly ordered, isolated environments with just a single human companion. (Cattle and sheep dogs fall into this category, generally speaking, altho there are always exceptions to any rule.) My own canine, a lab, is completely non-aggressive, but I have seen her lay her ears back, growl, and show her teeth with her neck hair raised when confronted with certain individuals. They simply KNOW, and I trust her instincts. Where children are concerned, there are fantastic parents who, for reasons unknown, have children who are spawns of the devil, and horrific parents who have children who are truly angelic. Go figure! So in my humble opinion, while animals and children can certainly reflect the personality traits and behaviors of owners and parents, it’s a toss-up. Lots of different and puzzling reasons for behavior traits, not always due to owner or parental faults. Sometimes, absolutely. But not always. In any event, I know you two, T & R, will keep Nika and Noah away from the monster dog!!!!! And Rob, MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU!!!! I think most of us have an involuntary reflex to strike out when someone touches us aggressively and unexpectedly. Very cool of you to refrain from using your unique skills to put him down! Speaking of these kinds of things but off-topic, did any of you see the news about the new, recent sightings of the MOTHMAN on the news? The sightings seem legit. Surely would hate to see that whatever-it-is anywhere near ME! The story is that this creature appears when tragic circumstances are about to occur. YIKES!
Have to agree with you about dogs: ‘they don’t necessarily get unacceptable behaviour from owners.’ I’m a dog lover and our last dog, a border collie, was very gentle. So yes, he was just like his family! (I don’t like the word owners). Our previous dog was also okay with humans but was sometimes a terror towards other dogs. He was a cross breed, quite small, but I can remember seeing him chase off an alsatian. I guess he was protective towards us, but we had to take care when letting him loose when there were other dogs nearby. The behaviour was in built in him – he didn’t like most other dogs other than a neighbours big labrador, they got on just fine.
Smaller dogs can be unfriendly toward other dogs, I’ve noticed that. Depends, too, on the breed.
Good point, Math!
Yikes is right, Math. I was just writing something related to Mothman yesterday, a story about a deceased friend who was a research assistant for John Keel, who wrote the Mothman book. I remember him talking about the weird phenomena taking place around him and Keel while they were in West Virginia researching Mothman.
I had to laugh at this story, not because it is funny. I don’t have a dog but my son does and he is constantly telling me his dog park stories. Now I get it!
I’m sure stuff like this goes on in dog parks all over the country.
Bully behavior unfortunately is everywhere.
Where do children learn this? From parents, where do sweet dogs learn this? From owners.
Animals definitely reflect their owners.
I was glad to read that your beautiful, sweet dogs were ok.
You see all kinds of owners and animals at this dog park. The good, the bad, the ugly!