I had a similar experience with a lab mix at my too-small, too crowded local dog park. I have a 15-pound dachshund-terrier mix and another 15-pounder, a chihuahua and your-guess-is-as-good-as-mine mix.

Almost immediately after setting foot inside the gate, a black lab mix attacked my dachshund-terrier. I managed to scoop her up in my arms. The dog jumped up and grabbed her hindquarters and would not let go. It started yanking at her like we were having a match of tug-of-war. I had to let go of my dog because I thought the lab mix was going to tear her in half. It would not stop pulling. My dog went from shrieking hysterically to being shocked into silence.

In what felt like an eternity, the owner kept trying to grab the dog by the collar but the dog kept jerking its head away while continuing to attack my dog. I grabbed a plastic chair and threw it at the dog, which startled it just long enough to let go of my dog.

The owner finally got her dog on leash. She said she was fostering it and hadn't had it for very long but she had observed that it was, in her words, "very dominant". I said, "Lady, that's not dominance. That's aggression. You need to make the rescue organization aware of the dog's behavior and in the meantime, do not bring your aggressive dog to a dog park."

I felt just as responsible for what happened to my dog because I knew better. Dog behaviorists hate dog parks for exactly this reason: too many dogs, too much excitement, things escalate quickly and dogs get hurt. Small dogs, like my doxie-terrier mix who shrieks hyperbolically when she's afraid will trigger a bigger dog's prey drive. It's dangerous.

That pit wasn't exhibiting breed-specific behavior. A lot of dogs, including mine are territorial. The people with the small dog were clueless and should not have approached the fence with their small, yapping dog that triggered the pit's prey drive. The mastiff joined in because dogs are pack animals. In my opinion, the fault lies with the owner of the dogs you were Rovering and the owners of the small dog. And the Rover client should have thanked you profusely, given you a huge tip, and then done the legwork to find out what happened to the little dog.

Miraculously, my dog was not seriously injured. She had a few superficial bite wounds and some scrapes. Had the dog wanted to do serious harm, my dog wouldn't be alive. She was achey and sore for days. I couldn't touch her without her yelping in pain. I gave her some pain meds and by the end of the week, she was fine. It's possible the pit was not in attack to kill mode. I completely understand how freaked out you must have felt. I felt the same way. However, the pit's behavior was neither abnormal or breed specific and can be avoided in the future (I've never set foot in that dog park again with my little dachshund mix and never will).