I just got back home to north Idaho from being in Seattle for about 3 weeks. First thing I noticed (or rather, Jose` noticed) was 4 or 5 piles of bear poop in my yard. For the whole next day, when I let the dogs out, they'd sniff the air and look toward the woods behind my yard and growl/bark. Now, the bear seems to know we're home and is staying away.
But, I run a risk every time I let my dogs out the front door or go out myself. If a bear is in my yard or back in the woods and the dogs were to run toward it, they could get swiped or chased. They could even bring the bear, following them back to me.
Everytime I go hiking in the woods...pretty much every day, I am putting my dogs and myself at risk. One time, Toker ran toward the area where apparently a fawn was and it's mother stalked and threatened us all the way back down the trail. That was freaky. :yikes: So, yeah, there are risks. But my dogs love the places they go and in 10 years (knock on wood) nothing terrible has happened here. When I told one neighbor about one area I had hiked, he told me I was ballzy. Then I thought to myself, hmmm...maybe that's why I never see another soul on that trail. LOL.
I'm not a fan of dog parks because dogs will be dogs. But if people are responsible with their dogs and careful, if it's not too crowded, I guess it would be okay. I prefer to find some place off by myself. But I guess in a city, there aren't too many choices. In Seattle when I visit, I walk them on a leash and everything is fine. They still enjoy it. They just can't run and explore a lot.
I've only been to a dog park once. It was when I was visiting my sister. That was with Lyric, my Doberman when he was young. There was only one other dog there....a corgi, plus my sister's dog, a sheltie. He played with the dogs and they got along great. It was a small park. There was a small field with a picnic table and a trail through a woodsy place around the edges.
I think blanket statements, implying all or nothing are stupid. LOL. I'm sure there are good parks and bad, smart dog owners and stupid, just like with everything else.