No dogs in school playground. Is it ok to carry your dog in?

[LtEsmeHansard]

As long as they don't touch the ground?

Lots of parents with dogs at our school - mainly small ones - we are in a large city. It's right next to a busy road too so can't really leave them outside. Some used to tie them up in a corner of the playground but now the caretaker patrols that area to prevent it, so some parents are now carrying their small dogs in. I have not by the way, my routine doesn't necessitate taking my dog on the school run. Just seen a parent be asked by the deputy head not to carry her small breed dog in as the rule is "No Dogs" on school premises - but the reasoning for this has always been unhygienic in school playground. If dog doesn't touch ground then not unhygienic surely? So no harm done. Anyway thought I would put it to MN as it's something that I have idly wondered about over the school run years

Our school has a no dogs policy and as a result there are about 10 yappy dogs going mad tied to the lamp post (which is about 3 feet from school gate)

I hate people trying to make an exception for themselves and then getting annoyed when they are told they are breaking the rules. It is like turning up at a child free wedding with your children in tow and saying "it's fine, I've gagged them and will carry them around, so no problems there!"

There are a few very inconsiderate, irresponsible dog owners who feel it is fine to let their dogs bound around the play area in peak times in my local park because the rules somehow don't apply to them.

Back in the real world these options aren't always that easy or affordable for some people. I'm a dog owner and lucky that I can walk them during the day but I've known dog owners struggling to juggle getting their DC to school, walk the dog before going off to work. Some people don't have the luxury of having a dog walker and try to fit walking the dog whilst doing the school run.

I would struggle everyday to find time to walk a dog several times and incorporate that around family life. So we don't have a dog. If I could get up before 6:45am to walk dog and have time every evening and have a plan for what I would do when I was sick/ on holiday/ etc then I would have a dog.

The solution is not to break the school rule.

No dogs in our primary school, and the gates are some way from the doors where children are let out, too far for the teacher to hand over the child (compulsory in KS1). Some people leave their dog tied up, some leave them in cars, some pair up so one minds the dogs and the other picks up the children. To be honest, there is so much open space in the playground where pickup happends that it probably wouldn't be a problem if they were let in, but I suspect the reason they are not is that the field is open and some people might think it OK to let the dog have a little run on it while they were waiting, then they might use it as a toilet.

Totally different at my DS's secondary, dogs are on site at pick up time (rural and many are picked up by car), during Sports Day or other events on the field, some teachers bring theirs to work.

I do wonder why most dog owners are written off as antisocial arseholes on MN when in my experience every dog owner I know is on high alert and entirely responsible when out with their dogs ensuring they're not making a nuisance of themselves. I know there must be some out there for people to think like this but it just doesn't match my experience in RL.

Navy What happens in your area, populated by the very rare wonderfully considerate dog owners with impeccably behaved dogs, is irrelevant. The OPs school says no dogs which is really quite clear.

You only have to read umpteen threads on MN to know there are many inconsiderate dog owners.

Why do people always assume rules do not apply to them?

I love dogs but I get really fucked off with people leaving their dogs tied up at the school gate. The dogs look miserable as sin, you can see the noise is stressing them out. Usually that's the only walk they have all day as well.

Its not that they're anti-social. Its that they think the rules don't apply to them. A lot like parents think their child is an angel that can do no wrong, dog owners are also like this - what they see as normal doggy behaviour, cuteness or in some instances thinking something is 'okay' and 'not that bad' is awful behaviour.

For example dogs jumping up can scare children but owners say ''Aww, he's just saying hello!''. The same way that parents who say 'don't stroke a strange dog' to their children and are then undermined by the owner who says its fine.

I say all of this as someone who owns little dogs, not fur babies.

Why do people always assume rules do not apply to them? 

It's human nature to question rules surely otherwise we'd just be compliant unquestioning robots. Mind you that might have been handy considering this mornings election result.

No dogs surely means no dogs! Otherwise it would be no dogs on the ground

Sexdrugsandsausage roll, it sounds as though the chaos outside your school was caused more by poor organisation rather than dogs tied up on railings.

every dog owner I know is on high alert and entirely responsible when out with their dogs ensuring they're not making a nuisance of themselves.

Now if every dog owner was like that, I'm sure that there wouldn't be rules banning dogs from school playgrounds and the like.

Unfortunately, there's a number of dog owners happy to leave dog shit all over the place, let dogs run around off the lead, regardless of whether the dog's running up to people and making themselves a nuisance. There's at least one dog owner near me who frequently lets their dog roam around loose out on the streets without any supervision at all.

I expect the HT's of schools banning dogs have come across too many of these inconsiderate owners to trust that all dog owning parents are considerate dog owners.

That's awful. Parents really should teach their children not to stroke dogs without the owner's permission.

That sounds close to victim blaming. Especially for primary age children.

I'm not in any way blaming the victim lurking. Children should be taught not to stroke dogs-I totally stand by that.

No dogs means no dogs. On foot or in arms.

It's a clear rule and easy to understand. Our local primary asks that dogs are tied to railings outside the school, and not right next to the gate. Yes, they had to add the '5m away from the gate' (or whatever the distance was) because people tied their dog to the gatepost meaning the dog was guarding the gate, terrifying half the children, and barking at every other dog. Some - probably the minority - dog owners really are that stupid and selfish. That's why you have to have the rules. Because some people are dicks.

No

But people do have dogs when their situation isn't ideal. I would rather someone try and fit in a walk to and from school than their dog not having a walk at all.

I would rather nobody had pets at all but what you and I would rather happen is irrelevant.

every dog owner I know is on high alert and entirely responsible when out with their dogs ensuring they're not making a nuisance of themselves.

You don't live near me! Agree - no dogs means no dogs. In fairness, I also believe that no children means no children (so, no, not a baby in a car seat) and no smoking means no smoking (so, no, it's not okay if you stand near the window and puff outwards).

every dog owner I know is on high alert and entirely responsible when out with their dogs ensuring they're not making a nuisance of themselves.

Really? About every third dog owner I come across thinks it's fine for their dog to jump up at me/the kids because "they are just being friendly" And vast numbers apparently think it's fine to let their dogs shit everywhere as long as they bag it and hang it in a hedge

BarbarianMum. I think you do live near me....My experience of dog owners is exactly the same.

Ha ha I'll tell my parents they were to blame then when I got bitten on my face by an alsation when I was 8.

What a load of shit, every dog bite is the dog and the owners fault not the victim.

I'm not in any way blaming the victim lurking. Children should be taught not to stroke dogs-I totally stand by that.

So, a child who gets bitten needs to blame their parents ? Not the dog. Not the dog owners. The parents ?

Or do I misunderstand ?