What remains of a tennis ball after a few minutes with Luna

Balls! I have very mixed feelings about people bringing balls or other toys to the dog park. I understand that they want to play with their dogs, but balls and toys can spark disputes between dogs. Luna, for example is a notorious ball thief. Luna doesn't want her own ball, she has to steal a ball from another dog. It took ages for Luna to learn the concept of "leave it." Trying to take a ball from the mouth of a Neapolitan Mastiff that doesn't want to give it up is certainly a slobbery challenge. Give Luna five minutes with a tennis ball and she chews it like gum into an unidentifiable mess. Remember, a dog possessive of a favorite toy could easily become aggressive if another dog tries to take the toy. Once, Luna picked up a stuffed toy that another dog brought to the park. She did not want to give it up, even in exchange for a treat. I offered to give the owner $20.00 to buy a replacement. The owner told me that it was his dogs favorite toy, was a gift from a friend and it was irreplaceable. I finally was able to get it from Luna and return it to the owner. However, I do question the wisdom of bringing an "irreplaceable" toy to the dog park. Fortunately, now that Luna is older, she will return the toy when told to "leave it."

In my perfect world, there would not be toys or balls allowed at the dog park. Of course, it is not my perfect world. What do you think about bringing balls or toys to the dog park?