I am a dog lover but not a pitbull owner. I have siberian huskies and can not imagine life without the dogpark. I applaud this discussion – your community displays a standard for care from which other dog owners could learn. I have been going to various dogparks in Florida and now Texas for about 5 years. I probably spend at least 10-hours a week there and most of the new friends I’ve made, I met at the dog park. I have met a lot of bad dogs/bad dog owners at the park – the concerns raised here are certainly not limitted to pitbulls. When it comes down to it, the sign on the park says, “use at your own risk”. And, managing that risk is your business. As long as you obey the laws, no one should look down on you for bringing your pet to the park. At the same time you really need to take into account the additional risks you place on yourself and your pet. I have seen multiple fights involving pitbulls at the dogpark (among many of other fights). However, the only dogs and owners I have seen held accountable were the pitbull families. In the worst case, the pitbull was confiscated from the owner and destroyed and the owner was sited by the city and held responsible for vet and medical bills. It seems to me that by taking a pitbull into a dogpark your responsible for your dog – and everyone else’s in the park. That’s a pretty scary thought.
