Dog Park Woes

My local dog park is a popular place to be.  More and more pups are joining the group each day.  At one time I've counted over 25 large dogs in relatively small fenced in area.  With more dogs comes more drama.  Dog fights lead to human fights.  The last time I was there was a small dispute between a mature dog and puppy.  That wasn't so bad, but then the humans got into it...bickering, yelling, swearing and even threatening another's life that he'll shoot him!!  Crazy stuff!  This crazy stuff is NOT for me.  I take my pups to the dog park to socialize, run, and play not to experience an hostile environment.

Yes, Lucy is a little snarly girl.  I have no idea why she simply does not like some dogs especially dogs that are not fixed and she seems to discriminate on how they look...she does not like dogs with short noses like pugs, bulldogs, boxers, pit mixes.   She's very possessive over her stick, ball, or toy.  I know people are concern about her behavior at times.  She would never bite, but very persnickety.  I now know a busy dog park with a lot of dogs is not for Lucy.

With the combination of Lucy's snarly behavior and my fear of hostility at my local dog park, I've decided to take the Ralphie and Lucy to the nearby county park dog park which is quiet, larger area to run, very few dogs and much cleaner!  It's a bit sandy but too me I can tolerate the dusty sand for peace of mind.  Ralphie and Lucy LOVE it!  They actually get all excited in the car when I'm turning into the park!  I've also noticed that Ralphie plays and runs more.  Maybe he doesn't like a crowded dog park either.  After their playtime in the park, I leash them up and we take a nice leisurely walk throughout the grounds watching the sunset.

Now that's what I call enjoyment at the park!!

Climbing trees!

"I know there's a squirrel up there somewhere!"