School have threatened to call the RSPCA.

[YappyYapster]

I've name changed for this as it's potentially quite identifying.

DC started school this term. The first few days we realised that lots of people walk their dogs to school and leave them outside the gate. I thought this was a great idea so we've been taking our dog for the past couple of weeks.

I soon realised she yaps the entire time she's left so have kept the time to a minimum, I literally wait until the door opens and then run in with DC and come back. Maybe three or four minutes at the very most. We only take her in the mornings.

Last week was lovely, I was so pleased at the great routine we were all in, DC loves walking with the dog so it makes the school run a pleasure, the dog gets a walk at the same time every day so is calm and relaxed at home the rest of the day.

Today was a disaster. I came back to find a lady with her dogs pursing her lips at me and saying 'that poor dog is so distressed'. I said, oh I know she's yappy but she's not distressed, but I am working on training her to be quieter'. She then gave me a bit of a lecture on separation anxiety and lots of (well meant I'm sure) advice on how to train her, much of which I'm already doing.

I decided then not to bring her for a while until I could train her to sit quietly. I was quite sad about it, but resigned.

Got home and a while later I had a phone call from the school. Apparently several parents have complained and if I bring her again school will call the RSPCA.

I explained that I had already decided it wasn't working to bring her and she kept speaking over me and saying it's not fair on the children or the other dogs (fair enough) and that it's cruel to let her bark and they will report me if I carry on.


I am MORTIFIED.

I spent the whole afternoon crying. Barely managed the school run this afternoon but did it by keeping my head down and not making eye contact with anyone.

I have MH difficulties so may be taking this more personally than it is. But I feel awful that people think I'm some awful abusive dog owner and I really don't want to ever go back there. Obviously I have to. It's a small village school and I think I've blotted my copybook with them forever.

Sorry for the length of this, if you've managed to get through it all I applaud you.

My AIBU is, was I unreasonable to take her in the first place? Would you consider a yappy little dog to be distressed enough to call the RSPCA?

[DoNotBlameMeIVotedRemain]

There are lots of yappy dogs at our school gate. It near a dog walking area. You're not supposed to leave them unattended but most people do. It annoys me a bit as some kids are nervous but not an RSPCA matter. Please don't give it another thought.

[Lunar1]

The rspca won't care, but it's not fair for children to have to go past a barking dog to get into school. It can be intimidating.

It will all be forgotten in a couple of weeks so don't worry about it.

[LoisWilkersonsLastNerve]

Not everyone likes dogs, some kids are scared so ywbu leaving a barking dog at the gate but I think its been blown way out of proportion! The RCPC have better things to do.

[LoisWilkersonsLastNerve]

RSPCA

[MabelSideswipe]

Blimey! There are three or four dogs that are tied up to the school fence every day at our school. At least two of them whine continuously...no one bats an eye. Well I do, because I don't like dogs and don't know why it is allowed when so many kids don't like them either but there you go.

[MrsTerryPratchett]

She's a jrt x chihuahua If you had tried to buy the most yappy dog, that's the dog you would have bought.

[ShelaghTurner]

We have so many dogs tied up outside our school that dd2 calls it the dog school. AFAIK no one has ever had a problem with them.

[duskonthelawn]

Is there plenty of space for people to get past without going near the dogs?
If it was really confined I could imagine it being hard with people who get nervous around dogs (I myself am very wary of dogs) but I can't understand how it's something to get really worked up about?

[YappyYapster]

Tbh I leave her quite far back from the gate on a short lead on a wide footpath. The rest of the dogs are all around the gate, which I would find much more intimidating if I didn't like dogs.

[2dogsonthesofa]

You've already decided to not take the dog along in the future, so you've done as they wanted. The RSPCA do not have the means to investigate all cases of real cruelty referred to them and would have no interest in a dog left at a school gate for a few minutes.once one person makes a fuss it always seems to me others will come along and jump on the bandwagon.You have done nothing wrong, nobody could possibly say the dog has seperation anxiety because she didn't much fancy sitting outside the school while her family all went into this strange place.I feel for you,and understand how those of us with certain mh problems will always feel in the wrong because someone else says so, but we're not you know, we're just living our lives, same as they are, we might make mistakes but so do they.

[SquawkFish]

RSPCA is probably overkill.

But, I would say this - anxious dogs are more likely to be the dogs that snap, or bite. So until she's ready, trained and OK with you leaving her briefly I'd be very, very careful where you left her tied up. That's not me having a go at you at all, it's just saying be careful.

Anxious, young dog, plus school gates where children are pouring in and out is probably not an idea situation. In a few months when she's used to everything and has settled into her skin then it may be OK.

