My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

The doghouse

I just got told off for letting my dog run in an empty playground

96 replies

MsAdorabelleDearheartVonLipwig · 11/04/2016 19:01

Was just packing up the kids to go home. Nobody around. Playground deserted. Car park deserted. Let the dog out of the car for two minutes - we'd been for a long walk before we went to the playground - as he'd been tethered in for an hour, although the boot was open. He ran under the fence to join the kids and was mooching about on the grass for about a minute. No harm done, no one there, no one to offend. Obviously didn't poo or anything.

Kids back in car, dog in boot, ready to go. Elderly man appears out of nowhere and tells me off. Very patronising, explaining that people don't want to step in dog poo. Well yes I know that, very sorry, but no harm done, dog didn't poo, didn't even cock his leg. Very sorry etc. Shut car door.

Old man opens my car door, stands practically in door frame so I can't shut the door and proceeds to carry on berating me. I can't shut the door, he's about six inches from my face. Shock

I'm afraid I was very rude. I thundered 'DO YOU MIND!' about three times before he got out of the way and I could shut the door.

I can't show my face there again can I? Blush

OP posts:
Report
BabyGanoush · 11/04/2016 19:03

Ah, the rules don't apply to you?

Report
Jeremysfavouriteaunt · 11/04/2016 19:05

You are going to get slaughtered for this. I don't see the problem though, the tree surgeon had his dog with him in the empty children's playground yesterday.
The man sounds really aggressive.

Report
WhoTheFuckIsSimon · 11/04/2016 19:06

Thing is he could have weed before you could have stopped him. I do think playgrounds are the one place kids should be able to crawl on the grass without worrying about wee germs or poo crumbs. I say this as a dog owner with no small kids. And yes I know bird poo lands on the grass and the foxes will piss in there, etc.

Report
Blu · 11/04/2016 19:07

He was unreasonable.
He is probably sick to death of dog owners ignoring the no-dog rule, and you caught his pent up frustration.
Of course you can show your face again, you have a right to be there, but sans dog.

Report
coffeeisnectar · 11/04/2016 19:07

Sorry but I agree with the man. No one wants their kids rolling about on grass covered in dog wee. Or worse.

You said he didn't do anything (the dog) but if he had, would you have gone and wiped up the wee?

Walk your dog somewhere else. Not a kids play area.

Report
GreenMarkerPen · 11/04/2016 19:08

yabu
if you can't keep your dog under control and out of restricted areas you shouldn't have a dog

Report
LittlePoot · 11/04/2016 19:09

That man sounds horrible and that must have been really stressful. I'm afraid I agree though - children's playgrounds should be dog free so children can crawl, roll and everything else without a dog having been there first. But he still shouldn't have behaved like that.

Report
WanderingTrolley1 · 11/04/2016 19:09

Your dog could easily have cocked his leg/shat in there.

The dog shouldn't have been in the playground.

Report
MsAdorabelleDearheartVonLipwig · 11/04/2016 19:21

Oh I know, I'm not disagreeing with you. I got caught out. I wouldn't normally let my dog in a playground but he'd been in the car for an hour watching the girls round round and whining so I let him out to stretch his legs. Naturally he went straight under the fence and hared off after the kids.

Oh and thanks GreenMarkerPen but there's slightly more to dog ownership than that and I'm usually fairly sensible.

OP posts:
Report
kelda · 11/04/2016 19:24

Even if the park was empty, seeing a dog running off lead could have put people off going in there with their children. I know it puts me off.

Report
FanDabbyFloozy · 11/04/2016 19:25

The dog slipped away and it was chancr there was no child in the playground. There is also the poo potential. So I think YABU.

The man is also BU - no excuse for threatening behaviour.

Report
bigbuttons · 11/04/2016 19:25

You are completely in the wrong. People with your attitude give dog owners a bad rep[ angry]

Report
readingrainbow · 11/04/2016 19:27

He was the unreasonable one. How dare he block your car door!

Report
NoahVale · 11/04/2016 19:29

there is a loopy woman who picked up her dog as we went passed her, and my dog is on the lead Shock

Report
MsAdorabelleDearheartVonLipwig · 11/04/2016 19:32

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

pigsDOfly · 11/04/2016 19:36

He's probably sick of people letting their dogs do exactly as they like around the children's playground.

I sometimes walk my dog through a bit of local land that is next to an area reserved for children and their parents to plant vegetables. It's there to encourage the children to learn about plants and vegetables and then hopefully want to eat the vegetables. The planting bit is fenced off but nearby is a small park and open land. All around the open land there are very polite signs asking people to pick up after their dog because the children like to play there and they want it kept safe so the children can play freely.

Walked my dog there today and noticed the most enormous dog poo right against one of the trees with a sign on it. It's very disheartening to see this sort of selfish inconsiderate behaviour from fellow dog owners. Perhaps this man has had enough of this sort of thing and lost his temper. I know it makes me very angry.

Even though your dog didn't wee or poo he shouldn't have been running free in a children's play area.

Report
lljkk · 11/04/2016 19:40

I hate dog mess as much as anyone but still think yanbu. Oh well.

Report
Noitsnotteatimeyet · 11/04/2016 19:45

All the people who are tutting do realise that the local foxes, squirrels, birds etc are weeing and pooing in the playground at night don't they? As they don't have any owners, responsible or otherwise, to keep them out ...

Personally I wouldn't let my dog in a playgrounds even if it was empty as you never know who might be watching, however the idea that children's playgrounds are hermetically sealed sterile environments is just daft .,,

Report
Firedemon · 11/04/2016 19:50

Eh if there's no kids around and the dog doesn't poo or wee I don't see an issue at ALL.

Bet grumpy git wouldn't have reacted that way to a man though.

Report
MsAdorabelleDearheartVonLipwig · 11/04/2016 19:53

I do feel bad about it, it's the sort of thing I would normally be cross about. He just shocked me with the way he opened my car door, presumably to keep me in my place to listen to his telling off.

There really wasn't anyone about at all. It was about half past six. We just called in on our way back from our walk in the woods. I don't actually walk my dog in children's playgrounds. It's just a sectioned off bit on the edge of a field, there was no one around for miles.

Well, except for him, watching us.

OP posts:
Report
MrsUnderwood · 11/04/2016 19:53

There's no excuse for intimidating or threatening behaviour. I hate it when dogs are in playgrounds but I wouldn't ever approach an owner in this way.

Report
pigsDOfly · 11/04/2016 19:55

Of course wild life will wee and poo all over the place, there's nothing to be done about that, but dogs do have owner who are, hopefully, able to prevent their dogs doing the same so it's up to the owners to make sure they don't.

I live in a fairly rural area and I've yet to see fox poo of the size of some of the dog poos I see or in such exposed places where it's likely to be walked in.

Report

Don’t want to miss threads like this?

Weekly

Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!

Log in to update your newsletter preferences.

You've subscribed!

Waltermittythesequel · 11/04/2016 19:56

Posters who disagree with you aren't prats, OP.

Just follow the rules, which unfortunately apply to you no matter how long your dog was in the boot, and it won't happen.

Report
kelda · 11/04/2016 20:10

If that's your reply to Bigbuttons, to call her a prat, I wonder how polite you were to the man at the park?

Report
user7755 · 11/04/2016 20:11

You left your dog tethered in the car for an hour while the kids play?

Report
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.