To say that I hate dog owners more than the dogs.

[Sandra12345t]

I was walking in the park with my four year when a horrid dog unleashed by its owner jumped up on my four year old scratched his leg and arm deeply (will probably scar and knocked him down.

My child was shaking with fear and what's worse is the owner said "he's only being friendly/didn't mean any harm.

I hate dogs but this just reinforces my hatred but what's worse is the owners who think there pets can do absolutely no wrong. Some of us choose to not own dogs we have a right to not be scratched,jumped on, knocked down or sniffed and chased. Why can't dog owners put them on a lead.

[WorraLiberty]

Sorry to hear this happened.

Your thread title is obviously unreasonable though.

Not all dog owners are the same.

Hope your DC recovers quickly

[Moanyoldcow]

YANBU - I would have been furious. I detest the way people think you should like their pets just because they do. That dog should have been on a lead.

So sorry for you and your son.

[Wolfiefan]

Responsible ones always will.
Arseholes don't care.
He's friendly. But you could be allergic or your child could be scared or you could be knocked over.
I have a giant puppy. She's never off lead around people. I use a longline as her recall isn't 100% and when we meet people she has to stand and wait to let them pass. It's called manners.
Hope your poor boy is ok. We were walking to school once and my son had his arm grabbed by a gsd. Didn't break the skin but scared the shit out of us both.

[FairfaxAikman]

YANBU shit owners give us all a bad name.
Dogs are no more predictable than toddlers sometimes, but it's up to the owner/parent to prevent or correct the situation, rather than trying to excuse it.
My DFs boy (DFDD) has a habit of running up to dogs and kids, barking. He is only being friendly but that's not the point - others don't necessarily know that and in any case it's no more polite than me running at another human yelling.
DFDD is put on a lead if we find ourselves in a situation where it might happen.
On the occasions we haven't managed (for whatever reason) we have the courtesy to run after him, drag him away and apologise profusely.

[PinkFlamingo545]

Yes is ridiculously unreasonable to tar an entire section of society with one brush, based on one bad experience. It you said this about an ethnic group you would be a racist. How would it be if a thread came up saying '' I hate parents more than I do noisy children? ''

If the injury is going to scar- must have drew blood? - I would seek hospital treatment and a tetanus

It does sound as if the dog was being friendly and you misconstrue this for some kind of intimidation - this shows a lack of understanding of dogs - please don't provoke an unnecessary fear od dogs in your child. I understand what it is like to be afraid of something but that does not mean you need to pass that on to your kid.

I do agree that the dog should be on a lead unless it's a dog park however I do think you need to chill out as it doesn't sound like your kid was savaged

[Pollyanna9]

Firstly, the 'not all dog owners are the same' is meaningless if you're out on a country walk with your boots covered in dog shit. 'We all pick up our dog's poo'. No, you don't. At a local beauty spot which is great for walking, dog walking, taking kids out into the countryside, the local authority decided to spray all dog poos with fluorescent paint to highlight them. Jesus, it would make your stomach churn - there were steaming piles of dog shit EVERYWHERE. Sadly, these 'few' are a lot more than the 'few' you would like to think, sadly.

As for the dog jumping up at a small child, scratching them and knocking them over. SHAME on that dog owner. If you cannot control your dog off the lead you are an irresponsible twat and you shouldn't own a dog if you cannot figure out that they might do this to a small child and that that isn't ok. It's completely, totally unacceptable.

"He's only being friendly" - good grief, how utterly stupid. He's knocked someone over and they actually think that's alright? Because he's 'friendly'!

If you cannot control your dog, consistently, by voice, off the lead, don't take them off the lead. You only have to go round parks where dogs are off lead and all you hear is 'Rover, Rover, Rover, come here, ROVER, COME HEEEERRRREEE!' whilst said dog completely ignores them.

How utterly irresponsible of the owner of that dog OP, I'd have been absolutely **ing LIVID.

And I say this as someone who has been animal mad from a young age and still am. I absolutely love animals. But how they interact around humans, especially children, should be a paramount concern of all dog owners.

[PinkFlamingo545]

You seem to be having an argument with yourself 'We all pick up our dog's poo'. No, you don't I think that exactly does reinforce that all dog owners are not the same, as some will clean up and some won't bother - but not 'all' will make the same choice

[christinarossetti]

Ah, a dog thread. Spring is here! I'm with you OP. I hate this entitled attitude amongst dog owners and really appreciate owners who simply get that I don't want their dog barking or jumping up at either my children or I.

