Dog Attacks at Magnuson Dog Park in Seattle – How to Keep Your Dog Safe

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UPDATED article written 11/3: click for info. The article below was the best info we had at the time, but it seems to be almost all wrong!

Two people appear to be *encouraging* their dogs to fight and kill at the dog park recently. The incidents were at Magnuson Park in Seattle. Three dogs were attacked in two incidents. A Boxer named Gidget was killed and a terrier and a husky were severely injured. The Boxer was killed on 9/25 and the perpetrators came back again on 10/2. Both attacks were on Fridays around noon.

It’s always good to be careful. The January before last, a Westie was killed by two labradoodles. A trainer once wrote that, “dog parks are like a party where everyone’s drunk and no one knows each other: it could be very good, or very bad.” And this summer, Isaiah Kalebu, suspect in a brutal rape/murder this summer, was picked up at Magnuson with his dog. It’s good to be careful at the dog park or avoid it altogether.

Please report anything of concern to King County Animal Control (206-296-PETS [7387]). The Magnuson Park main number is (206) 684-4946. I imagine you’d get a faster answer by calling 911, but I don’t know if this is in their jurisdiction.

As reported in an email from ShoreDog (Shoreline dog park association, who say they got it from friends at Magnuson):

****
DESCRIPTION: White Male early 20′s heavily tattooed arms, shaved head with White Female – early 20′s med to heavy build long brown hair
DOGS: 3 pit bulls 1 white or gray, 1 brindle, 1 10month old brown VEHICLE: very old silver pick up truck with damage to the right rear.
*******
Note that many people report that a dog is a pit bull whenever there’s a dog attack, regardless of what the breed actually is. So these could actually not be pit bulls at all, but probably are some sort of mixes.

What to do if you do go to the dog park, especially Magnuson Park in Seattle:

- Bring your cell phone, but don’t talk on it or text as you walk along, as you’ll want to be aware of your environment. That way, you can call for help quickly and take pictures.

- Stay around other people and dogs so that if something happens, there are witnesses and people to help. Don’t just stand around chatting, though, that can be hard on the dogs.

- Take a picture and report these people if you see them. Don’t assume that a pit bull at the park must be a fighter, as there are lots of good pit bulls. That said, if you do have a bully breed, you might want to stay clear of the park for a bit, so that a) this guy will stand out and 2) you don’t have to put up with people thinking your dog is bad because of his/her breed.

- Bring Spray Shield! It’s a citronella spray that breaks up dog fights. I never go to places where with off leash dogs without it. I have broken up 4 fights with it, where the dogs were actually biting and holding on.

- In general, avoid dogs with stiff body posture. In happy/friendly dogs, the joints should be moving and loose.

- Keep your dog on leash for walks. It’s not 100% related, but I had to throw this in, since people might be going less to the dog park and instead having their dogs off leash on regular walks. If you do walk off leash, call your dog and leash him/her up whenever you see other people or dogs.

- Know where the nearest vet / emergency vet are and put their phone numbers/addresses into your cell phone. For Magnuson Park, here are close vets:
* Hawthorne Hills Vet, 4020 NE 55th St, Seattle. 206-528-1980
* Northeast Veterinary Hospital, 9505 35th Ave NE, Seattle. 206-523-1900
* Ravenna Hospital is also fairly close: 4541 Union Bay Pl NE, 206-522-2114

The closest Emergency Vet to Magnuson Dog Park is Animal Critical Care on Lake City Way. 11536 Lake City Way, Seattle 206-364-1660. (open 24 hours)

The only other emergency vet in Seattle (I think) is Emerald City Emergency Clinic, 4102 Stone Way North, 206-634-9000. (open 24 hours)

Big attacks like this are rare, but I see dog fights a lot at parks. Personally, I’d be happy to pay to enter a dog park that had supervision, maybe required a swiper card to get in, and you could only get that swiper card if the owner had attended some workshop on dogs and the card could be revoked if the dogs behaved aggressively.

If you want to just have a play date with your dog, you might think about looking at our free dog play classifieds. It’s a great way to find a walking buddy or a wrestling pal.

8 Responses to “Dog Attacks at Magnuson Dog Park in Seattle – How to Keep Your Dog Safe”

Katie Says:
October 8th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
I second the idea of a pay-to-use dog park, and would add proof of vaccinations and a negative fecal test to the list of entrance requirements.

What I would really like to see though, is the development of small, neighborhood-based parks – something the size of a soccer field or so, that would only be used by local residents.
Rosa Says:
October 9th, 2009 at 11:55 am
I appreciate the notice in the name of safety but as a proud pit bull owner I take issue with the continuous reference that these attack dogs are pits. If you truly don’t know the breed then say that – don’t just label them pit bulls and then try to make it okay by saying not all pits are bad apples.

