Oh my god this thread is HILARIOUS!
Why didn't I read this sooner? I'm late and this thread is largely done but I wanted to add my two cents regardless.
I'm not offended in the slightest but extremely entertained that using a dog park is lazy. Is it for some? Sure.
I go to the dog park every day. The dog park I use regularly is HUGE. There are the fair share of idiots (bully breeds abound, dogs with muzzles, dogs who clearly do not like other dogs) However to avoid that completely you come to the dog park in the morning, and not on weekends. Is there still risk? Yup. Maybe I'm jaded since I've worked in a dog daycare for 3 years and am used to dogs interacting with others and the potential dangers it has, but also aware of the extreme positives.
Sure, I could exercise my dog somewhere else. I could risk the $250 fine for a dog "at large" (off leash) in a secluded park somewhere. I bike with Boomer and Duke at the park, there is a bike path that runs through it but is fenced off from the dogs. They run along beside the fence, on grass. I could leash them up to my bike (illegal here..) and run them on asphalt. I could just hope that mental stimulation and fetch/flirt pole/soccer in my backyard is enough too. I could just walk them around my block, how boring though.
That being I would not socialize a young puppy under 6 months at a dog park. Mostly for the diseases.
but the dog park certainly is not for every dog and people do bring their dangerous dogs there. If you're not prepared to face that, don't go. Everything has it's risks. I don't blame people for hating them though, not every dog park is large enough where you can avoid problematic dogs, or have your dog stimulated with something else (swimming, biking, nature exploration)