Dogs don't belong on disc golf courses

[Mr. Butlertron]

Earlier this month I witnessed a guy with an unleashed dog approach a couple with a pair of leashed dogs. Before he could even finish saying, "don't worry, she's friendly", a dog fight broke out. As expected, there was an unaplogy from the leashless dog owner.

 

[da Crippler]

Any well behaved dog who is under control of its owner is always welcome. Dogs aren't the problem, irresponsible owners are. They are the ones who don't belong on a golf course.

 

[chosenmatrix]

Dogs and kids fit into the same category for me. I don't really care if you bring them if you are playing by yourself, but when I have to play with you it is annoying.

It's like people showing me pictures of their kid, or telling a "super-cute" story about their pet..... I am sure it's awesome for you, but I could care less. I am more concerned with having to wait while your dog strolls across the teepad, or having to wait for you to go pick up the disc your kid grabbed out of your bag and left 3 holes back.

Reading this back really makes me feel like a curmudgeon, but whatever.

 

[LHASU]

My only beef with dog owners are those who let their dogs run free and then say, when the dog approaches me, "Don't worry, he's nice." That's good and all, but 1)I'm not a dog person and give off all the wrong signals and 2) you're definition and expectations for nice and mine probably aren't the same.

It's my personal space -- especially if the dog is making physical contact with me -- and I don't want to share it with your "nice" but intruding dog.

There is anxiety in seeing an unleashed dog coming your direction and then the fear kicks in because you know the dog "knows".

Earlier this month I witnessed a guy with an unleashed dog approach a couple with a pair of leashed dogs. Before he could even finish saying, "don't worry, she's friendly", a dog fight broke out. As expected, there was an unaplogy from the leashless dog owner.

I have seen this many times - right next to the dog park.....The dog park created just so your "friendly" dog can go off leash!:wall:

 

[ferretdance03]

...this huge Mastodon walked up to me...

I'd hate to see the baggies the owner has to carry out.

 

[filobedo]

There, I said it. Leave the dogs at home, barneys.

So you want to ban dogs from public parks?

 

[Golden Tuna]

I feel the same way about dogs on the course as I feel about dogs anywhere...

Good dogs/dog owners are fine. Bad dog owners aren't. Unfortunately, I believe a majority of dog owners fall into the latter category.

Here are some basic things I consider mandatory for dog owners to do out of courtesy for others.
> Dog poops? Pick it up!
> Dog barks? Train it, not to - I've had dogs for my whole life, and YES, you can train dogs not to bark unless there is a real emergency
> You're in public, have the dog on a leash - even a 25' leash is fine, but you must retain control of the animal if other people are around
> Realize that, even though you love your pooch, not everyone is a dog person & be respectful of that.
> If you are driving, the dog does not belong on your lap, it belongs in the back seat with a seat belt harness.

 

[roggenb3]

There are dogs I have played with that I do not mind at all.

But most (like 90%+) suck to play with. Always wandering through your sight, walking onto the tee, wandering off somewhere so that the owner has to spend the whole round yelling for the dog to hurry up. Overall, they are usually just annoying. Also, dogs in general just don't like me, the nicest dogs in the world will walk up to me and start growling. I can't remember how many times I have heard "Wow, he's never like this. He's usually really nice!". I think it's because I am always covered in cat fur.

Last week I was playing and a guy who was just walking his dog (without a leash) says, as the dog is running up to us, "She's kind of friendly". Kind of, huh? Well, it went ok, until another dog (on a leash) walked by and got attacked by this one. 2 holes later we heard the same thing happening to another dog on the other side of the park.

 

[NDABRUSH]

So you want to ban dogs from public parks?

I think it's common sense that separates the bulk of dog owners. Some are responsible and some not. There should be a law that requires all dog owners to have them leashed while in public. If not, many things can go wrong. The dog could attack someone and other pets. The dog could get run over. The dog could wander off, get lost and starve to death. Also, no 100 pound women or children should be permitted to hold onto and control a dog the weighs more than themselves. Especially those dogs that weigh 120 pounds or more. That's just asking for it. You can let them interact with other dogs at the dog park, just as long as you have it leashed and under control. While on this topic, I have a suggestion for all current and future pet owners. Always get 2 of them. That way, they have someone to play, wrestle and sleep with. An animal in solitude is usually not happy. Also with kittens, try to get 2 females. They grow up as sisters and sleep and play together and bathe each other. It's a lifelong bond.

