to have kicked off at another mother for confirming her child's fear of dogs!

[MrJugsMummy]

Just taken my DS and our 1 year old springer spaniel for a walk in our local park. He was running off his lead as he always does and a toddler walked around the corner without her mother. Our spaniel is quite a caring dog and loves children and often tends to mother them somewhat (he worried himself senseless when my DS was ill last week slept on the sofa next to him and woke every time he so much as sniffed!) so he went up to the child the child screamed I called Brian away and said to the little girl "it's fine he won't hurt you he just wants to say hi", the kids mother then decided to make an appearance and pick up the child and had a go at me saying that I shouldn't let my dog off of his lead! She then turned to the child and said "Did he bite you?" to watch the child now upping the screaming and crying actually said "No" she then turned to me and said my dog was a menace and shouldn't be allowed near children!

I snapped at this point and said "My dog was concerned about the fact your child was seemingly by itself in a park, he simply went up to her to check she was ok, he didn't even jump up at her let alone bite her" she then started saying again that he shouldn't be off his lead!
I really got riled up then and shouted "My 5 year old son is here right next to me, I would have no qualms about leaving him alone in a room with my dog as he is well trained and good tempered and adores him, if I had any doubts about his behaviour I would not have him as a family pet and if I had any concerns about his behaviour around children do you seriously I would let him off his lead in a park after school with loads of children around!" I then stormed off and muttered that she was a stupid bitch!

I get so annoyed at parents who do this if your child doesn't like dogs don't take them to places where dogs are, I get that all children are scared of things but why confirm the fear?! If my DS ever shows fear about something I either reassure him that nothing will hurt him or tell him how to avoid being hurt.

Grr rant over

I love dogs but you are very unreasonable!

As a runner I get dogs jumping up at me, just to be told they are being friendly! I don't care, I'm not friendly and want them to piss off so I can run is my usual response in my head

With my dses though,I've been through the fear of dogs stage and it's hard! We had a young dog come up to us while out once, very friendly but very bouncy. I gave the dog a fuss and assured the dses the dog was friendly which it was, but then the dog jumped up at ds2 and scratched him in the process. Completely unintentional on the part of the dog, but the result was the same! Ds2 was scared of dogs for a long while after!

I do think that dogs should be under control if off the lead and that means not wandering up to children or runners!

@ dog pinching 3 year old. I have visions of it wearing a bonnet.

Why would anyone go somewhere dogs are welcome if they don't like dogs. Is it a S&M thing? . I don't like tarantulas so I keep the fuck away from the creepy crawly section of the Zoo. Or maybe I should just run in there screaming and make the zoo close the exhibit? Have I been missing a trick all these years? Could I have been making idiots pander to my wishes all this time?

I have a dog. It is not allowed off its lead in public spaces.Ever.

She's a daft little thing, but you cannot trust any dog, especially when confronted with squealing children. Even small dogs look huge to a toddler.

So, yes, YABVVU

So children shouldn't go to parks in case there's a dog off lead? Ffs.

I concur with BMW about the glue.

YABU.

A fear of dogs can be real and petrifying. And dog owners saying "he's very friendly" makes buggerall difference.

OK, you were in a park where dogs are allowed off the lead, but to say that a parent shouldn't take a child to a park??????

VVVVVVVVU

I have a 13 week old puppy who is very friendly, wants to meet everyone, will bound up to everyone and anyone and jump at them.

To a child this would be very frightening so she's on her lead unless there's no one around.

My DD is petrified of dogs. As a 3 year old she was walking with my mother in the woods when a bull terrier type dog came running and jumping up bareing its teeth as they do, no owner in sight. That experience really scared her. When she rides her bike to school ( she is now 6) she steers so wide around an oncoming pup she almost ends up in the road!

We now encourage her whenever we can, with the owners permission to pet any dogs when out and about as het fear is slightly irrational.

However im sick and tired of the standard " oh, they ate only playing" comment you get. Sod the fact it has nipped and scratched you or muddied your clothes.

Why should i not take my child to a place where dogs may be as op suggests? Im trying to help her fear but surely a dog shouldnt just bound over?

Although i dont think you should have allowed your dog to approach the tot i do think the other parents reaction was OTT!

sorry can't be arsed to check , has the op been back or just dropped her bomb and run ? :)

No, a parent with a dog fearful child shouldn't take a child to a Dog Park. A parent with a dog fearful child should take their child to a park without dogs, or, if they have to go to a dog park (yuk, all that poo trace on toddler shoes) then they should be with their child. This child came round a corner on her own.

But it hardly matters does it, OP won't be back. After her pasting, did anyone really think OP would return?

But hey, let's all carry on piling in, I mean, everyone enjoys that, right?

It wasn't a dog park, it was just a park.

Lteve, posters are more debating between themselves now I think. Not piling on the Op.

Children that are scared of dogs with no real reason are so tiresome, and so are the parents that pander to it.

Just as tiresome as the owners of the shitty mutts that run up to you off the lead, amid cooing of, "oh he doesn't bite you know, he's just trying to being friendly", as the filthy thing covers you in mud.

And yes, just a park. Where controlled dogs are allowed off the lead. Not a specific dog park.

A dog park? What the heck is that. Round here we just get parks, y'know, for everyone to enjoy.

Lizzy Controlled dogs. The OP's dog wasn't controlled.

Lizzy, we don't actually know that. As I said, in my area any park where the signs say dogs are allowed off leads is a designated Dog Park. It could be the same in the OPs area (OP could even live on my street, we have a glut of Spaniels here )

OP isn't going to confirm, because no-one will listen to her in any case. T'was ever thus.