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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be a little bit 'grr' about this...

105 replies

tyzer2001 · 10/02/2011 10:35

Every morning I walk my two dogs in the local field/park/grassy area. It's designated for dog walking and has poo bins etc. 99% of the time I don't see anyone, not even another dog walker.

This morning as I got to the gate I was stopped by a teacher who said 'I'm sorry, you won't be able to go into the field as we have the children in there'.

I asked what was happening and she said that the Reception class were having 'Wild Time' and running off some energy.

It's quite a large field and doesn't belong to the school, which is a few minutes walk away.

I said to her that I would keep my dogs (both of whom are very placid and good with children anyway) on the lead until we were well away from the children, but she insisted that I couldn't use the field!

I walked the dogs five times around the much smaller, not-designated-for-dogs park instead, but can't help feeling a bit put-out.

OP posts:
gorionine · 10/02/2011 11:01

YANBU for most reasons other posters raised and agedknees's one in particular.

talkingnonsense · 10/02/2011 11:04

Ring the school now and see what they say! Am a nosy cow curious person and I want to hear their justification!

JenaiMarrHePlaysGuitar · 10/02/2011 11:08

I imagine they only wanted to use the field for half an hour. Yes it's a public space, but sometimes sharing that space can mean letting others use it exclusively for a bit if that's more appropriate. You don't need a formal notice of this, surely? Obviously it's not legally binding, but it's neighbourly.

I think YAB a bit U.

scurryfunge · 10/02/2011 11:12

Yes sharing means both parties can use it Jenai -not one telling the walkers to leave.

gorionine · 10/02/2011 11:13

But who decides JenaiMarrHePlaysGuitar? Would you be ok to let exclusivity use of the park for my children for 1/2hour just to be neighbourly?

ronshar · 10/02/2011 11:20

I may be the only one to say this and make myself a bit unpopular but.

I dont think the teacher has done anything wrong really.
If the children do not have access to a big field in which to run around in then it is a rare opportunity for the little ones to run in freedom.
She may have stopped you as a precaution because one of your dogs may have bitten one of the children and you would quite rightly be upset if your dog had to be destroyed for bitting!
No one has a automatic right to walk a dog anywhere other than on their own property. The bins are there to try and encourage dog owners to pick up the poo so humans dont have to scrap it off their shoes or buggy wheels.

I would rather see children running than dogs weeing and pooing leaving horrible nasties for humans to tread in/sit in.

talkingnonsense · 10/02/2011 11:20

Perhaps if they had asked her nicely she would have felt more neighbourly?

ReindeerBollocks · 10/02/2011 11:21

I personally would have complained to the school about the teachers attitude. She cannot ban members of the public from using a public field.

I understand being neighbourly but surly this passes to politeness and consideration for dog walkers too. I wouldn't be 'told' anything by a local teacher over exercising her rights.

ReindeerBollocks · 10/02/2011 11:22

Surely - sorry

scurryfunge · 10/02/2011 11:24

ronshar, public places are for the public. The clue is in the title.

BeerTricksPotter · 10/02/2011 11:30

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ronshar · 10/02/2011 11:30

I am aware of what the word public means. Does that cover animals or humans though?

To my understanding if the op wanted to walk through on her own that would have be ok. It was the dogs that were the problem!

BeerTricksPotter · 10/02/2011 11:32

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

scurryfunge · 10/02/2011 11:32

ronshar, don't be daft. It was a designated dog walking area. An area the council has seen fit to describe as so.

bupcakesandcunting · 10/02/2011 11:32

YANBU! She doesn't own the park, it is a PUBLIC area, clue is in the name numbnuts...

ronshar · 10/02/2011 11:32

Really? What about when a child goes over to the dog and the dog doesnt like it? Is that being extreme?

Not every one likes dogs and lots of children are frightened of them.

At our school people leave dogs tied to the gate. A child gets bitten at least once a term. Those dogs are on leads too.

As I said I knew it would make me unpopular with the dog lovers.

JenaiMarrHePlaysGuitar · 10/02/2011 11:33

Teachers at ds's school regularly have to (temporarily - for minutes at a time) stop traffic so they can get the DCs from on site to another. They have no legal right to do this AFAIK but it's a perfectly reasonable thing for them to do.

This doesn't seem so different to me.

It sounds like the teacher approached this in the wrong way though, granted.

gorionine I don't think anyone needs to decide. I think (I don't have a dog but have done in the past) that I'd avoid the field if there was a large group of children playing there, be they a class of children or a group having a birthday picnic.

ThisIsANiceCage · 10/02/2011 11:33

I'm not a dog lover.

I think you're being daft, Ronshar.

scurryfunge · 10/02/2011 11:34

ronshar, there is no logic to what you are saying. It is nothing to do with being a dog lover or not.

bupcakesandcunting · 10/02/2011 11:36

I'm not a dog lover either, not by a long chalk, but no-one has the right to monopolise a PUBLIC park.

scurryfunge · 10/02/2011 11:36

Jenai, the decision to stop traffic by the school will not be endorsed by the local authority as it is fraught with danger.

I suspect that is a mini protest about losing a lollipop person or similar.

BeerTricksPotter · 10/02/2011 11:38

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ronshar · 10/02/2011 11:38

How am I being daft?

I said that the teacher wasnt being unreasonable to prevent a dog walker going into a field where lots of small children were running freely around.
I assumed that the reason for doing so was to protect both the dog walker and the children from each other.

There was another field for the dog to play in so I dont really see the problem.

Perhaps the teacher could have approached the matter better.

mayorquimby · 10/02/2011 11:39

You should have walked right by as others have said. The teacher was being ridiculous.

warthog · 10/02/2011 11:40

yanbu

however i'm pleased on one level that teachers are letting the kids enjoy the run-around at the local park. good exersize and enjoying the fresh air. good stuff.