The real problem are the OWNERS not the dogs! The breed isn’t the issue – these dogs are being mistreated by their owners and are in need of help as much as the dogs that were attacked.

I understand this posting was done with good intentions but perpetrating the myth that pits are violent killers isn’t necessary.
Grisha Says:
October 9th, 2009 at 12:24 pm
Continuous reference? Maybe you’re thinking of someone else’s article?

I feel like it’s the right thing to do to mention what info we do have, so people can watch out and protect their dogs. Until we know for sure, we’re going to have to go based on the best information that’s available, and the description that best matches the dogs and the people. I also have a recent report from an attack in Edmonds from a Vet tech who is probably quite good at identifying breeds, and her descriptions matched what we already had.

Did I say ‘watch out for all pit bulls?” Of course not. Just the ones who perpetrated these attacks, and in particular, their humans, who are clearly terrible dog owners. When we say it’s the deed, not the breed, we also have a responsibility to acknowledge the deeds when they do happen. The most important feature of these attacks is not the breed of the dog. Any regular-sized dog can do this sort of thing, especially in a group of three. The key is that the owners should never have dogs again because of their blatant disregard for the well-being of dogs. The breed of the dogs, like the tattoos and the shaved head and the girlfriend, help us recognize the perpetrators, so it can’t be left out.
Urbancritter Says:
October 12th, 2009 at 1:37 am
Great post, I appreciate that instead of scare mongering, you give people solid tactics to employ to mitigate risk and ensure the safest experience.

I think Rosa might have missed the part where you say “Donâ€™t assume that a pit bull at the park must be a fighter, as there are lots of good pit bulls” and acknowledge that most people simply assume (erroneously) that an aggressive dog is a pit. I *LOVE* pit bulls and related terriers; think they’re awesome dogs and wish people would get over their paranoia, but nefarious elements like these two dangerous people who appear to be using the dog park as a training ground for fighting dogs keep reinforcing the myth.

I hope the police apprehend these two lowlives soon, and take their dogs away from them for the safety of those animals and all the innocent dog park denizens just looking for a bit of fun and exercise.
Grisha Says:
October 12th, 2009 at 4:05 pm
From a client who read this article:

Thanks very much for the info! I have one other observation. Our dogs, rat terriers all of 20 lbs and 10 lbs respectively, are always walked on leashes. They are also gentle and friendly. Often when walking through little or big Howe park on the top of Queen Anne, someone will have their large rambuncious dog off leash racing around the ball field. They call out, no worries that their dog is ‘Friendly’ and get insulted when we avoid them and walk a different way. Folks need to understand that an offleash large Friendly dog can cause injury – Without Meaning To- to a small leashed dog. In addition, dogs are dogs and No One knows how their dog will react in Every situation. We must each be respectful of one another’s choices.
Grisha Says:
October 12th, 2009 at 5:40 pm
Just found this report online of a lab mix killing a dog at Magnuson, which says it’s from a year ago. Funny, I don’t remember it. http://seattle.metblogs.com/2008/10/28/magnuson-off-leash-dog-park-witnesses-on-1026
Grisha Says:
October 12th, 2009 at 5:41 pm
Interesting set of comments at http://viewridge.komonews.com/content/update-magnusson-dog-park-attacks

One thing I know, whether this is true or a hoax, is that dog attacks and fights *do* happen at dog parks. Most of what I do now is aggression rehabilitation, and a LOT of the clients have told me that they sought out training because their dog got into too many fights at the dog park, which their dogs started. Dogs weren’t injured in all of the cases, but certainly in a lot of them. People who owned the other dogs probably described them as ‘attacks.’ Note that the owners of the ‘attack dogs’ in my case are good people, who just happened to own dogs (of all breeds) with short fuses. If you do see a dog fight at the park, don’t jump to the conclusion that the people are bad. It’s just a dog thing. Help them work through this by politely saying, ‘hey, I know a good dog training place…want their name?”
Molly Says:
October 13th, 2009 at 8:35 pm
I saw the dogs and owners mentioned in the above article at the Blue Dog Pond dog park today about 4:30 pm. The man has a long goatee and the woman had a hood over her head. The police and animal controled were call but not sure if they got there in time to catch them. Just be careful when going to your dog park as I’m sure they will be going to several different parks to find victims and at any time. If you see them don’t go in the park and call either 911 or animal control. They are dangerous people.

Comments? Thoughts? (Please use our contact form instead to email a dog trainer.)

Katie Says:
October 8th, 2009 at 3:11 pm

I second the idea of a pay-to-use dog park, and would add proof of vaccinations and a negative fecal test to the list of entrance requirements.

