Pomeraniac!

Joe and I arrived at Robinswood Park nice and early one morning this week. We didn't expect to see anyone hanging around the parking lot since we are usually the first people there each day. The woman holding the empty collar and leash immediately caught my attention, and I wondered why she was holding a collar without a dog attached (it was early in the morning and I was not putting two and two together very quickly). At the same time I was observing this woman, Joe was commenting on "Who in the world lets their dog run loose near such busy streets!" Then I realized he was watching the little blonde dog racing around that belonged to the sad looking woman with the empty collar standing hopelessly in the parking lot.
I got out of the car and asked if I could help her. She was quite dejected and said she had spent an hour in the off-leash area with Mickey, the blonde Pomeranian. Apparently Mickey was not ready to the leave the park and fought his way out of the collar on the way to the car a half an hour before we arrived. She said he did not respond to verbal commands like "come" so he was always a challenge to catch when he got loose. I asked if he responded well to treats or dog food, thinking we could lure him back with something tasty for the dogs Joe and I always keep in the car. She didn't think he would respond to that either. We tried coming at him from both sides to catch him but he was too quick. He seemed to be enjoying himself and making a game out of evading us. He let us get just close enough to almost touch him and then he was off like a streak of blonde lightning. Then a light bulb went off in my head, if the dog wants to stay and play at the park we should act like we are going back to the off-leash area and see if he follows. Joe got our dogs leashed up and led them to the off-leash area. Mickey did excitedly follow us to the entrance and I was able to corner him against the fence so his owner could put his collar back on. She was very appreciative, but I told her it was not a big deal I would hope someone would do the same thing for us if one of our dogs got loose and would not come back! I did recommend a harness for him since he was not trained and is just too quick to catch if he gets free of the collar.

What Is the Right Thing to Do In This Situation?

Our dog walking service is called K9 Boot Camp. We take dogs on trips to the off-leash park for an hour each day. There are several off-leash parks in our area so we rotate through them, but mainly we visit the giant off-leash area at Marymoor Park. It is fantastic with the fields, the slough, the trails, etc... It has everything a dog could want (including lots of other dogs)! We visit the park every weekday morning between 8:30am and 9:00am, depending on how many dogs we are picking up on the way, and we stay at the park for a full hour. We see lots of the same people and dogs each day, which usually is a good thing.
Unfortunately, seeing the same people each day is not so fun when one of the owners has an aggressive dog. Joe and I wondered to each other about the behavior displayed by a Dobie/ Rottweiler mix that started showing up at the park around the time we did and would often run loose with our dogs. We love strong breeds and certainly do not discriminate based on reputation or stereotype (we have two Dobies and love them to pieces), but this dog was showing definite warning signs. Maybe it was never socialized as a young dog, or maybe the off-leash environment is overstimulating for this particular dog. Regardless, the raised hackles, growling, lunging, bearing of teeth, and numerous other indicators should have tipped off the owner that the dog was not enjoying itself. Initially we tried to avoid the dog, but the owner appeared to be seeking us out so her dog could burn off energy by chasing our pack. I decided to be more proactive and approach her to discuss her dog's behavior and hopefully conclude the harassment of our dog pack. She was not at all interested in speaking with me, refused to recall her dog to discourage the behavior, and walked away. Our next idea was to avoid our regular areas in the park, or hide from her really. We were afraid the dog was going to reach a point where the growling and snarling turned to biting. Since we walk several strong breeds ourselves we could only imagine what might happen to our pack, or this antagonist for that matter, if a fight should break out. No such luck!!
One morning recently, we were "hiding" in the tall grass of one of the field off to the side in the park playing with our dog pack and having a great time. Then here comes the Dobie mix trotting over without her owner anywhere in sight, typical! She approached our dogs with her hackles raised and tail pointed in the air, already not good signs. She went after our most submissive member who is such a sweet boy and began chasing and nipping at him. Even after he flipped on his back, she tried biting his neck. That was enough for me, I was not about to allow this irresponsible behavior to continue any longer. The owner was in sight and we yelled to get her attention and for her to get her dog under control. Again, we got no response. She refused to acknowledge that her dog was now attacking ours! We broke it up and as we were walking away with our group I heard her muttering "Why get so worked up, she just likes to play." I almost lost it, that is NOT playing, that is fighting and it is so dangerous and not what the off-leash park environment is for!
Sadly, we have had to take a break from visiting Marymoor because we simply cannot risk putting the dogs in this situation. I know several of the other regular dog walkers have been disturbed by the behavior of this particular dog as well. I have petitioned to the park service for some sort of resolution, since we cannot reach a constructive resolution with the dog owner herself. But I am left wondering what really is the right thing to do in this situation, what if we didn't have other off-leash areas we could visit and were forced to continue meeting this aggressive dog each morning?

We Practically Live at the Off-Leash Park!

Colt, our young male Doberman, has an energy level that is off the charts! The off-leash park has been a saving grace to us because he has been able to release a lot of his puppy wildness in a controlled environment. He has learned social skills with people and dogs alike, appropriate canine manners, and lots of fun dog games. We attend the dog park at least 6-7 times per week. We go so often we started to purchase the multiple month parking passes, as opposed to paying daily, it actually saves a lot of money!
Tyson, our Bulldog, comes with us on our off-leash trips. He is not as interested in the other dogs, but is happy to walk with my husband and I if we let him carry a tennis ball or swim. Due to his incredibly small nasal passages and pushed in adorable face, he can overheat easily. We have to make sure he does not over-exert himself, especially in the summer. My mother and father-in-law bought Tyson a "cool coat", it is like an ice pack jacket he wears in the summer to keep his body temperature down, GENIUS! We purchased a life jacket for Tyson as well, convinced he would sink when initially trying to swim given the girth of his body and the tiny legs to support him. He never wears the life jacket anymore because he has proven to be an avid swimmer! It always surprises other park attendees to see a Bulldog paddling by.
The off-leash park seems to have it's own subculture. Because we are at the park so often, we have adapted to the unspoken etiquette expected of regular visitors. We ALWAYS pick up our dog droppings, and notice the glances and remarks about those that don't pick up after their dogs. We require our dogs to play easy with puppies just getting used to the off-leash environment. We are now able to recognize who takes their dogs to the park for general socialization and stimulation purposes, and who takes their out of control, untrained, high energy dog to the park and turns it loose and looks the other way while it wreaks all sorts of havoc. We are also aware of the individuals who like to release their unneutered, male, tough looking breeds for the simple pleasure of honing their bullying skills on unsuspecting play groups and walkers.
We have been fortunate and only had a select few encounters with aggressive dogs at the off-leash park, but we are aware that that is always a possibility. One such occurrence happened only months ago. Tyson was approached by a Pitbull, while Colt was running in a nearby field with another dog. The Pitbull initially sniffed Tyson, Tyson decided he had enough and ran toward my husband. His running incited a chase and the Pitbull came after him in an aggressive manner. The Pitbull attempted to corner him. Before my husband could break it up Colt appeared in mere seconds from across the field, jumped over Tyson's back, and landed in front of him face to face with the Pitbull. Colt's hackles went up, teeth came out, and he let out an intimidating growl that sent the Pitbull running in the other direction. In the meantime, Tyson's stance changed from an intimidated cower to a confident strut once he realized his big brother came to his rescue. Experiences like these are few and far between and do not deter from the value the park has to offer to a household like ours!