In Marion county, your pooch can be impounded if it poops on someone else's property. The owner can be fined up to $500.00. I guess that means poaching private or public property for pet pooping purposes is against the law. As far as I know, Sumter and Lake counties don't address turd trespassing in their ordinances.

Speaking for me and my dog, you guys go to the dog park and have a great time. We will go to the woods or an open field. Why's that?

1. Dogs get killed and bitten at parks.
2. Dog poop leavings can harbor bacteria, worms, and parasites.
3. Other people tell you how to handle your dog.

YIKES!! See, not having a dog, I never knew any of that!! That's scary, for sure!! I see a lot of people out by the fields by the Colony Health Care place. Whattaya think of that? Seems harmless, and a biggish area.

Good information!
And does anyone really believe that if a dog park is built all the issues posted here will go away? I think not............the disrespect will continue.

that's one the fields where we go....find toys out there all the time but have only seen another dog once. there are safe places, if you work at it.

well, I love the look of your baby and saw her once at the New Years thing...would love to run into her. We were gonna get a boxer when we retired and moved, but the breeder gave us another kitty, so with 2, we decided against it. She's definitely a beauty!

gomoho: I know.......but if I didn't someone else would have:pepper2:

not a lot
 

oh, good grief...you make dog parks sound like the wild west. most dogs just love being with other dogs. again, responsible owners remove their dogs if any problems with another dog. most of the people here have foo-foo dogs who are lovers not fighters. believe me, the people there point out immediately if they see your dog eliminate...as for the grass in general, it's no worse than one with pesticides on it and bird droppings. it's a great opportunity for both the dogs and the owners to socialize.

We live in typical PA suburbia. Our local dog park was closed due to Parvo. Our dogs are immunized, but there is no checking of vaccination records at a dog park. Our one rescue ended up with kennel cough after being in a dog park. I asked the vet how this can happen when she was immunized 8 months earlier. Some dogs it only last for 6 months. It can be a breeding ground for disease.

With that said, we still go to the dog park. We weigh the options and it's good socialization and exercise. We now get the kennel cough every 6 months and keep all the other shots up to date.

Doggie Doo Run Run
 

The Villages area's private dog park is Doggie Doo Run Run which is up about 9/10s of a mile from CR101 and the junction of CR466. It is on CR101 near the cell phone tower and the T with CR104. They request that all applicants fill out their information about shots and the like. They require a copy of the vet's certificate. Of course, that does nor insure that the pooch is always current on shots and the like. They can and do remove aggressive dogs but they have been fights and bites on occasion. I am not aware of any dog deaths there unless you mean dogs that get out of the enclosed areas for some reason and are hit by cars. That as far as I know has happened only once in the seven years I have been going there. There is also the occasional dog heat stroke as well as dog heart failure.

They pick up the poop and supply flags which you are supposed to mark where your dog goes. There are people who miss marking the dogs leavings, however, so you do have to be careful walking around the 10 acre or so private dog park.

The people do socialize but it is pretty much by size of dog as the park is separated into areas for dogs of 30 lbs (above and under). There have even been a few romances created there. Of the people type as the dogs have to been neutered and spayed. That does not stop some from trying even if they no longer have the equipment. Probably the same can be said about some of the people. ;)

Why on earth would anyone believe they have a right to use their neighbors lawn as pet waste are even if they do pick up after it:0000000000luvmyhors

ditto.

Danger in Dog Parks...
 

"The owner was nowhere in sight"...
Calls for dog park changes after dog's death | Video | kare11.com

"It was all we could do to get her out of his mouth"...."she passed out in my arms..."
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0zv-jdCVJE]7 Pound Chihuahua Mauled To Death at Local Dog Park - YouTube[/ame]

Pit bull kills Yorkshire terrier at Eden Prairie dog park - KMSP-TV
Leerburg | Dog Parks: Why They Are A Bad Idea
Man accused of fatally stabbing pit bull at Auburn dog park | Local & Regional | Seattle News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News | KOMO News
Dog death prompts search for toxic substance at off-leash park - The Santa Fe New Mexican: Local News

Unless you have an enclosed yard and just keep your dog enclosed back there and in your house, it is next to impossible not to have some dog pee or poop falling on other people's yards. That's in the Villages, however, and would not apply to areas where the front and back yards all have fences of some kind.

We really should try to bring a reasonable person standard into these discussions. If your dog is sick and really needs to go I doubt if many people would leash him or her up and just have their dog go in their own yard unless it is already fenced. You clean it up after your dog goes but it is very hard to control where a dog with the runs goes. And, if you have ever had a dog with the runs you probably know that it is quite difficult to get everything in the area that you want it to be.

my experience in dog parks with Emma. upside is where there are wide spaces. playing with dogs, running in water. That same park has had a least one death dog on dog.

downside:
--about half the foofoos run up at Emma and bark, which the owners don't generally object to, and my large dog is expected to stand there and be nice, which she does.
--a growling pit type charged me and the pom I was holding. Emma rolled him over and then let him up without biting when he submitted.

My opinion is that owners don't and can't always control or predict animal behavior. The worst example I have is that a highly credentialed trainer was standing behind me with her german shepherd when the dog lunged and bit me several times. She did not have the animal under control and was shocked. This person trains police dogs and has an excellent reputation.

During a trial meet with Emma and her dog, a dear friend sat on the ground trying to use her weight to stop her dog's charge. The woman is an excellent horsewoman, but could not control her dog.
Emma was bitten on the hip and still has a scar.

I'm not dissing socializing and mixing dogs up for no reason. My dog is better behaved than most of them and doesn't deserve that kind of confrontation. She is regal and I wish I carried myself with her humility and dignity.