leaving DD alone in the car.......with the dog.

[paisleyleaf]

I found out earlier, from DD who is is 4 btw, that my mum has left her in the car while she's popped into the shop. And, AND! left the dog with her too.

I know the leaving in the car thing is a whole other (AIBU) thread .....but I don't leave DD in the car and even take her to pay petrol. I'm very not happy about leaving her alone with the dog (jack russell.......great little dog mostly, but will stick up for herself if she feels the need....it's always the grandparents isn't it?).

It's awkward as this has obviously happened when she's been doing us a favour.
I want to make sure it doesn't happen again, but don't quite know how to bring it up.

dunno, wouldn't bother me if she's in and out super quick.

i am a leave-in-the-car-er though lol

although you may feel its awkward to bring up you could not forgive yourself if something happened.

Would she pick up on the (slightly) more subtle approach? Arrive looking flustered and regale her with a story of what a nightmare you had getting DD in and out of the car to pay for the petrol, esp in this heat etc - with a 'but you can't just leave her there, can you?'. If you want to go to town you can say 'oh, I do sometimes think about just popping in, but I read about a car catching fire/ worry about abduction' whatever your concern is.

It is a generational thing, so it's hard to make too much of a point about it, but you do need to address it if you;re not happy, and if you can't just say it outright, that might be a way round it (sort of leading by example if a slightly pointed way).

If it were my MIL I'd just say - would you mind not leaving her in the car on her own, I know it's a pain but I really worry about it.

Depends how you think she'd react, but if she's looking after your child, then I think you need a pretty open relationship - both ways.

I'm of the opinion that no matter how well people think they know their dog, it is still an animal and thus unpredictable. Especially considering the hot and humid weather recently, how can anyone truly know if a dog will get irritated and attack?

How many times have there been cases of children being mauled on the news containing someone saying 'The dog's never shown any aggression before' or similar?

I would not feel at all happy about either of my DC being left alone with any dog, for any amount of time.

unless the dog was in the boot with a dog guard up so he couldn't get to your daughter I wouldn't be happy either - and I have two dogs so not anti dog.

I wouldn't mind about the child being left in the car when she'd popped in to the shop, but if the dog was loose it could have easily snapped at her.

Wondering, I will see how I go with the subtle approach - although I'm guessing she'll just think I'm a fusspot.
Like you say, it is a generational thing (I spent a long time waiting outside shops myself from a very young age).

I'm been very laid back about bringing up my dds but I would never have left them alone with a jack russell. Not sure about a dopey type of dog, I'd have to think about that. If anything startled the dog, like a car backfiring, he'd go mad wouldn't he?

I was going to say YANBU but is this a new section WWYD? I have never seen it before!

Paisley, I know my MIL thinks I'm a fusspot at times, but she does go along with things if I ask her or if she sees me doing something a certain way. She'll have your DD's best interests at heart.

wondering, it's my mum - maybe more likely to argue against me than my MIL.
hocuspontas, she's a rescue dog, very nervous of other dogs. So yes, I guess if another dog had gone by there could've been a big problem.

oh I am going to have to say something.
I've got nothing in the diary that she's minding DD for coming up - but I'll try and get it sorted, as easy going-like as pos.