John

Bruno and I can walk to this Dogpark from my place (about 5 blocks). He is a “medium sized dog” (50 lbs), so he has fun at both the small dog area and the big dog/all dogs area. There are a lot of locals at this Dog Park! and I consider my Dog and myself among them. We are friendly and welcome all responsible/respectful dogs and their humans. You are not required to socialize, but the opportunity is there if you so desire. A couple weeks ago, Bruno and I visited this facility and entered the “Big Dog/All Dogs Area.” Soon, one particular dog kept trying to hump my dog. I determined the owner and said, “Is that your dog, the humper?” He replied, “Yes”, and laughed. The behavior continued - aimed only at Bruno. I removed my dog, picked him up and muttered. As I walked over to the adjacent play area, I heard, “What did you say?” Now, keep in mind, I pointed out the fact that I was unhappy with my dog being harassed and subjected to unwanted animal/instinctual behavior. However, the owner kept laughing and refused to pull his dog off of mine. I spoke out of anger. As I was followed out of the dog pen, I let Bruno down and he ran off to play with his “new pals”, oblivious to the angry mob of wannabe hipsters that gathered close to me (separated by a 4 ft. tall, chain-link fence). “Did he touch your dog?”, one guy asked. “I woulda kicked him, if he did”, said the same guy. Now, remember, I said only 10-words and not even to that guy. You woulda thought this was the most exciting thing to happen to this crowd all week! They couldn’t stop pontificating at me, until I walked away, out if earshot. Then, they tried to follow me and passive aggressive me to death. Long story long, Bruno had a great time, we stayed away for a week, and now I’ve made my point. Although “humping” might be an animalistic behavior, it’s not acceptable to let your dog carry out in this manner. Have respect for other dogs, humans and yourself.