Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to be upset with the woman with dog in a playground

134 replies

MumOnAShortFuse · 27/10/2015 13:29

I was walking my dog at a local area that has a popular playground. It has a strong swing gate in it that has a very obvious sign that quite clearly states no dog by way of a nice little picture of a dog with a red line through it. At least, I thought that the sign made it obvious. I saw a woman with her kid and her dog in the playground whenI drove past to park. As they were still in there 15mins later (with said dog off his lead and running about on, and jumping on and off,some of the play equipment that has a platform on) I approached her and advised her she shouldn't have the dog in there. I've got 2 DD and I often don't take them in there as there is dog poo in there.
They were the only ones in there and she was insistent it was ok as she had bags with her.
I pointed out this wasn't good enough and if it said no dogs, it means no dogs whether they've pooed in there or not. If we know we're going to the playground, my dog stays at home. If it's been spontaneous, he gets tied up to the railings on the outside of the park.
She didn't like this pointed out and seemed to feel I was being unreasonable. Thoughts?

OP posts:
Lauren1983 · 27/10/2015 16:44

YANBU at all. Well done for saying something.

There may well have been people put off using the park because the dog was there.

ptumbi · 27/10/2015 16:45

The main complaint is not dogshit. It is DOGS! Other peoples' dogs, however small, are not safe around small children. They are unpredictable (dogs I mean, though small dc as well) and it is the case that overexcited dogs, and small children, do not mix. It is dangerous.

The sign did not say 'dogs must be carried'. It said NO DOGS! That actually means yours too, even if small, even if carried, even if the quietest, meekest, calmest dog in the world. Yes, it does mean yours!
Tie it up outside. I do with mine.

Dog shit is only part of it.

Adamsapple · 27/10/2015 17:27

OK Ptumbi, you can look down at me from your high horse, I will look down on the people who let their dogs shit in play areas and those people don't give a flying fuck anyway.
I'll step out now.

ptumbi · 27/10/2015 17:32

Adams - can't you see that you are as bad as any other person who lets their dog into a NO DOGS area? Doesn't matter that your dog is carried, or muzzled, or in nappies. No dogs, means NO DOGS.

I;m not looking down at you from my high horse. i am looking down on you because like so many other dog owners, you think NO DOGS doesn't apply to you.

'Those people who dont give a flying fuck'? That's you.

dodobookends · 27/10/2015 17:35

We were in a playground once, and had been there a while when someone came in with their dc's and a boisterous dog which she let run around the playground off the lead. DD was scared of dogs at the time (still is a bit) and wanted to leave.

I 'accidentally' held the gate open slightly too long, and the dog shot out of the gate and ran off at high speed.

Whoops!

SirChenjin · 27/10/2015 17:38

Ya by - no dogs means no dogs. Drives me mad - I have lost count of the number of times we've been in a dog free park only for owners to let their dog run round the place.

SirChenjin · 27/10/2015 17:39

Yanbu!

Topseyt · 27/10/2015 17:50

No dogs means just that. No dogs.

I am a dog owner. People who ignore this simple instruction, as well as failing to clear up in too many cases as well, get the rest of us responsible dog owners a bad name.

There is absolutely no need to take the dogs into a play area. My dogs used to be perfectly happy sitting just a few feet away from us tied to the fence on the outside of the play area. I could see them and they could see us. No problem at all.

rumbleinthrjungle · 27/10/2015 17:58

Another dog owner here, agree with every word Topseyt said. If you see a sign saying 'no parking' it says 'no parking'. Not 'no parking unless it suits you to park here and you think your circumstances are special'. You follow the rules or get a parking ticket.

No excuse, and yes those people need challenging and embarrassing. YADNBU.

trixymalixy · 27/10/2015 18:05

YADNBU, some dog owners can be so selfish.

Senpai · 27/10/2015 18:27

YANBU.

Dogs can carry worms. You can scrap shit up all you want, it doesn't stop children from playing and putting their hands in their mouths where the shit once way. Kids put their mouths on everything, everything. While I know there's germs everywhere, I think minimizing the chance of dog piss/shit in their mouth would be nice.

Dogs aren't the problem here though, it's the entitled owners who think the rules don't apply to them. Part of owning a dog is understanding that there are places you can't take them, and being responsible enough to listen to that.

