to have shouted at a stranger's child?

[wannaBe]

I have been at a leisure centre this morning while my ds played tennis (one of these holiday type activities). Guide dog lying on the floor next to me doing nothing...

There were lots of people with other younger children there. Anyway a toddler (I would say about three) came over and I heard him running back to his mother saying that the dog had licked him, she laughed and found it cute/amusing. Heard something behind me and dog stirred, so I reached down only to find this child trying to stick his fingers in the dog's mouth. I turned around and said somewhat sharply "now leave the dog alone." at which point the child ran off back to his mum who said nothing.

Now, I don't mind children talking to my dog, but IMO the same rules should apply as pet dogs i.e. you ask before stroking a strange dog.

secondly, if my dog had bitten that child, it would have been perceived to be the dog's fault, and at the very least he would immediately have been withdrawn as a guide dog, and possibly been destroyed given the potential public outcry.

And just to add (as I know how these threads go) the mother was way over the other side of the room, so no way I could have said to her to get her child away - much quicker to address the child. But she knew the child was harassing the dog and did nothing.

Yanbu.

My boss has an assistance dog, I'm always astonished by the number of people who READ ALOUD her jacket (the dog's) which says 'Please Do Not Distract Me' and then go on to pat / stroke / offer her a sodding biscuit!

Kids are not the only ones who need to be taught to respect working dogs. They aren't pets and you could endanger their owner by distracting them.

yanbu. Mother should have explained to child about working dogs and explained not to touch.

It was drummed into me from the earliest of ages that you do not touch dogs without asking. Perhaps this child was too young for this, and the mother assumed the dog was safe because it was a working dog. I imagine that would be her defence, but it was also drummed into me that you never touch or distract a guide dog. I would have been over like a flash to collect my child rather than smiling indulgently at the little horror stuffed his fingers into various orifices.

*as the little horror

Sorry Lying, your post confused me in my defence I'm tired and my brain isn't working properly today

Which bit is unspeakably cruel?

Melly That bit

"she was caught on camera in a field, lead in hand, standing on the dogs tail and kicking it in the face."

my landlords dog once nipped his son, but then you'd snap if someone had picked up you tail and sunk their teeth into it...

I teach my childen not to touch strange dogs. I do worry though that they will get snapped at as they waft (just normally walking past dogs with hands at nose height) their hands in front of various dog's noses as we ty to make our way along the narrowish pavement lined with mums and dogs just outside the school gate. My youngest is 2.

Ohhhh right! I had actually forgotten I'd written that post I thought she was referring to my earlier one about my MILs dogs! Blame my pregnant brain :o
Yes it is incredibly nasty, I couldn't believe it when I saw the video, I read The Sun online, so you get videos to go with the stories if there are any. What made me really mad is that I used to walk a neighbours Springer spaniel, he was my (doggy) best friend, one day I went to fetch him and he had gone. The bloke wasn't home either so I went to ask the guys neice where he was and she told me he'd been sold, I was devastated. I just thought "you cruel bitch, I've just lost my (doggy) best friend who was also a springer and you're there kicking one in the face!"

A friend was recently very upset because her nephew was "mauled" by the family dog. It was a springer spaniel so I remember thinking it was a bit odd as they aren't the type of dog I imagined would do this. Anyway, it turned out after further questions that the nephew in question was 20 and he had been drunk and absolutely tormenting the dog. I told her my sympathy lay entirely with the dog and her nephew absolutely deserved all the stitches he was left with ....