 

[Arsenalfc1983]

I put dogs in the same category as people playing music. I don't mind if it makes you happy, but I'd rather not play with you. A dog walking around is as distracting as your music is.

I'm sure most of us have had bad encounters with dogs on the course, but there are some genuinely great owners/dogs out there. It's just a preference thing for me.

 

[puck'n'disc5]

I think it is worth pointing out how many/much disc golfers worry about everything else going on around them instead of focusing on the actual game they are playing.

 

[trout_smith]

When I'm planning on playing alone at my local, public course, I often bring my dog. As others have said, it's great exercise for her. I keep a thin lead on her so I can grab it if other dogs or people come close by. I always pick up after her. And I plan on playing alone the whole time I'm with her. I assume people don't want to play around other peoples dogs, music, idiotic behavior, or what have you.

She does have an annoying habit of barking when I drive (drives only).

She always chases my drives and stands or sits next to the disc. Sometimes she'll even go sit at the edge of the fairway where my disc went into the rough. This has helped me find my disc more than a few times. If I could only train her to go into the rough, find my disc, and bark, that would be tremendous!

 

[roggenb3]

I think it is worth pointing out how many/much disc golfers worry about everything else going on around them instead of focusing on the actual game they are playing.

I'm all for being mentally strong enough to block out distractions (like people talking on the next fairway, road noises, etc), but a dog wandering through my putt is not something I should need to block out.

 

[F. Howl]

So you want to ban dogs from public parks?

There are plenty of public parks where dogs aren't allowed.

 

[JC17393]

There should be a law that requires all dog owners to have them leashed while in public.

A lot of places have them (it's state law in Michigan and Pennsylvania). Problem is that even where there are leash laws, people blatantly ignore them...same as they do laws about picking up their dog's waste. Like with a lot of things, the bad apples ruin it for everyone else.

We don't allow dogs at my course. It's posted on a sign in the parking lot and in the pro shop, and noted on our website, social media and any listings we know of (like DGCR). If I were to measure the ratio of good owners to bad owners based on who calls ahead to ask if dogs are allowed versus those that just show up assuming Poochie can come along, it's easily 4 to 1 in favor of bad owners.

I don't know if it's ignorance or arrogance (I tend to lean toward arrogance), but it's a couple dozen folks every year that just show up expecting we'll allow their dogs on the course.

"He's so well behaved." "She is so gentle and quiet." "We are always diligent about picking up after him." "You'll never know she was here." "We drove two hours just to play here." I've heard it all. It's all self-centered BS from my perspective. I'm supposed to bend the rules for you because you think you're a special case, and then I'm the ******* if I say no.

Because of them, I make it a point to thank the ones who do call to ask, just because I want the good responsible owners to know that their effort is appreciated.

 

[Dire Wolfy]

I'm all for being mentally strong enough to block out distractions (like people talking on the next fairway, road noises, etc), but a dog wandering through my putt is not something I should need to block out.

I had a dude walk right between me and the basket with his dog and his wife WHILE I WAS PUTTING, apparently right next to the basket of a disc golf hole is a great spot to have a picnic.

 

[Steve West]

Any well behaved dog who is under control of its owner is always welcome. Dogs aren't the problem, irresponsible owners are. They are the ones who don't belong on a golf course.

Dogs have this ability to put their owners in an impaired mental state where they think the dog is worthy of anything and everything they can do for the dog - even at the expense of other people. How can anyone under the influence of a dog be expected to know that they are not a responsible owner? It's like asking a drunk person to judge whether they are OK to drive.

 

[Craig639]

I love taking my dog disc golfing! He loves it too! He's probably been on more courses than half the people on this post hehe

 

[tomte]

There, I said it. Leave the dogs at home, barneys.

You got that wrong. You should say: "Leave the untrained dogs at home."

 

[tbird888]

My dog is almost always leashed to my cart, and I carry and use poop bags. That said, if you don't want to throw a round with us, play on through.