to not want to shut my dog away for uninvited visiting children?

[freddiefrog]

it's a gorgeous day, DH and I are doing some stuff in the garden and I seem to have a dozen neighbourhood kids in and out of the garden.

2 of which are scared of the dog and are freaking out every time he goes within 20 foot of them

He's a Springer Spaniel and is very friendly, wouldn't hurt any of them and is totally focussed on chasing the grass clipping around the garden and ignoring them anyway, but DH and I are both out in there with them all in any case

I had shut him indoors but it's hot in the house and he wants to be outside with us all so I've told them that the dog is a member of our family, he lives here and has every right to be in the garden so they'll have to ignore him or go and play at home

Well you've given them a choice. I'd say that covers it. :)

YANBU if you are sure that a flapping child will not startle him.

Make sure he has lots of water outside, dogs overheat really quickly

YADNBU. I would have told the dog-scared children to clear off. I wouldn't want to shut my dogs in the house on a lovely day when we're all in the garden either. The dogs are family, random uninvited children are not.

Totally reasonable.

YANBU, the dog is family, the random kids are not!

Are you mad?

Don't shut him indoors...it's his home as you say.

They can like it or lump it.

The doors are all open so he's in and out for his water bowls

The flapping doesn't bother him, DH has cut the grass today so lots of nice grass clippings for him to obsess over, he's completely ignoring the kids.

I wouldn't mind if it was a pre-arranged playdate, but they all started off playing together out the front and gravitated into my garden (and my kids new playhouse!)

Their mum was a bit cats bum about it!

I'm not the local baby sitting service despite what she seems to think

I really actively dislike dogs, and I still think that he has every right to a free run of the garden - it's the dog's house! He lives there, the children don't. YWBU not to contain a dangerous dog, even if they were uninvited, but a boisterous bounding playful dog is fair enough.

I don't shut my cats away for people who don't like them - I just try not to have too many friends who dislike cats. I think PILs' dog knows I don't like him, he bloody sits on me and tries to lick my face every time I go in their house .

Nope, YANBU. If they don't want to be around a dog they can play elsewhere. If the mother is that bothered she can have all the kids playing in her garden instead.

YANBU - Can't bear it when kids come round and do all that squealing and running away from the dogs.

They have a choice to come round or not.

OP - I say fuck 'em!

I don't like other peoples kids except nieces/nephews of course.

I would love a dog if it kept the neighbours kids out.

Can I borrow yours?

YANBU at all. Your house and your dog. I always despise that whole kids being scared of dogs thing anyway. Their parents should have raised them better. I hate spiders but I would never ever show it in front of my son.

Secure and lock the back garden - admit other kids by invite only!

YANB at all U

Oh and screw your cats bum face neighbour too!

If she doesn't like it send all the kids to her garden!

Of course YANBU!

When I got my first dog my DC were small so visiting friends were as well so I would generally keep her apart from them because she was a horrible, over excited, jumpy puppy. Now my kids are 10 & 12 and so are their friends I have a lot less sympathy and tolerance.

As you said in your case they can go play somewhere else, your dog sounds lovely and very well behaved.

Send them home! He lives there, they don't. (if you'd invited them it would be different).

I was all ready to say YABU from the title as the parent of a dog-terrified toddler (I wish she wasn't, but I don't know anyone with dogs and dont seem to be able to reassure her they are lovely despite DH and I loving them, so Dirtymistress would love tips on how to get her not scared).

However, having read your post you are definitely NBU. If they were that scared they wouldn't go near the dog anyway and you can't shut the poor thing in in this heat. They will just have to get used to him or go home.

YANBU - I have one DD who is very wary of dogs, but at someone else's house if they have a dog, I expect her to behave herself and not be freaking out if it comes near.

Gosh, thanks for that DirtyMistress I don't know who you despise more, me or my mum.

From thread title, I thought this would be a YABU, but reading the circumstances, I agree YANBU. I think it would be different if you were hosting a visit, albeit an unanticipated one, in the house. But if the children are choosing your garden as their preferred part of the local landscape to play in, then I think they have to factor the presence of the dog into their choice.

It depends, if uninvited visitors might be staying a while and chatting to you - you could be nice and put him inside or on a lead for 20 mins. Only a short length of time really.