I do not believe that small children should ever be taken to a dog park. I have seen people carrying small children on their shoulders. I worry about the danger to the child, should a large dog knock down the person carrying the child. A child, falling from that height, is at risk of head injury or even death. I have seen people take toddlers, who are afraid of dogs to the dog park. I have seen a father taking a child to the park, knowing that the child was afraid of dogs. He thought that exposure to a lot of dogs would “de-sensitize” the child to dogs. Instead, the child was simply terrorized and was crying hysterically.
With very small children, carried high above the dogs, many dogs become curious. When a child makes noises, sounding much like a squeaky toy or terrorized prey, some dogs become even more interested in the child. Dogs may jump and try to bite at the child.
Ive seen infants being brought into the park in strollers. There is certainly a risk that every dog at the park is not familiar with, or comfortable being around strollers. The results are certainly unpredictable.
I have seen small children being placed on the grass a the dog park, or left to walk barefoot. Great idea! Let your child be exposed to any number of parasites from canine fecal matter. Assume that every park user is diligent about picking up dog poop. Even with all dog poop picked up, there are remnants in the grass.
I have seen adults knocked over by dogs, who are playing, running and simply not watching where they are going. I have been knocked over by dogs. I have seen adults suffer knee injuries from being knocked over. A small child doesn’t stand a chance against a running dog, and the child could be seriously injured.
Women who are in a late term pregnancy should also avoid dog parks. At the off leash dog park, just after I entered the with my Neapolitan Mastiff, a late term pregnant woman, with a toddler, maybe about two years old, and their dog arrived. I immediately put my dog on her leash. The woman told me that it wasn’t necessary, because her son “loved dogs.” Although my dog loves people, other dogs and children, I told her that my dog weighs 150+ pounds, and might accidentally bump into one of them, knock them down, causing an injury. She assured me that she was fine and there was no need for me to put my dog on the leash. (I thought, “yes there is, because you have no sense.” I walked my dog to an isolated area of the park to remove myself and my dog from the situation. I looked up and saw the pregnant woman, her two year old, their dog, and another friend, who was pushing an infant in a three wheeled stroller. Again, I put my dog on her leash and went to another area of the park. It astounds me that people would take a small child, or infant to an off leash dog park, let alone a pregnant woman. There are lots of dogs of all sizes running loose, and sometimes they run into people while playing. Every dog at the dog park may not be as nice as my dog, or may react badly to an infant in a stroller, if they are not familiar with strollers.