You don't need to own a dog, you don't "accidentally" happen to get a dog in your life like you would a child, nor are you bound to the same obligation as you would be with a child. So if you choose to get an animal then you accepting and choosing to alter your lifestyle a bit to accommodate that up to and including getting home on time to walk it and take care of it, and leaving it at home if you can't take it with you. It's that simple.

LarrytheCucumber · 27/10/2015 18:28

It isn't just the poo. Dogs can be frightening to children and if it is a dog-free area then no dogs should be in it.

BastardGoDarkly · 27/10/2015 18:45

I'm a dog owner and massive dog lover. We live right next to the park. My dog, who is exceptionally well behaved, would love to come and just sit with us while the kids play in the park. After his walk, no chance of having a crap. I STILL never take him, never.

The two tiny dog owners opposite the park, are always talking theirs in there, and more than a few times my children have got dog shit on their hands/shoes/clothes. It pisses me off no end. I don't know that it's these little dog owners, or someone else, but it's some selfish bastard who gives not one fuck about children and their right to play on clean grass.

So, even though I wouldn't have stopped the car and got out and said something YWNBU to do so Flowers

ptumbi · 27/10/2015 19:03

And that's the thing - the dog owners who say 'but I'm carrying it' and 'he won't crap or pee' and 'he hasn;t got fleas/lice/ticks'. NO DOGS doesn't apply to them, because ....

KatieLatie · 27/10/2015 19:05

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

PlymouthMaid1 · 27/10/2015 19:09

Another dog owner here saying YANBU. Wouldn't dream of taking my dog in there.

lashawn · 27/10/2015 19:12

Yanbu and well done for challenging her.

My 4yo is frightened of dogs and wouldn't go in a playground if there was one there. No dogs means no dogs.

Choughed · 27/10/2015 19:21

Well done OP.

I have a dog and a DC. Dog stays tied up outside playground. No brainer.

I can't stand people who think perfectly reasonable rules don't apply to them.

Hurr1cane · 27/10/2015 19:34

When I have DS and DPs dogs, I let DS go on the park and I walk the dogs around the fenced off area while watching DS. Then again, I wouldn't control the anyone if my DS wasn't actually on the park either. If he was on the park I would have said something because he's terrified of dogs, it's only DPs he doesn't mind and that's taken a lot of work.

Hurr1cane · 27/10/2015 19:53

Oh and Adams it is causing harm if a child is scared of dogs and you are causing them distress by having your dog where dogs are not allowed. Oh and before you say that it's the parents fault that children are scared of dogs, it's not. I'm not scared of dogs, I've done EVERYTHING in my power to stop DS being scared but he's still terrified. I've managed to get him to be ok with individual dogs, with a lot of work, but he doesn't apply that to any other dogs at all.

ragged · 27/10/2015 19:57

Oh well, I vote YABU. I understand saying something is fine, but to pursue your point & insist on "rules" after she said she had bags was quite pushy.

I don't have a dog, I can despair of dog mess with best of them!

nameinlights · 27/10/2015 20:27

Yanbu. She was being very selfish. I'm scared of dogs so if I'd gone to a play area with dd to find someone there with a dog I would have had to turn back. Also dog poo is dangerous and disgusting and using bags to remove it still leaves traces.

WatermelonWomble · 27/10/2015 20:42

No, the playground is tarmac, not grass. I use the word playground when really all it is is an enclosed area of land with a set of goal posts in it. No-one ever uses it. (My house is next to it, and I work from home. The only people I've seen go in there are a gang of teens looking for somewhere to drink cheap cider.) IIRC the parish don't actually class it as a play area (so no signs. The new playground has signs and I'd never take my pup in there.)

ptumbi · 27/10/2015 21:03

Ragged - Have you RTFT? Or are you being deliberatley goady?

NO DOGS means NO Fucking DOGS! It doesn't mean NO DOGS unless you have bags. It doesn't mean NO DOGS unless they are carried. It means NO FUCKING DOGS!

Would you be ok with dogs in a hospital? In a bakery? In a school? Where would you like the 'rules' to actually be applied?

BumpTheElephant · 27/10/2015 21:06

I wouldn't have said anything coward but YANBU. She was probably the only one in there because nobody else wanted to go in due to the dog.
One of my children is terrified of dogs, if I saw one in the fenced play area I wouldn't take them in. Dogs and noisy kids running around don't really mix in my opinion.