[Aeroflotgirl]

I agree with you Yappy, there are dogs tied up near the gate, I just walk around them.

[purplefox]

DS is terrified of dogs, and there is nothing worse than having to walk past the yapping dog at the school gates, that could have very easily stayed at home.

[ROSY2016]

I don't know about dogs, but I can relate to this people's mentality. They always judge wrongly and think they know better than others. I can relate this incident to my Dc, when she throw a tantrum at school pick up time on the way home. I couldn't leave that place,because she was screaming and scratching me .after little while one lady was shouting from one of the house, "you have to leave this place now as she has to go work".

[Florene]

DISCLAIMER - I have no children and therefore no concept of current school rules

It sounds like your dog is a small one - can you not carry it whilst taking your child to the door? Maybe even put it in one of those trendy dog slings that seem to be all the rage now?

REMINDER - NO CONCEPT OF SCHOOL RULES

[KoalaDownUnder]

My AIBU is, was I unreasonable to take her in the first place? Would you consider a yappy little dog to be distressed enough to call the RSPCA?

No, and no.

Please don't feel awful - you haven't done anything terribly wrong, it just didn't work out. Calling the RSPCA was ludicrous, and there was no need for that woman to be so nasty.

[That1950sMum]

Yappy you have done nothing wrong and certainly shouldn't feel embarrassed.

The rude woman outside the school and the person who phoned you and was so aggressive are the ones who should feel embarrassed. They're barking (see what I did there?)

Try not to worry about it.

[Dontyouopenthattrapdoor]

Damn, I was REALLY hoping you were the woman in my village with the yappy little white thing that drives me mad, but you're not.

Some dogs cope, some don't. I have two dogs, one lies down docile as anything and one would never cope with a school run, so she never comes.

Chalk it up, let the mortification subside and move on. No one will know whose dog it was in a week.

[Beebeeeight]

I'd have complained to the school, not for the dog but that id think it was a risk to the kids.

[CrazyNameCrazyGuy]

RSPCA won't do anything.

How do you know your dog is just "yappy" once you are out of sight? Your dog could be in extreme distress, trying to follow you and straining at the leash, getting itself tangled up etc? I would hope that most dog owners can tell the difference between a yappy dog and one that is showing distress.

To the PP who said the dog would have separation anxiety at home, it wouldn't appear that has previously been the case? There's a difference between leaving a dog in an environment it is used to with the ability to remove itself from danger and one that is tied up outside an unfamiliar school with unfamiliar dogs and children around it.

Overall it does sound like an overreaction, however, if the school had numerous complaints then they have to act. Clearly the other dogs don't behave in the same way as yours so they perceive that it is a problem.

With the number of dogs being stolen these days I personally wouldn't leave a pet tied up out of eyesight even just for a few minutes. Dogs have gone missing outside shops when left for similar timescales.

[GiddyOnZackHunt]

They've totally overreacted. You tried it. It didn't work. The RSPCA aren't going to waste their money on a non neglected dog yapping for 5 minutes. The school have been officious and silly.
Don't let it ruin YR or any other year.

[Cherryskypie]

It seems very OTT to threaten to call the RSPCA (and bloody naive to think they'd care.) I do think that a dog that's left and barks is showing that it's very unhappy to be left and shouldn't be left.

[Joanna0685]

Don't stress you have done nothing wrong. It is nice for you all to walk together to school and if your dog does indeed experience separation anxiety it would be worse for he/she to be left at your house alone while you were doing the school run. I have a Puggle I bought her, she was not a rescue dog but she had major issues with this for about the first month we got her, she eventually calmed down and now couldn't care if me or DH are here or not. Maybe just ask for a bit of patience from the moaning parents and school and say you are working on the issue. I am sure your dog will calm down once he/she realises you are coming back and understands the routine. It took about a month with mine. As for calling the RSPCA what horrible people, you are doing nothing wrong and if the other parents wanted to help maybe one of them could stay with your dog while you quickly went and picked up your child. Don't worry I know it is awful hearing them crying and what the other parents have been saying to or about you but hold your head high carry on bringing the dog to school and I am sure he/she will get used to it and it will all calm down very soon. Then they will look like the idiots.

[LadyConstanceDeCoverlet]

I'd be a bit sceptical about the statement that several people had complained, to be honest. I strongly suspect that it was Ms Bossy and maybe a couple of her mates who actually didn't give a toss but who had been wound up by her or strongarmed into supporting her. I also suspect that Ms Officious from the school was also exaggerating the number of complaints.