What I would really like to see though, is the development of small, neighborhood-based parks – something the size of a soccer field or so, that would only be used by local residents.

Rosa Says:
October 9th, 2009 at 11:55 am

I appreciate the notice in the name of safety but as a proud pit bull owner I take issue with the continuous reference that these attack dogs are pits. If you truly don’t know the breed then say that – don’t just label them pit bulls and then try to make it okay by saying not all pits are bad apples.

The real problem are the OWNERS not the dogs! The breed isn’t the issue – these dogs are being mistreated by their owners and are in need of help as much as the dogs that were attacked.

I understand this posting was done with good intentions but perpetrating the myth that pits are violent killers isn’t necessary.

Grisha Says:
October 9th, 2009 at 12:24 pm

Continuous reference? Maybe you’re thinking of someone else’s article?

I feel like it’s the right thing to do to mention what info we do have, so people can watch out and protect their dogs. Until we know for sure, we’re going to have to go based on the best information that’s available, and the description that best matches the dogs and the people. I also have a recent report from an attack in Edmonds from a Vet tech who is probably quite good at identifying breeds, and her descriptions matched what we already had.

Did I say ‘watch out for all pit bulls?” Of course not. Just the ones who perpetrated these attacks, and in particular, their humans, who are clearly terrible dog owners. When we say it’s the deed, not the breed, we also have a responsibility to acknowledge the deeds when they do happen. The most important feature of these attacks is not the breed of the dog. Any regular-sized dog can do this sort of thing, especially in a group of three. The key is that the owners should never have dogs again because of their blatant disregard for the well-being of dogs. The breed of the dogs, like the tattoos and the shaved head and the girlfriend, help us recognize the perpetrators, so it can’t be left out.

Urbancritter Says:
October 12th, 2009 at 1:37 am

Great post, I appreciate that instead of scare mongering, you give people solid tactics to employ to mitigate risk and ensure the safest experience.

I think Rosa might have missed the part where you say “Donâ€™t assume that a pit bull at the park must be a fighter, as there are lots of good pit bulls” and acknowledge that most people simply assume (erroneously) that an aggressive dog is a pit. I *LOVE* pit bulls and related terriers; think they’re awesome dogs and wish people would get over their paranoia, but nefarious elements like these two dangerous people who appear to be using the dog park as a training ground for fighting dogs keep reinforcing the myth.

I hope the police apprehend these two lowlives soon, and take their dogs away from them for the safety of those animals and all the innocent dog park denizens just looking for a bit of fun and exercise.

Grisha Says:
October 12th, 2009 at 4:05 pm

From a client who read this article:

Thanks very much for the info! I have one other observation. Our dogs, rat terriers all of 20 lbs and 10 lbs respectively, are always walked on leashes. They are also gentle and friendly. Often when walking through little or big Howe park on the top of Queen Anne, someone will have their large rambuncious dog off leash racing around the ball field. They call out, no worries that their dog is ‘Friendly’ and get insulted when we avoid them and walk a different way. Folks need to understand that an offleash large Friendly dog can cause injury – Without Meaning To- to a small leashed dog. In addition, dogs are dogs and No One knows how their dog will react in Every situation. We must each be respectful of one another’s choices.

Grisha Says:
October 12th, 2009 at 5:40 pm

Just found this report online of a lab mix killing a dog at Magnuson, which says it’s from a year ago. Funny, I don’t remember it. http://seattle.metblogs.com/2008/10/28/magnuson-off-leash-dog-park-witnesses-on-1026

Grisha Says:
October 12th, 2009 at 5:41 pm

Interesting set of comments at http://viewridge.komonews.com/content/update-magnusson-dog-park-attacks

One thing I know, whether this is true or a hoax, is that dog attacks and fights *do* happen at dog parks. Most of what I do now is aggression rehabilitation, and a LOT of the clients have told me that they sought out training because their dog got into too many fights at the dog park, which their dogs started. Dogs weren’t injured in all of the cases, but certainly in a lot of them. People who owned the other dogs probably described them as ‘attacks.’ Note that the owners of the ‘attack dogs’ in my case are good people, who just happened to own dogs (of all breeds) with short fuses. If you do see a dog fight at the park, don’t jump to the conclusion that the people are bad. It’s just a dog thing. Help them work through this by politely saying, ‘hey, I know a good dog training place…want their name?”

Molly Says:
October 13th, 2009 at 8:35 pm

I saw the dogs and owners mentioned in the above article at the Blue Dog Pond dog park today about 4:30 pm. The man has a long goatee and the woman had a hood over her head. The police and animal controled were call but not sure if they got there in time to catch them. Just be careful when going to your dog park as I’m sure they will be going to several different parks to find victims and at any time. If you see them don’t go in the park and call either 911 or animal control. They are dangerous people.