Caught in the Middle of a Dog Fight at a Lubbock Dog Park

As you can imagine, a dog fight with your dog in the middle is incredibly upsetting. Here's what happened.

My dog Bella and I were at Klapp Park's new dog park for the first time, and there were only two other dogs there.

After being at the Canyon Run Park the other week, where there were at least 25 dogs running around and having a wonderfully enjoyable time, I didn't expect what was about to happen. But it only takes one dog with a personality that doesn't mesh with your dog and all bets are off, so to speak.

The dog approached immediately as we entered the park; he was snorting around my dog Bella. It was a strange noise, but we didn't think it was a threatening growl; the owner was right there, too.

All at once, this dog was face-to-face with my dog, and then attacked. Thankfully, we were able to separate them pretty quickly. While my dog is sore today, her injuries do not appear to be serious.

I was grateful to have my wonderful dog trainer Becca Miller there with me. After getting the other dog's information, we took Bella home and thankfully she seemed to be okay, playing with Becca's dog nicely.

We took some time then to sort out what had happened and what we should be aware to possibly do differently in the future, as well as how best to advise other dog owners.

Dog parks are a wonderful thing in so many ways, and yet there can obviously be problems to be concerned with and aware of.

"Education is key when it comes to protecting you and your dog," Becca said. "Never get in the middle of it, never stick your hands in the middle of it, and never be afraid to advocate for yourself."

She added: "In dog fights, the most important thing to remember is to stay calm. Your behavior and action can escalate what's going on."

While dog fights are fairly rare ("In the 10 years I've been training dogs, I've only seen two fights," Becca said), they certainly can happen, and it's good to have a plan and do your best to be prepared.