Dear dog lovers/owners...

[INeedABiggerBoat]

A few tips for 'dog lovers':

• Don't leave your young children to pet a dog while you p* off to the loo or go to buy a pint, without checking with the dog's owners first. Dogs may not find your children as adorable as you do. Some dogs also bite children/when scared and I'm betting you won't be blaming yourself if that happens.
• It is not okay to feed a dog without its owners' permission - especially when you give the dog a small bone that could choke it/splinter in its throat. Unless you're happy for us to pass on the vet bill to you.

And one for dog owners:

• Whistling for your unleashed dog to follow you while you merrily cycle off home does not constitute 'having control' of your dog.

Any other tips to add, MN-ers?

Most rules about humans and dogs co-existing are sensible and logical.
It's a pity so many owners of children and dogs don't comply.

You can teach your child to behave round dogs all you like - but if a dog decides that it's going to be 'friendly' to whatever extent then no amount of child behaviour training is going to make a jot of difference.

Which is where a dog owner's definition of 'Under control' can differ from that of the person slobbered on, scrabbled at or trying to rescue food from a friendly attacker can differ.
Which is why I want leads to be compulsory in many areas where people and dogs come into contact, and designated areas where dogs can be unleashed.

Exactly, you don't understand what the problem is, and you are bewildered that some people might not want to be approached and bounced up at, or licked.
So lacking that empathy, you will not understand why some people dislike dogs that do so whilst their owners smile fondly and say 'Ahh bless'

Prettykitty I should have said to put the dog on the lead unless you are certain it won't approach the passing dog on the lead. My dog will chase small bouncy dogs so if we're approaching one I out him on the lead. What hacks me off is when the small dog is then allowed to approach my on lead dog. It sets back all my training. Also like a lot of dogs he'll growl when he's approached on the lead whereas he wouldn't if he were off lead (just chase) then the owners of the approaching dog then make comments about him being aggressive. Dogs on lead simply shouldn't be approached by other dogs and I don't think that the majority of dog owners understand this, especially the weekend only walkers.

Silly post alert!

Thing is you could say the same about most children couldn't you?

If for example your child was half a football pitch away from you could you get them to come back to you or could you catch them before they got into trouble? No on likes a random child running up to them and spoiling their enjoyment of a country park/helping themselves to your picnic/putting sticky fingers on your stuff/stealing your childs toys/scaring your Ddog so keep them under control.

Not everyone likes children

Not all children are well behaved

Pick up the litter your child drops we aren't visiting a rubbish dump

Not everyone wants to become responsible for the safety of your child if your child is so far away from you that you can't do it or if you can't be bothered as you're on your phone

Some children are far more bouncy/high energy/slightly rougher/at that stage where they don't play well with others or ignore their parents etc. You expect a bit of leeway from others if they make a mistake while they're learning? Dog owners may expect the same when they're trying to make good citizens out of their dogs.

In a shared public space a bit of give and take goes a long way ;-)

Dear dog owner, please actually train your dog, it is annoying when a your muddy pet jumps up on people, especially as bed quite a big dog.

It's not cute and I'm not really bothered if he's just saying hello.

Pick the poo up!

Don't let him lick your mouth after I've just seen him licking his arsehole. It's grim.

It's the potential, overlong. One minute walking quietly, the next it's in your face.
I have a huge DS who looks menacing.
If he was walking quietly close behind you along the long dark road from the station, many women would feel uncomfortable and unsettled by it. It's why he checks and crosses over if necessary.

everlong!
Not implying that you are being tedious or overlong at all. apologies.

I don't get the uptightness surrounding dogs out for a walk even if they do come over for a fuss

Precisely - as a dog owner you don't get it. As a non-dog owner I don't want dogs stopping me from going about my merry way on a walk with my friends. I don't want to have to fuss over slobby wet dogs every hundred metres. I don't want to have to tell my DCs that it's OK, that dog thats barking in front of you, running around in circles, jumping up and down is just 'being friendly'. It's not being friendly, it's being a PITA. I don't expect you to have to stop and fuss over my children, I don't want to have to do the same to your mutt.

Yeah, the comparison with children needs to be put to rest once and for all.

Having a family life, including children, is an actual human right (HRA 1998 cf ECHR article 8). So that means the rest of us have to put up with the noise and other inconvenience they might cause (within reason of course, etc.)

Not so with dogs, at all.

Everlong I see your point about a dog off-lead that's just walking along being a dog. However if you get one owner walking his dogs off-lead in a shared space, then you'll have another and another.

And then pretty soon you have a situation like the one in my town's public park: all the lovely grassy fields are used as dog-runs/toilets whilst the kids play in a little penned-in area. And no one even tries to have a picnic. You've got to agree that's just awful.

Dear dog lovers, please note: my off road parking space is NOT a dog's lavatory, where you think you can let your mutts poo without picking the stinking stuff up and bagging it. You have been warned: having just cleared up the latest reeking pile, I have now sprinkled chilli powder there. When dear Fido tries to sniff for a nice dumping ground he's going to get a nasty shock.

Stick that in your unused doggy poop bag and smoke it!

What is the exact problem with a dog coming over/walking past and maybe having a sniff at one of your children?

I give up.

So I'm out with a toddler and you don't see a problem with a strange dog approaching her?

This is why you "never see out of control dogs." And no, you can't class yourself as a responsible owner if you think that's okay.

I know you don't believe me everlong - you've explained this before on another thread. I've explained that I don't care if you don't believe me or not - it happens, as my posts (and plenty of others on here, including the excellent one by matilda) explain

You said, "coming over," which means "approach."

Those without dogs are fine with dogs roaming free.

How on earth do you know this?

I have now sprinkled chilli powder there. When dear Fido tries to sniff for a nice dumping ground he's going to get a nasty shock

Fucking hell. That is disgraceful. I do hope you are just posting for a reaction.

But the one I use is more for dogs than people.

Says who? Your entire community got together and decided this?

Or did the dog-owners just decide they deserved it more?

But the one I use is more for dogs than people

Does that mean the park is actually designated for dogs, or does it mean that it's been claimed by dog owners and no-one else is able to use it because they are sick of being bothered by dogs 'being friendly' and of standing in dog shit?