Matey, a 15-pound Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, strutted down the shoreline of the dog beach at Quiet Waters Park in Annapolis on Monday.
Suddenly, two massive golden retrievers were trailing him, noses planted firmly to his body.
After a tug on his leash, owner Harry Warren was able to pull Matey free.
But not all dogs in Anne Arundel County have been so lucky.
The county?s recreation and parks department has been flooded with reports that big dogs are roughhousing with small dogs at the county?s four dog parks. To protect the small dogs, the department is considering designating enclosures at the parks for dogs below a certain weight.
Through Aug. 31, the department will accept public comment about what weight constitutes a small dog and whether dog owners favor such a policy.
John Marshall, chief of Anne Arundel County park operations, said he has received about 20 responses from county residents. Input has been mixed, but Marshall said many people have told him owners should use common sense when letting their dogs play in the parks.
The county?s firstdog park opened in 2001 at Quiet Waters Park, and now there are others in Gambrills, Maryland City and Arnold. Marshall said there have been about four serious attacks since 2001.
In once instance at the Arnold dog park, a Jack Russell terrier attacked by a larger dog suffered a dislocated jaw and had to have it surgically wired together.
Dog owners at Quiet Waters Park said it?s not uncommon to see big dogs ganging up on smaller dogs.
“I don?t think [the big dogs] mean it, but I?ve seen small dogs get rolled around,” said Annapolis resident Linda Peppers, who brings her cockapoo, Calamity Jane, to Quiet Waters Park about twice a day.
But Peppers said she is opposed to official regulations prohibiting small dogs and big dogs from interacting.
“There are some people with large dogs that come to play with the small dogs, and their dogs are totally fine,” she said.
Annapolis resident Ryan Sporre, said her Labrador mix, Sadie, weighs about 65 pounds and is “really great with small dogs.” But she said it may be beneficial to keep dogs who weigh less than 35 pounds in a separate area of the park.
“If they had basic guidelines, it would be helpful,” Sporre said. “It?s for the small dogs? protection.”
What do you think?
» To comment, go to the Web page www.aacounty.org/RecParks/index.cfm and click on “Small Dog Park.”
