Puppy banned from school playground

[Solo2]

We recently got our first puppy and as everyone else does, at DCs schhol, brought him to the school playground a few times, as part of socialising him and letting people meet him.

Everyone brings their dogs/ puppies to school - or certainly has done over the 3 yrs my DCs have been at this school. I've only brought our pup to the playground when my DCs have an after-school club, so there are fewer people there and he isn't overwhelmed by children.

Teachers and children alike are all over him, love him and even tonight, 4 members of staff were petting him happily.

So I was naturally shocked when an upstairs school window opened and the headmaster called down across the entire playground that "dogs are not allowed in the school grounds!" As I didn't hear him at first/ didn't realise he was talking to me, he called again and it was so humiliating and v upsetting for my DCs. I called back to apologise but said that as everyone else always brings their dogs/ pups to the playground, I'd never thought it wasn't allowed - but of course I'd remove him immediately - which I then did.

This was about 10 mins after several senior staff and the caretaker had been happily petting the dog and one had told me he was going to get another teacher - so wait - as she was desperate to see our puppy and wanted to take it home with her. Clearly, no one at all had/has any idea that dogs are not allowed.

AIBU to feel embarassed, angry and humiliated to be singled out like this - and on behalf of DCs who were so happy to have their pup to 'display'? AIBU to feel particularly outraged that the headmaster informed me of this sudden new school rule by screaming across the playground, instead of calmly coming down from his office - or sending his PA or another teacher down to talk to me politely?

The head MUST have seen other parents with dogs, night after night and he also gave special permission for one mum to bring her puppy into assemblies for parent assemblies once a week, to make things easier for her. Now I'll have to change my entire dog routine to get our pup back home before I do the school run and poor pup will miss out on his socialisation too! Several children have looked forward to seeing him - although he's only been there about 4 times now - and one child who was phobic about dogs, overcame his fear and befriended our cute pup.

Incidentally, our puppy was on a lead, was quiet and calm, didn't make any mess and simply rolled over to have his tummy tickled several times.

I can fully and absolutely understand if it were normal school policy to ban all dogs - for hygiene/ health & safety reasons of course. But this has never been the case to date and I feel singled out - in a v public way - for doing something that everyone else does all the time - and 'told off' in a rather rude manner!

'What is a dog-owners response ANY time a child is bitten/nipped: Well it was the childs fault for tickling her/ looking her in the eye/ being too loud/ jumping behind her etc etc' - no it's usually the parents/dog owners fault not properly supervising dog and child. Children are unpredictable, as are dogs. The two should be supervised together.

I don't believe Whippy is dangerous. I believe she'd sooner hew her own tail off than bite a child. I don't leave her tied to gates, for her sake as much as the childrens. Not all children know how behave kindly with dogs. Nor do all adults. Equally I never her alone with any children, not even my own.

Please don't tar all owners with the same brush. I believe it is beyond irresponsible to leave a dog tied anywhere unsupersived, least of all a school, even if it is just for a minute.

Dawny the fact remains that if you get a child or two at your school who is afraid of dogs, you'll be made to stop bringing it onto the premises.

I walk on the pavement, the cars stay on the road. I've never had a car leap onto the pavement because it was just being friendly, with its wheels on my shoulders. Or been trying to get past one and had it revving its engine in a menacing fashion because it felt uncomfortable.
I like being completely ignored by dogs. I do not want to be friends.
Sadly, many owners seem incapable of understanding that, so all dogs are unknown animals that I really don't want to have anything to do with.

' Perhaps it's you and your children that need socialising to dogs?'
Why?
I just want them to leave me and mine alone, I don't want to be socialised.

The only dogs permitted in our school are puppies which are carried. If that was the case head was being an arse. He was still being rude and unreasonable even if it wasn't.

I never gave this any thought until I got a puppy a couple of weeks ago. Then suddenly, what am I to do? I have a 10wk puppy, who I cant leave alone in the house as she isnt used to it, I cant leave her in the car as she'll eat it, so what choice do I have? I bung her in my handbag and take her into school. It was day 2 when my DS's teacher had a very discreet word that while she didnt mind at all, but dogs werent supposed to be in the playground, and not to let the HT see the puppy.

my child is petrified of dogs, it's sort of embarassing. i have posted many a thread on here about it. and to be honest the sort of dogs we get round here aren't kept as man's best friend more as a status symbol.

so i couldn't really care less what dog owners think now. the bad outweigh the good. i think every owner should have a licence too

I dont like dogs much (was bitten when younger) but DD's CM has a dog, so DD does interact with a dog. But I still wouldn't want dogs on the school playground. I don't see the need for it.

My child is incredibly scared of dogs. I prefer his school days arent filled with him sobbing and clinging onto me like he does if he go to the beach or the park. I hate dogs now.

