To think if your child winds up a restrained dog

[rpickett]

it's their own fault if they get bit?
I'm so pissed off, just been and walked my 7mth old puppy and one mother has wound me right up.

I was walking on the grass (which was a small strip nex to a pavement) and stopped to pick up after the dog went toilet, which isn't the easiest task at 8 mths pregnant with the bending, and this girl about 7 years old came bounding up to my dog an jumping in front of him trying to wind him up and play with him, she scared my dog and his tail went down and his heckles went up so I took a tighter hld of the lea whilst trying to tie up the doggy bag, while the mother just laughed and was yapping on about how her daughter has got him all excited, passed comment on how he didn't want to play and tried to walk off but no the daughter was still trying to wind the dog up while the mother was just laughing, practically walkin next to me so on the grass so I couldn't move out of the way and get passed.

If my dog had of gone for the girl I would be the one in the wrong (he didn't go for her but why take that risk) am I BU to think this mother needs parenting lessons if she thinks it's funny to allow her daughter to go upto strange dogs and wind them up?

BTW my puppy is great usually with kids, my two toddlers included but jumping in front of him waving your arms in his face is not the way to make friends.

YANBU. I never allow my children to go near a dog they don't know and trust.

But you should have said something to them.

She was probably only trying to play with him but she was jumping back and forth in front of him waving her hands in his face and kind of "roaring"? at him.
I did say he didn't want to play (wich was obvious) but the mother didn't stop her cild just laughed saying she is getting him excited

WHICH, CHILD

I expect the girl wanted to play with the dog rather than wind it up.

I don't have a dog myself, my DS (2ym0) loves them but I am always careful to check with the owner before I let him pet any door. Fortunately he is mostly content to just look ad say "Doggy!".

YANBU OP. Mother is clearly lacking in common sense!

any door??? Where the fuck did that come from????

I'm sure she was, Phipps, but isn't the point that she was doing so unwisely? The puppy wouldn't know the difference!

YABU - there were 2 adults present, neither the dog nor the child should take the blame if a bite had happened.

I realise that Annie, I just felt that the OP was assuming the child wanted to wind up/upset the dog when she probably just wanted to pet it.

YANBU I'd have told them to trot on.

YANBU, It's irresponsible of the mother and she's not doing her daughter any favours at all.
Children should be taught how to behave around dogs and their owners, and leaping around like a fool is asking to be bitten or yelled at.

'it's a puppy so people think it won't bite'
So it's ok to scare it?

OP, you need to be sharper and clearer to people about how they should behave.
Why not try
'Will YOU CONTROL YOUR CHILD PLEASE?'

Loved the one about how schools should teach children how to behave towards animals.

Anything else for teachers to take on, which should be the parents' responsibility?

'How to behave with dogs should be taught in every school, like road safety, imo'

Why don't we maker it a parent and child course and leave the schools out of it?

Yes echt, that's a pet peeve of mine too. As I recall my father once complained that 'the school' hadn't taught my brother any table manners. Even at 10 I could see the irony in that statement.

YANBU

Children should be taught from a VERY young age to respect dogs and keep well away until they have asked permission to stroke the dog from the owner, and recieved permission.

No, I still think that like lunch boxes and out-of-school party invites and toothbrushing and road safety and table manners it's a parental responsibility.
We Have enough to do with the reading and writing and maths bits, plus science, PE, IT, MFL and PSHCE. And all the other bits I can't quite remember.

There are always going to be small children too young to understand and/or children that aren't taught to stay away from strange dogs, i think this is reason enough to muzzle your dog if you are concerned about it biting someone.

I think childrens rights to not be bitten should over ride peoples rights to have potentially dangerous animals as pets/companions.

How effective would one assembly a term be?
Ask your child what the theme of last Tuesday;s assembly was and see if they remember.
Dog and child socialisation is a long-term thing, like road safety which needs to be taught as and when in a real life scenario.
Otherwise it's just another box-ticking exercise.

Amberleaf the child was about 7years old so definatly not too young in my opinion.
My two toddlers (2.5years and 17mths) wouldn't go up to a strange dog because I as the parent wouldn't let them.
Obviously if I had an agressive dog then it would be muzzled but any dog can bite if antagonised, a lead should be sufficent providing parents aren't stupid enough to allow their child to go up to strange dogs.

YANBU - I don't own a dog and both my children know to ask me first and then ask the owner if they can approach a dog. Even then I am wary; even the gentlest dog can have an off day / be wound up by even the nicest kids. Plus, it's just good manners. I would have been tempted to give her the poop bag saying 'can you hold this please whilst I move my dog away from your child'

YANBU. No parent should allow their child to scare an animal, even if not on purpose. If a parent does not have enough common sense to keep their child calm around an unfamiliar dog, they will be at fault when the child gets bitten. As for teaching it in school, maybe like lots of these things, it should be taught at ante-natal classes so we have parents who can actually raise their children with manners/common sense/healthy lifestyles rather than leaving it to other adults.

YANBU, but you missed a golden chance to educate said child:

"I tell you what sweetie, if you could stand there very still and quiet for a minute, I'll let you meet my dog and show you how he likes to be stroked / play, but you must always be quiet and gentle around a strange dog, and ask first, OK?"