Dogs on buses near babies

[FireLamp]

Just to be clear, this isn't a goady thread about dogs and I don't hate dogs. Interested in others opinions as I have to take the bus daily!

I think owners should keep them away from prams and only take them on buses if there's plenty of space! AIBU?

Today, coming back from a long walk at a local beauty spot, someone plonked their husky-type dog right next to DS in his pram (pram was in the area with fold-up seats, 2 other prams opposite). As dog was on eye level with 10-month DS I asked him to move the dog. He assured me dog 'won't hurt him' but I said I'd rather not take the risk thanks, especially as DS will try to grab anything furry and interesting. He reluctantly moved dog into the aisle, where it meandered around on the end of a long lead, sniffing people and getting in everyone's way.

I've had similar with someone's dog licking my ankle on the bus, owner didn't seem to think it mattered

Did I overreact or AIBR to think dogs should be kept on a short lead on buses, sitting next to their owner, away from babies/small children?

NavyandWhite - it doesn't sound at all preposterous to me, I would be LIVID. And a little nauseous too.

If a dog is going to react at a pram, child or any other passenger it shouldn't be on a bus, but if its sitting quietly on a lead at its owners feet I see absolutely zero issues.

The kinds of dogs/owners I tend to see in London are the ones you'd probably worry about. There are quite a few service dogs & little dogs that fit in laps and cause no issue whatsoever, but otherwise, I see a lot of young aggressive men paying the dog no attention whatsoever.

I would be perfectly happy to leave my lab in a room with a baby, I just wouldn't expect the giant softy to stay there, he'd probably follow me!
If he did stay in the room and the baby started touching him in a way he didn't want (possibly at all if he didn't know the child), he'd get up and leave the room!

Though I also wouldn't leave a baby totally unattended in a room where they could touch anything they wanted. In their cot, playpen or with another adult, sure.

By the time a child is old enough to be left unsupervised without sticking their fingers in sockets/pulling things over, or risking hurting themselves they are old enough to know to leave the pets alone.

One extreme - dogs are beautiful angels and their licks are just cutesy kisses, they're all lovely and their teeth are cotton wool (not true!!)

Other extreme - dogs should be exterminated (not fair!!)

I see lots of highly defensive posts that lean towards the top and that aggressively suggest that the other posters are suggesting the lower option. They're not.

Some dogs hurt people. I don't remember hearing of a baby/young child killing a dog. That is where the commonsense view originates from - dogs can hurt!

Personally not leaving babies or children unattended with a dog has nothing to do with not trusting the dog, it's about not trusting the child. Either because they are too young, or because they haven't been brought up to respect animals.

One of Dd's friends has sn, but not of a nature that makes dog prodding more likely than for a nt child. From reception age (when dd met her) she could be trusted to treat dogs with respect. Never asked her mum exactly what age this started, presumably earlier as most parents trust their dc with family dogs long before they do with new ones. By contrast their is one particular family of nt dc that have so little respect that I wouldn't let even the secondary age one in the same room as mine. My dogs have always had access to dc free spaces, so when they've had enough they can get away. If someones brat then follows them and continues to hurt them, unfortunately they'd only have to growl for pfb mum to be insisting they were put down. They've so far given away two dogs who were supposedly bad with kids, and had 3 cats rehome themselves, again because they hated dc. Luckily for other animals, she's now decided pets can't be trusted. Because of course animals, along with the rest of the planet should just put up with anything they do.

Thank goodness most dog owners aren't like some of the unpleasant snide sarky posters on this thread.

Sarcasm doesn't alter the fact that dogs should be under control in public and that people, especially babies, matter more than pets.

In the real world people know that.

MistressPage what do you think thousands and thousands of parents did a few years ago? When my DS were 'buggy/pram' age we had "get on bus with baby in pram, fish baby out, hold wriggling baby with one arm, get changing bag out from under buggy, ditto bags of shopping, find somewhere to put them, fold pram with one hand" as buses didn't have spaces for prams not to be folded!

It is generally a lot easier to move a dog than my disabled child with or without his wheelchair. And yes some children and adults do have very little understanding. They still have a right to be out in public and to be safe.

Cricketballs that must have been a right pain in the bum! Thank goodness we don't have to do that anymore as some clever person invented buggy spaces!

