There are dog attacks at the dog park near me - oddly enough they are usually the small dogs that are scared, once was a ;lab, but I find cocker spaniels the worst dog park dogs. They set up a small dog park by fencing of park of the regular park and some small dogs are happy there, there is one jack Russel terrier that loves to play with a grey hound and mastiff, so that one comes to the big park and pretty much takes over and keeps all dogs in line, haha. But we have a dog walker that takes all her dogs to the park and she acts as mayor of the dog park because she is there most of the day and bans particular dogs from the park. Some hate her for doing that, but I don't mind, you don't want an unruly dog there.

You can't come to the park and zone, out, that is not responsible ownership. I always keep an eye on my dog because some times she just takes a dislike to a dog and barks at them to keep away from her, nothing happens but she looks pissed,so we leave until she calms down. it is a community and you have to work together and talk to people and be social.

Everything in him says this is prey...


He wasn't attacking her, or you. He was just trying to get his prey, and you were in the way.
It's even worse if he is a track refugee, because he has been taught this is something to catch at all costs.

This owner is gonna get that dog hurt by negligent management, I suspect, and it's not gonna be the dog's fault.

I've seen them walking leashed all over town. If they do come into the parks they are sometimes wearing a muzzle. I've been told that they are not socialized the way dogs raised as pets are so they will not interact in the same way - no butt sniffing, etc. But I honestly did not know about the prey drive or how they were trained to race.

The woman who was attacked had a cool head about it - neither the police nor animal control were called. But honestly - it could have been bad if she was not wearing a jacket or if a child was involved. Or if she had been hurt falling on the ice. That dog could have been impounded.

greyhound even offer the pekinese owner some money to cover the cost of the damaged coat?

As much as I love dogs I probably would have reported the woman to the police. That dog could potentially become a real danger to other animals or people. It is sad that the dog could be end up becoming a victim of a negligent owner.

when I left. The owner of the Peke was mostly concerned about her dog being traumatized. I haven't heard of the woman with the greyhounds coming back to the park where this happened.

I learned something from this thread. I had no idea how greyhounds were trained to race so it never occurred to me that they might see any small dog as prey no different than a rabbit. Since this happened I also heard a story about two greyhounds who killed a neighbors cat that wandered into their back yard. There are a lot of greyhound rescues in Wisconsin but this is the first time I've heard that it might not be safe to have them around other small pets.

'The Greyhound is a very old European breed of dog, a sighthound which has been historically bred for coursing game and latterly Greyhound racing. Since the rise in large scale adoption of retired racing Greyhounds, particularly in North America from the end of the 20th century, it has seen a resurgence in popularity as a family pet.

It is a gentle and intelligent breed whose combination of long, powerful legs, deep chest, flexible spine and slim build allows it to reach average race speeds in excess of 18 metres per second (59 feet per second, or 63 kilometres per hour (39 mph)).

The Greyhound is not an aggressive dog, as some may believe due to muzzles worn during racing. Muzzles are worn to prevent injuries resulting from dogs nipping one another during or immediately after a race, when the 'hare' has disappeared out of sight and the dogs are no longer racing but still excited. The thin skin of the Greyhound can tear easily from a small nick from teeth, so even a minor skirmish can result in stitches and time out from racing. Greyhounds with a high prey drive occasionally wear muzzles outside the racetrack; owners aware that their Greyhound has a high tendency to chase small prey will protect the prey by applying the muzzle.

Greyhounds are quiet, gentle, and loyal to owners. They are very loving creatures, and they enjoy the company of their humans and other dogs. Whether a Greyhound enjoys the company of other small animals or cats depends on the individual dog's personality. Greyhounds will typically chase small animals; those lacking a high 'prey drive' will be able to coexist happily with toy dog breeds and/or cats.'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greyhound

Just got rid of the bruises from the last dog fight I broke up (not my dogs.)

I avoid dog parks, but I know that the one near me has a small dog area. Does your park have a small dog area?

but the woman with the peke also had a medium sized dog and used to also have a giant breed. She usually walks around the perimeter of the park a couple of times. Usually people use the fenced of area (labeled small and geriatric) for puppies or dogs who have never been to the park before. I'm sure its different at different parks.

And here's to you.

since the dog owner was not. You did a good thing. Is there any regulation or management of that dog park? Can that woman and her dogs be banned from going? If so, someone should report this to them. Did that woman offer to replace the woman's coat that her dog bit?

The Greyhound must have gone into prey drive. I have never heard of Greyhounds being "dog aggressive", but since they are sight hounds I imagine the dog didn't consider the Peke to be another dog. Just guessing.

I think more dog parks should have an area specifically for small dogs. They are doing that more in my area.

I don't take my dog to the dog park though because she doesn't do well in that situation. My dog is a bit intense, LOL (Border Collie mix, heavy on the Border Collie).

You were great in helping that lady. A friend of mine got a bad back injury when one of her dogs was attacked out of the blue by a dog owned by a clueless, unobservant person, as they entered a dog park. The clueless dog owner vanished with her dog before the ambulance arrived for my friend.

Last edited Fri May 30, 2014, 01:39 PM - Edit history (1)

Today I ran into the woman whose Peke was attacked a few months ago.

Although I couldn't see that the Peke was hurt at the time - it turns out that he had two wounds and a ruptured spleen that required surgery and a couple of days of hospitalization. He must have taken a couple of strong bites. The dog is recovered now and does not seem to have any long term affects. Spleen was removed and total costs were $4000.

The greyhound owner paid for the vet bills. She had rescued the greyhound that attacked only three weeks earlier. She's been rescuing greyhounds for a long time and never had something like this happen. The attack was reported to the police. I'm not sure if she is keeping the dog or what but I have never seen her again.

The Peke owner had some bites through her jacket. Thank goodness she had the winter jacket on or this could have been much worse. I didn't know how bad it was at the time, but the Peke easily could have been killed and the owner bitten badly.