Dog ban outside school

[stivesholiday]

Recently our primary school has closed its gates to cars as our new head teacher wants to encourage as many of us to walk to school as possible.

Additionally, the new head teacher has changed the drop off and pick up rules, so that parents don't need to wait in the playground, they can do a quick wave goodbye and kiss in the morning. At the end of the day, as long as the teacher sees the parent waiting, the child can walk out of school.

Concurrently, there are a lot of people since the New Year that have gotten dogs. These factors combined mean that many more dogs are being walked to school as dog owning parents realise that if they walk the 20 mins to school and back twice a day, that it a fair chunk of their dog walking done; quite handy.

There are now around 15 dogs that are in the school area before and after school. They are not allowed in the playground, but the parents don't need to go in there anyway. So there are lots of dog owning parents waiting on the footpath behind the metal fence outside of school.

Some parents have complained that there are too many dogs at the school gate area and it is frightening for their children who are scared of dogs. These are not aggressive dogs, but many are puppies so are bouncy and they all want to play with each other.

I can see the perspective of the parents with small children that feel scared. They have put a petition together to ask the head to ban dogs from outside the school.

Am I being unreasonable to think that as long as the dogs are not in the school grounds, are not acting aggressively, are on a lead/under control, there is nothing that these parents can do, no matter what the petition?

I put my hands up to owning an 8 month old puppy. One mother asked me via Facebook to not walk my dog to and from school and I said no because I'm doing nothing wrong. I likened it to not wanting a strangers car parked outside your house but you can do nothing about it if they have paid their road tax.

I assume are family pets and therefore very safe with children

Read the statistics of dog attacks on children by family pets.

I do agree that bouncy, exciteable dogs can be worrying for small kids or even adults. I do think that the owners should take steps to ensure it doesn't happen. If you keep your dog on a really short lead it can't do anything apart from bounce straight up and down about 10cm distance.

Mine wouldn't even do that as he's well behaved out of the house. I do understand not all dogs are as well behaved but from a legal point of view I think there's a world of difference between some excitable dogs trying to greet each other and dogs lunging at people and acting aggressively.

You may well get an asbo for a group of dogs doing the latter but I doubt you would for the former. So I think talk of anti social behaviour is a red herring.

The school could ask parents not to have their dog on the pavement but I suspect the majority would feel as the school can't enforce it they're not going to change their behaviour. So the school and complaining parents are going to have to decide what's the lesser problem. Dogs on a narrow pavement on the public highway or dogs on school property away from kids.

Or not taking the dog at all is the third option.

But as I said people won't pay any attention to that as they'll think what they do on public right of way is nothing to do with the school.

Our village school asked parents not to tie their dogs to trees on the verge outside, which is not on school property. People ignore this. They're certainly not going to leave the dogs at home.

Very true. Some dog owners are selfish beyond belief.

Well I'd definitely be selfish then. Seeing as my dog behaves itself there is no way I wouldn't take it. Personally I think it would be very selfish and entitled of people to try and tell me I couldn't stand with a well behaved dog on a public pavement.

If there is a problem with individual dogs they need to look at those on a case by case basis.

A our school if the HT sent a note politely asking dogs to be kept away from school gates, and for dog walkers to consider others (in the way that she does re parking considerately), all but the most feckless, or arsey/militant dog-owners rights loonies would comply.

One dog = fine. 15 = not fine.

Everyone should be able to grasp that.

Also the stuff about not having time to do the school run AND walk the dog before work…..maybe those people shouldn't have a dog, if they don't have time to look after it properly.

I guess we're lucky at our village school there is space to stand well back from the gates so people already do. Sounds like for the OP there isn't that option.

Selfish parents at our school continue to park illegally on the zigzags outside the school. They zigzagged the road for about 500meters in either direction, it used to be just infront of the school.

People can't be arsed to walk so now park everywhere inc right outside. So its made it worse. Pcso issues tickets quite a bit but it still happens.

It sounds ridiculous! Of course a dog walker can wait on a public path for their child. Its completely legal and not within the head's jurisdiction.