It's really easy to stop your child grabbing a dog

Not a curious 10-month-old, when the dog is sitting right next to his pram. Short of strapping his arms down or holding his hands the entire way! There wasn't room to turn the pram backwards, it was sideways so he was facing the window and I was standing behind him in the aisle (having given up my seat to an elderly lady) and I'd left a seat/space free. I don't think it's very safe to take him out of pram and hold him on 1 hip on a bumpy bus, when I need to hold on with the other hand. And no, I wasn't in the wheelchair space (our buses have a wheelchair space and a pushchair space). Obviously if I were in the wheelchair space I would fold or get off if it was needed by a wheelchair user. But I'm not getting off or folding to accommodate an animal!

Interesting that many dog owners feel dogs should be restrained/kept away from babies on buses. Glad to know it's not just me being neurotic! I'm nervous of dogs but it seems common sense to keep them away from infants in a confined space.

How is it relevant to compare dogs to rabbits? I have never heard of a rabbit attacking, yet dog attacks are commonplace and on the rise.

You've never heard of a rabbit attacking?

They do but if newspapers reported that, they would be laughed out of business

Did they mistress? Or do you mean some clever people suffering discrimination campaigned for wheelchair spaces? I know some buses also have a buggy space too, but that only came about as a result of the latter, and many buses have no buggy space, just a wheelchair one.

Rabbits are little shits for biting!

And the back leg scratching. That bloody hurts too

Actually I have been attacked by a rabbit (my childhood pet who hated having his nails clipped). What I meant is they don't attack unprovoked and if they bite they cause minimal damage compared to a dog.

I feel it's normal to want to keep a vulnerable baby away from an unknown dog. I'm also a bit shocked that some dog owners feel their dog has the same rights as humans to use the bus.

Perhaps the answer is a 'all dogs must be muzzled' rule for public transport, that way we can all co-exist safely and peacefully. Dogs could sit next to babies and parents don't need to fear the baby being bitten. Genuine question for dog owners: why would you object to muzzling your dog on the bus if it gives people peace of mind?

I appreciate dog owners need to use the bus to get to vets, appointments, countryside etc. I also need to use the bus to get to nursery, work, doctors, shops etc.

Can you not understand how scary it is for many people to sit next to a large unrestrained animal?

You've never heard of a rabbit attacking unprovoked?
I must have some weird rabbits then! ( or very normal ones)

Not all dogs are large. It's not always the large ones that are either badly behaved, viscous or loud. Why are they unrestrained? Is a lead not a restraint?

I wouldn't touch a dog I didn't know. If I was bothered I'd get off the bus and wait for the next one.

Dogs do have a right to be on a bus.

If I had a badly behaved dog I wouldn't take it on a bus. I wouldn't muzzle a fig that didn't need it. If it needed it, I wouldn't take it on a bus.

I've met more people I didn't like than dogs I didn't like.

No Lurked I meant specifically buggy spaces. I don't use wheelchair spaces because they're for wheelchairs :)

Yes I would object.

I used to live in an area where the mini cab firms refused to take pets. Not even cats in carrier cases. To say dogs shouldn't be allowed on buses is unfair when it may be someone's only means of transport.

However, I do think dogs should be kept on a short lead and under control though. Letting a dog wander around licking people is unreasonable.

I have a guide dog.
We use buses.
Prams are often near us.
CandyDog has a penchant for licking feet.
I'm not going to always see that she's done it.
She will also eat a manky biscuit off the bus floor that a child has dropped and a parent has not picked up. Or chewing gum stuck under a seat. Not helpful.

The guy who let his dog roam was irresponsible.

But a dog licking your foot? Get over it. Really. It's not a big deal in the grand scheme of things is it? I don't have the energy to even get a tiny bit worked up about that.

Mistress they are not wheelchair spaces. They are for people who have disabilities who need additional assistance.
Not having a pop at you personally. But just pointing out that disabled isn't just wheelchairs.

Your dog could have just eaten his own shit, or licked his genitals for all I know. No, a lick is not going to kill me, but I am allowed to feel thoroughly disgusted about it and not want your dog licking me or my children.

As for controlling a child as we expect a dog to be controlled - a young child can't bite someone to death. Extreme, sure, but not unheard of, and for me it's not a risk I'll take.