Oh Goblin - don't you understand - you MUST love dogs and be happy for them to slobber all over your trousers and try to lick your face after they've licked their arses - otherwise you are just weird!

I gave up on understanding dog owners when I had an incident when pushing my baby in his pram down a cycle track in the countryside. A bloody humungous dog which looked like a cross between a mastiff and a rottweiler was coming down the hill towards me, picked up it's pace and headed straight for me, then just swerved before the moment of impact at which point I was standing in front of the pram shielding it. The owner was calling it but it ignored her. I almost shat myself and when I asked the lady owner why she did not keep her dog on a lead, I was told that the dog had just as much right as me to be there as me and if I did not like dogs, I should not walk where dogs might be . The damn thing could have knocked someone off their bike. Talk about some people putting animals before their fellow human beings! Arrogant arseholes.

I don't want to be socialised either. If a dog needs company or something to drool on that is the owners problem not mine.

Manking has spent thousands of years trying to separate himself from the animals. I dont want or need to be layng down with beasts and to be socialised to a dog thanks.

I'm not actually forcing my dog on anyone. He's on a lead. He's not big or strong enough to pull away from me, he's obedience trained to Kennel Club gold standard and his collar and lead are pretty thick leather. My main concern, were he to get away from me, would be that he didn't get run over.

Cars, on the other hand, just as a purely random comparison, will probably kill you if one of them tanks off at several miles an hour. My dog will not do that. I'm sorry if your child is frightened of dogs, if he/she had a bad encounter with one or something, and I'm sorry if you've done nothing to help this, or if you just don't like dogs. But there are an awful lot of them in the world owned by perfectly sane people and used in all manner of jobs so get used to it.

We're not all chavs with inbred staffies you know.

dawyn why do you assume i (or other posters0 haven't tried to help their child overcome their fear?

am sure your doggy is lovely but afraid the bad are outweighing the good and something needs to be done

It is getting ridiculous. Where is the common sense? Walk your children to school and walk your child-friendly dog to school too. Don't let it poo on or near school grounds. If an accident happens you can easily pick it up with the bags you have brought with you. Don't tie your dog up to gates (we don't have any at our school, except for the kindergarten). Teach your children to never approach dogs they are not familiar with and to ask before they pat any dog (at home and school). Most dogs that live with children ARE GOOD WITH CHILDREN but don't bring your dog on the school run if it leaps/fights/nips or looks scary. Encouraging families to walk to school is good for everyone; mothers, teachers, children, dogs and the planet.

And I recently had words with a fellow dog owner who couldn't control her dog and it was running about off lead. I'm not an irresponsible dog owner thank you so very much.

And I don't let my dog slobber over me either, that isn't very nice.

Or let him sniff anyone's bum.

Why are all dog haters such bigoted stereotypes? Live and let live works both ways you know.

I don't lay down with him either. He has his own smelly bed and I have my nice clean one. He is not allowed on the beds!

I think I posted something about my teenager on a dog thread a while back. How a lot of you seem scared and hostile to them, and how I have trained mine not to alarm or approach smaller people, especially females, in an over-familiar manner.
He likes small children and would never hurt one, but how would you feel if you were in the park and an enormous teenager ran at your child, picked them up, threw them into the air and roared 'FUN, THIS IS SUCH FUN!' gave them a big wet sloppy kiss and ran off?
With me saying 'Don't worry, he's only being friendly'
Whilst your child sobbed and shuddered and screamed at every teenager after that?

you're taking it too personally dawny and calling people bigoted isn't going to help the discussion is it.

nobody is calling for dogs to be banned on the school run - there will always be dogs that people meet on the way to school, much like they will see cars etc. But, cars (generally) are not on the playground, or next to you as you queue for the school doors, surely?

And Ruddy I think the woman you met was mental. I've been hauling my pushchair round the place for nearly five years and I've never met anyone like that.

I have a gorgeous dog which I absoloutely adore.
However I also have a child who is unable to be persuaded out of his fear of dogs and remains terrified.

In a school playground my Childs right to get to school without anxiety trumps logistics of even cute puppy owners .

Not everyone who feels dogs should not be in the playground dislikes dogs. Quite the contrary in my case.

'We're not all chavs with inbred staffies you know.' - Staffordshire Bull Terriers aka The Nanny Dog are one of only two breeds the UK Kennel Club recommend as being suitable to be housed with small children. They're probably far more child proof than whichever breed you own Dawny.

Besides which you are putting your dog at risk of being stolen and/or abused. And you cannot confidently say that your dog would not bite an unknown child who was deliberately hurting him, while you were not there. No dog owner can say that. If they can they are an idiot. Dogs and small children should always be supervised. Dogs should not be tied up anywhere unless the owner is present at all times, especially not outside a school where there will be lots of unpredictable children who could have idiots for parents who let them pulls the dogs ears because it's cute.

I give up. The world has gone mad.

Which bit are you struggling with?
Which part exactly is mad?