To have told this woman to take her kid somewhere else to play?

[KeepingOnAndOn]

We live on a very large private housing estate. It has a vast number of kids parks, little sports fields and safe places to play. It also has a couple of designated dog walking areas.

Naturally I take my dog to the dog walking areas - one in particular I like as it's away from houses, away from roads, is surrounded by trees and is a good mucky, mini wilderness for my dog to go nuts in.

I can let him off his lead here as we're normally the only ones there and if not, it's just other adults with dogs which he's fine with. If he sees a child, he will run up to them and beg for attention which is why I don't take him around the kiddy areas.

Anyway we've had no problem with this for over a year now. Until last week he was off happily exploring the wooded area when he caught a glimpse of a woman, little kid and remote control car. As they get closer he sees the car and immediately goes chasing after it, the kid screamed, the woman freaked out and the dog pounced on the car and sent it flying. I managed to grab him, apologised, picked up the car and checked it over and all was well (apart from the kid telling his mum that he doesn't like "that" stupid dog 🙄).

Tonight - same area and what comes flying through the trees but this remote control car. Dog goes nuts trying to chase it, kid screams - I grab dog before the car gets it. At this point the woman says "can't you keep that dog on a lead? My son is scared of dogs and it's putting him off coming here!" 😳 I say "you realise this is a dog walking area? That's why he isn't on a lead. There are loads of kids play parks around and only two dog walking areas". She replies "well he doesn't like playing there as the other kids get in the way of his car, this is a nice open space for him. If you kept your dog controlled it wouldn't be a problem!".

So to this I said I would not be prepared to keep my dog on a lead in what is a designated dog area, lots of dog owners use the area to let their dogs off the lead and if it's a problem for her she shouldn't use it!

She stormed off ranting on about shitty attitudes, people who put dogs before kids and selfish idiots.

I refrained from calling her the stupid loony cow that she so obviously is.

AIBU to think she's bat shit crazy to suggest her kid takes priority in a DOG WALKING area??

Well you never know what's going to attack your child.

I've come close to biting one that repeatedly twatted my ankles with its scooter in Wilkos. However my mother successfully recalled me away from the situation by proffering jelly beans before any harm was done.

Also the area is very popular with foxes. I can't imagine wanting to take my kid to play in a fox poo smeared area personally but there you go!

I don't think it matters that it's a dog walking area or not - if your dog doesn't have solid recall, it needs to be on a lead.

Yes, the mother shouldn't really be letting her kid play in a dog-walking area, but what happens when there's a toddler out with their mum/dad walking the dog, and the dog doesn't come back when you call?

mad congratulations! You win the internet.

Yes of course I have but the compulsion to chase is strong in some breeds. I ensure I leash them around livestock for example, because I don't believe any dog is failsafe, regardless of training. However research also shows a strong relationship between a lack of off-lead exercise and the development of behaviour problems in dogs so owners have a responsibility to provide good welfare through appropriate exercise - it's a balance.

I also don't believe that a dog which doesn't immediately recall is 'dangerously out of control' as some posters have implied. And yes I think it's entitled for a parent to take her child to a council designated dog walking area and complain about dogs when she has multiple other options. Like I said - it a balance - OP doesn't take her dog to the kids play park - she's not unreasonable to exercise her dog in the council-designate area

An Akita isn't a big dog?? Are we on the same planet?

mad congratulations! You win the internet.

Funny how everyone on MN has a dog that's trained better than Lassie yet when you go out you see a multitude of badly trained dogs. Obviously MN is populated by Barbara Woodhouses.

I'm not sure my dog wouldn't give chase if surprised by a remote controlled car.

Its a bit like going to the local woods and expecting people to keep their dogs on a lead.

YANBU.

I am going to start a new signposting business - I think it will make me seriously minted. I am going to sell signs saying 'Post box' to affix to post boxes, signs saying 'dropped kerb' to put on every section of dropped kerb on every road in the uk, signs saying ....well, the possibilities are literally endless [struggling to contain my excitement]

I guess you're screwed near the OP if you like walking but neither have a kid or own a dog?

Round here a huge proportion of dog owners are irresponsible, lots of Staffies etc or status dogs that are poorly cared for and posed with. Often changing hands a lot, teased, even poorly treated to toughen/ make them look harder or meaner to pose with on silly chains. I can't trust that the dog wants a friendly hello if they run up to the children, and I've seen or read enough incidents to know I'm being practical rather than hysterical.

Many responsible owners are either blind to this locally or forget it's the experience of others. It's why some people are on the attack, just as many dog owners are at the reaction they get.

Yanbu OP.

My dog has awesome recall, but a remote control car roaring out of the undergrowth would have him off like a shot! And certainly isn't what you expect in a dog walking area. Regardless of signage she lacks common sense.

Apologies, you are right, I confused them with the Shiba.

May I be the first to ask you for a map and diagram illustrating the DDWA (dedicated dog walking area)?.

Oh and all the other little play parks too please?

YADNBU, as others have said, that woman is self-entitled and shouldn't bring a child who is scared of dogs there.

YABU I'm a dog owner but if you can't recall your dog it shouldn't be off the lead.

I thought for a moment this was going to be Aibu about me. After I spoke with the man who had tied the children's play area gate shut with his dogs lead and was exercising his dog in the play area! There was no child present.

It frustrates me that there aren't clearly fenced off signposted areas for dog exercising, if this had been the case obviously YANBU but it wasn't.
i'm still a bit about the man in the children's play area, and could fully understand a dog owner feeling the same about a toddler in clearly signed and fenced dog area without a dog.

To the poster who questioned their position should you like walking but have neither a dog nor a child ...

I would imagine you wouldn't be charging through the woods with a remote control car if you were out on your own and therefore, my dog wouldn't care less about your presence.

YABU your dog should be under control at all times. Teach him recall and stop scaring children.

If it's not a designated dog park YABU. If you can't control your dog it should be on a lead regardless of where you are anyway. How big is your dog? Sorry if I missed that if already put. If it's a big dog and a fairly small child just imagine what it looks like to them. Prob the equivalent of what a bear looks like to you size wise. Imagine that bounding towards you.
So mother has every right to be angry if you don't have your dog under control in a public park .

YADNBU she's a bloody idiot and not teaching her son a very good lesson,other children get in the way no shit Sherlock,it's very unlikely that she'll find anywhere that is 100% perfect for her DS to use his remote controlled car but using it in a place where people walk they're Dogs and let them of the lead has got to be the most stupid place to go especially if her son is frightened of Dogs.

Tell her to put her fucking kid on a lead!

OP- does the fact that even 99% of dog-owners on the thread think you are being U not make you stop and give your head even the tiniest wobble? Not even a liddle biddy bit?

And your sentence "I for one am not going to stop bla-de-bla because of an entitled woman who thinks she owns the place bla-de-bla" is even funnier because you don't even see the irony.

YABU.

As the owner of two stubborn mule hounds with almost an impossible to train out of them chase drive: who cares what area - designated or otherwise, who cares what object the dog is chasing after and who cares what fox poo covered quagmire that kid likes playing in; if you can't call your dog back, he shouldn't be off the lead.