[Godstopper]

Yes, the dog should have been on a lead if it doesn't have bombproof recall.

I think 'hating' dogs and owners is a bit strong: it's generally a good idea to teach children to be o.k around dogs, and this attitude will just compound any fear that might have resulted from this incident.

As for your last remark, well, I could easily say this:

I dislike young children (I don't like them) and their running up to my dog and fussing her just reinforces my dislike (my dogs are very people friendly, but parents don't know this and shouldn't allow it without asking). What's worse are those parents who think their child can do no wrong. Some of us choose not to have children and we have a right to walk our dogs in peace without them being jumped on or chased. Why can't parents put their children on a leash?

[PinkFlamingo545]

I think young kids are far more of a pain, at least you can go and have a meal without dogs barking all around you, whilst their owner sits and watches..

[PinkFlamingo545]

I hate the entitled attitude of parents with small kids 'oh isn't Tarquin cute?'

Is it ever acceptable to say no?

[Bedsheets4knickers]

I'd of been livid op, it should of been on a lead .

[alltouchedout]

I'm scared of dogs. I don't hate them. Some owners though, yes, I bloody hate them. They aren't the ones who get put down when their poorly cared for dog seriously harms someone else but they should be (obviously I don't seriously mean that but you get my point). I hate people who train their dogs to be aggressive. I hate people who so abuse and mistreat their dogs that they are dangerous to other animals and to people. I hate people who take on dogs they can't safely manage and don't get the input needed to train the dog, to learn the skills they need as their owner, etc.

I'm none too fond of dog owners who minimise the distress caused by their dogs in situations such as the one you describe, either.

[Bedsheets4knickers]

Pink if you don't like kids so much why are you on Mumsnet ?

[Bedsheets4knickers]

It's a parenting forum tho ...

[PageNowFoundFileUnderSpartacus]

Firstly, the 'not all dog owners are the same' is meaningless if you're out on a country walk with your boots covered in dog shit. 'We all pick up our dog's poo'. No, you don't. At a local beauty spot which is great for walking, dog walking, taking kids out into the countryside, the local authority decided to spray all dog poos with fluorescent paint to highlight them. Jesus, it would make your stomach churn - there were steaming piles of dog shit EVERYWHERE. Sadly, these 'few' are a lot more than the 'few' you would like to think, sadly.

I think sometimes people forget that most - and certainly responsible - dog owners would also like to walk without our boots getting covered in dog shit. I would never dream of saying "we all pick up our dog's poo" (and I've never seen a dog owner say it either) because I know that's not true. All I can say with certainty is that I always pick up my dog's poo - apart from once, literally, when he backed under a massive clump of nettles and brambles to do it and quite frankly if any child had gone playing in that particular spot, dog shit would have been the least of their brambles.

Thoughtless, irresponsible, entitled dog owners piss off responsible dog owners even more than they do you. Because not only do we have to deal with all the same problems and hazards of bad-mannered dogs jumping up at us or knocking our children over or stepping in dog shit, not least because we don't only leave our houses with our dogs attached, but we also suffer the ramifications of the idiots' behaviour when spaces are closed to our dogs. I've given owners about to walk away from their dog's poo a poo bag with a disingenuous "don't worry, I've got a spare" to try to shame them into picking up.

Any divide isn't dog owners v non-dog owners. It's between responsible, courteous people - with dogs and without - and arseholes, ditto.

[Dollygirl27]

I'm sorry this happened to you and hope dc isn't to upset by the incident. I do think you're being unfair to tar all owners with the same brush. As a dog owner myself the owner of that dog sounds like a twat... the dog may be friendly but you don't know that and unruly dogs can (and do) ruin trips out for others. If the dog has unreliable recall it shouldn't be off the lead. My dog is still young at 12 months old but whenever I see people or other dogs out on our walks she goes on a lead. She's not agressive (despite the stereotype that her breed has) but is very enthusiastic and bouncy when meeting new people, which naturally a lot of people aren't a massive fan of. It's about respect for other people out walking that may not enjoy the attention of fido but also about knowing what to do if you receive unwanted attention from a strange dog.

[PageNowFoundFileUnderSpartacus]

least of their troubles*

[PinkFlamingo545]

Hey great post PageNowFoundFileUnderSpartacus

[PinkFlamingo545]

No I haven't, it would be like one driver saying, that all drivers are responsible - it is just People. Some People are just arrogant and think the rules apply to everyone else and not them