I would suggest the dog-phobic-children be recognised as having a particular special requirement for which a reasonable adjustment could be made. Eg allowed into school 10 minutes early and be allowed to leave 10 minutes early/late. This is allowed for my friend's DC who struggles to cope with the hubbub of arrival and departure and needs a calmer environment.

OP good on you for having a PAT dog. I think it is such a wonderful cause.

But they do have the time to look after it properly, if they leave the house at 8:50 am.

Viva

I doubt the parents complaining even registered the calm well behaved dogs were there. However, loads of bouncy untrained dogs won't get trained in places that make them bouncy and excited, and it's not an ideal training environment as the parents are focused on their child coming out or other parents rather than their dog, I would suspect.

Courtesy is the key in this situation.

Ideally the HT asks nicely and the dog owners are kind enough to comply.

"Courtesy is the key in this situation.

Ideally the HT asks nicely and the dog owners are kind enough to comply "

I don't think this is quite in keeping with the spirit of the thread though HoneyDragon

The school walk is an entirely sensible time to walk dogs as it helps the children participate in an activity which is entirely about the welfare and needs of their dog.

I have no dog, am not a dog fan, am not a fan of whiny scared of everything children or their over-protective parents and on balance OP: YANBU.

Oh well, small rural school in my village. Kids are all used to animals. My large dog goes in the playground NOT EVEN on a lead. Clearly I am the antichrist.

I know someone who walks their ferret to school on a lead

But they do have the time to look after it properly, if they leave the house at 8:50 am

If someone only has time to walk their dog on the school run before going to work, the dog is being left alone for too long. If the parent is only at work for a couple of hours, they can walk the dog when they return from work and avoid school in-and-out times. Or they can get up half an hour earlier and walk the dog before the children get up (assuming there is another adult in the house). Or, if they work full-time they can pay for a lunch-time dog walker.

There are lots of options, and none of them involve putting an adult's wish not to be slightly inconvenienced over the welfare of a group of children and dogs.

I'd feel sorry for my dog not walking it even if I'm only going to be at work a couple of hours. Its been in the house all night, I want to walk him in the morning. Not shut him up till lunchtime and then walk him.

You're either being deliberately disingenuous or you shouldn't have a dog.

No-one is advocating shutting him up till lunchtime without the chance to stretch his legs and have a pee. You let him out in the garden first thing and play with him for a bit there (mental stimulation being as important as physical exercise) or you do as mentioned above and get up slightly earlier to take him for his morning walk.

I think it's ridiculous to say someone shouldn't combine the walk to school with a dog walk first thing -many parents at our school (including dog owners) drive their kids for the equivalent of a 20 min walk and killing two birds with one stone is much better than yet more badly parked cars. However, there isn't really a need to hang around outside the school gates in the morning is there? Can't you all just drop off and be on your way so you don't get the build up of dogs? Afternoons obviously a different issue.

Haha, with school aged children?
Can you imagine them being ready for an earlier walk than the school run

I am surprised it's not been raised out our school though tbh. Someone ties a very large breed to the main gate and I can imagine it does intimidate people and I am a dog person and the dog is lovely and well behaved but even I can see that's not the point

I can't see what you can do about dogs on the pavement though

Don't be silly. Of course if I couldn't walk him in the morning for some reason I'd let him in the garden.

I would think many mums of primary age kids can't get up earlier to walk the dog as they won't want to leave their kids home alone for an hour while they walk the dog.

But playing with him in the garden is never going to be as good as an hour long mainly off lead walk with other dogs to play with. Which is why I'm going to carry on meeting friends at 9am at the school gates and will do so no matter what the school say.

If it isn't causing a problem, then of course there is no reason not to combine the two. But in the OP's case it is causing a problem because so many people are doing it and the number of dogs plus the physical layout outside the school mean that children are being asked to walk through a large pack of dogs. In that situation the responsible and considerate thing to do would be to make alternative dog-walking arrangements pending a review of the dogs-banned-from-school-premises policy.

Owllady, I specifically mentioned that in a two-adult household, one parent could be walking the dog before the children get up, so no need to get them ready any earlier than is already the case.

But that's what I don't get - why the build up of dogs in the morning? Just drop and keep moving.