DONE WITH DOG PARKS, PART 2

It's been very interesting to read all the comments from others on Sac Paws in response to my blog comment that was linked to theirs.  I discovered I'm not alone in my negative feelings about dog parks.  Another reason I'd rather avoid them is that they are breeding grounds for disease, with all the dogs drinking from the communal water bowl and all the uncollected feces for them to "sample." Mine are classic shnibblers. I've seen dog owners pop into the park long enough for their dog to go potty, and off they go without picking up after their pet.  That's just wrong!  

Also, one never knows how well other people's dogs are inoculated against diseases.  I know there was an outbreak of dog flu last year at the Glenbrook Park.  More recently, my Peaches took sick from some mysterious ailment that I later found out another dog that frequents our dog park also contracted.  Peaches' vet never was able to diagnose exactly what it was, but it apparently affected the pancreas.  Fortunately, the ailment cleared up after a week with some meds.  When I gave her the antibacterial, she was right as rain in short order.  So I can only conclude that she picked up some sort of bacteria at the dog park. 

I will say that of all the dog parks in Sacramento the nicest one has been Haggin Community Park in Rancho Cordova, with three large fenced sections for the big dogs, medium-sized dogs, and toy breeds.  Of course, you still get the same kinds of irresponsible people at this park who don't follow the rules.  The big and medium dog sections have lots of shade from mature trees.  The large dog area has rolling hills.  It's very ambient, situated beside the American River and the bike trail, unlike Glenbrook's that is right next to HWY 50.  Even with the sound wall, it's so noisy you can barely hear anyone else talk.