A CAUTIONARY TAIL, PART 2

Readers respond to Ken Hoffman's dog park debacle

Readers respond to Ken Hoffman's dog park debacle
Photo by Jacob Power

Are the lurking dangers at dog parks worth the potential risk?

This article originally appeared on CultureMap.

A few weeks ago, I wrote a column about my dog Sally being attacked by three dogs (one owner) at Officer Lucy Dog Park in Bellaire. Admittedly, I was furious when I wrote the column. I am still furious. Despite a big sign with a long list of safety rules, this one person was allowed to bring his three big, violent dogs into that dog park. I managed to get my dog (and me) out of the park safely.

During our ensuing shouting, the owner of the other dogs told me, "I was here first" and "If you don't like it, don't bring your dog in here." The owner was right about one thing. I didn't like it, and I won't bring my dog there.

In fact, I won't bring my dog to any public dog park where there is no supervision, no assurance that vicious and sick dogs aren't present. It's just not worth the risk.

Dog park danger

It turns out, I did the smart thing. I did not confront the other dog owner. I called the Bellaire cops. Three officers, plus the city's animal control officer, arrived within 10 minutes. They talked to the owner of the vicious dogs, and he left. The police now have a report with information about this person and his dogs.

In Texas, if a dog harms another dog, the owner could be responsible for the vet bills resulting from his dog attacking another dog. If the owner's dog kills another dog, the owner could be responsible for replacing the dead dog. Yeah, that would make everything okay. Your dog killed my dog, my best friend, the dog I loved like there's no tomorrow … but you're going to give me $50 to get another one?

If that owner's dogs had killed Sally that day, I would have spent that night in jail.

Readers respond

Reader reaction to my column surprised me. I understand that people are passionate about their dogs (nobody more than me) and dog parks are popular. I expected to hear strong defenses of dog parks. That was not the case. Here are some of the responses I received.

  • "My dog also got attacked at the gate of Officer Lucy Dog Park; a pit bull grabbed him by the throat, tearing the skin and requiring stitches."
  • "At the very least, they'll get loaded with fleas."
  • "My dog was attacked twice at a dog park. I was frightened my dog would get killed. No more."
  • "Dog parks harbor disease, excrement, vicious dogs, and a-hole owners. We would never take our sweet girl to one."
  • "I think they are great. I wish people would bring their dogs there and not to restaurants, bars, grocery stores, and other places that are intended for humans."
  • "We used to go to dog parks all the time, but then our dog was attacked. I overheard the owner say after we pulled his dog off mine, 'He always does this.' My dog ended up with a $800 medical bill."
  • "Do not confront the bad dog owner — you and your dog could wind up sharing a hospital room."
  • "Come to Eadog Park. We are all a family and are familiar with everyone's dog. If anyone's dog acts up, we ask them to kindly leave. We don't tolerate that behavior."

Continue on CultureMap to read about the aftermath.


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The Astros are looking to build on their 4 1/2 game lead over Seattle. Composite Getty Image.

The Houston Astros open a three-game series against the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday night at Minute Maid Park. Houston, sitting atop the AL West with a 77-66 record, looks to bolster its postseason positioning, while Oakland (62-82) aims to play spoiler as the season winds down.

Pitching Probables
The Astros will send Spencer Arrighetti (7-12, 4.82 ERA) to the mound. Arrighetti has shown flashes of brilliance this season with 151 strikeouts but has struggled with consistency, sporting a 1.43 WHIP. He’ll face Osvaldo Bido (5-3, 3.41 ERA) for the Athletics, who has been a reliable arm in the Oakland rotation, posting a 1.09 WHIP and 63 strikeouts.

Astros overview
Houston, with a solid 41-30 home record, will rely on their bats and deep lineup to back Arrighetti. Yordan Alvarez continues to power the offense, tallying 31 doubles and 32 home runs on the season. Mauricio Dubon has also been hot, hitting .464 over his last 10 games. The Astros boast the eighth-best on-base percentage in the majors (.321), which will be key against Oakland’s pitching.

Athletics overview
Oakland has struggled on the road this year, going 26-43 away from the Coliseum. Brent Rooker, the A’s top power hitter with 35 home runs, will need to stay hot to give his team a chance. Shea Langeliers has also been productive lately, with three home runs in his last 10 games. The A’s have allowed 58 losses in games where they've given up a home run, a troubling stat heading into a series against Houston’s potent lineup.

Recent form
The Astros are 6-4 over their last 10 games with a 3.31 team ERA, outscoring their opponents by 10 runs. Oakland has gone 4-6 in their last 10, allowing a 4.73 ERA while being outscored by 17 runs during that stretch. Houston leads the season series 7-3, and they'll look to continue their dominance over their division rival as they aim for a strong postseason push.

Betting line
Houston is favored at -187 with the over/under set at 8 1/2 runs, reflecting expectations of a potentially high-scoring game.

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