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??

YANBU. Tbh OP I'm quite impressed you managed to stay as calm as you did. I'd have probably told her that being in a designated dog area it's the child that should be kept on a lead not the dog , I know it's not something I should say but I can't help myself when people are not only stupid but they're also rude and ignorant with their stupidity.

Yanbu. Well done for saying something!

If there's no sign up, then it's not an official dog walking area - and the woman obviously doesn't think it is. I suggest you contact the council and ask them to put up some signs.

I used to have to walk to school along a footpath that I expect dog owners would have called "a dog walking area". People allowing their dogs to run up to me and situations like this:

A few of us dog walkers are meeting in there tomorrow and they will all be off leads and charging around a playing together (as they have done for months) so that should be fun for her if she turns up

...are the reason I had a dog phobia for years. If you can't stop your dog from running up to strange children even it needs to be on a lead in public places.

If you can't stop your dog from running up to strange children even it needs to be on a lead in public places.
But OP said that the dog comes back when called...

OP, YANBU.

Well isn't her little prince a precious little little snowflake, how will he survive in life not getting what he wants all the time. Too precious to play with the other children so every other living thing should move over!! It sems you were far more polite than I would have been. YANBU!

YANBU. Can you ask the council or whoever is in charge of the housing development to put up an official sign that the area is a dog park? That should avoid confusion and annoyance.

LumelaMme

In the OP, it says

" 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"

Doesn't sound like great recall!

I think you were both in the wrong, she's unreasonable to not expect dogs in an area that commonly used as a dog walk by locals, but I think you should expect children every now and then too.

If your dog can't be off lead without running up to children demanding attention (which has only ever been said to me when a randomers dog is jumping all over me) he needs to be trained to recall all the time, as there's many reasons a child could be in that field.

Lots of people walk dogs as a family and many parents would be annoyed at a dog running towards their child and ignoring owner call backs. Dd has used pull along toys when walking with our lab, sometimes a dog would go to have a sniff etc but their owner would call them back and they'd return instantly.

She is bat shit. I don't think anything needs saying beyond this.

Dogs and children should both be on leads.

You can practice recall training in your garden but as soon as a dog sees a squirrel/rabbit then their heads are only focused on one thing. No amount of recall training will matter hence why if there is an area for dog walking and a separate area for children then if your child is frightened of dogs then you don't take them in the dog walking area.

It is like insisting your child goes in the lions den rather than the petting zoo then complaining when little Johnny has lost an arm

I don't like the idea of a dog bounding up to a child, no matter the area. She wasn't being unreasonable to ask you to have your dog under control for this reason. No-one should be afraid to walk or play anywhere.

I don't think you can demand she take her child to another area, unless this one is designated for leash-off walking. Even then, the dog needs training before you can use it properly anyway.

all I'm thinking about is that remote control car's tyres and dog poo. yanbu!!

The woman was definitely BU. But I think YABalittleU too. Taking a kid who doesn't like dogs to a dog walking area is Barmy. But your dog needs excellent recall anywhere on public land and it is unreasonable to think there won't be kids in dog walking areas. Dog walking does not mean child free or set aside just for dog walking. It just means dog owners are encouraged to use those spaces rather than others, which they may be barred from.

The toy car is an added complication. It sounds like an inappropriate toy to use around dogs. At the same time, it's not a suitable use of most playgrounds either. It needs wide open spaces like dogs do, and I think you're all going to have to share use. But that requires consideration from the toy car user as well as dog owners.

It isn't an official dog walking area. I take my child into popular places for dog walking because he likes them and can't cope with lots of other children. I expect dog owners to be mindful of his presence because he has just as much right to be there. So not letting their dogs run up to him, like he is not allowed to run up to them.

It's not an official dog walking area though is it?

What if your dog bothered other dogs or ran off after wildlife? Or if tourists wandered through with young kids, not realising locals use it to walk dogs? Lots of people are scared of dogs and wouldn't want one bounding up at them or snatching toys! Unless it's a secure area with clear signs saying it's for exercising dogs, a dog with poor recall should be on a lead!

Yanbu. Dog area for dogs, child area for children. Its not difficult to understand. If you go into a dog area with a child you expect loose dogs.

Unless there is a sign up saying that the area is for dog walking only, then the woman, her son, and the remote control car have every right to be there, and to expect not to have dogs attack his car!

Just because a park has dog bins and signs about dogs, doesn't mean that non dog walkers cannot go there.

Regardless of it being a dog walking area, your dog shouldn't be off lead if it doesn't have a recall. You did not have your dog under control

I agree with this - dogs should be under control in a public place. And I say this as a dog lover and dog owner.

I can see that your dog was excited by the car, but ultimately it is your problem, not the fault of the lady and her son. You should have apologised, popped your dog on his lead, and lead him away. You shouldn't have told her to go elsewhere.

If you go to an area where dogs are allowed off their leads (which is all this is) you still expect them to be under control.

I imagine the dog poo bins and signs are there because there have been problems with lazy arse dog owners not clearing up their dogs' shit, rather than having been installed by the council to signify that dogs are welcome.

If anything, they signify that (some) dogs and their owners are a pain in the arse.

A bit of both, leaning towards YABU.

Even in a designated dog walking area (which it's unclear if this is - anymore than the field behind my house which is assumed, although not explicitly stated to be one, is) you should be capable of recalling your dog from distractions. It sounds like there is room for improvement.

I am so tired of dog owners who instantly enter a field/park, let their dog loose, and assume all is fine because 'lots of dogs go there'. No, it isn't: it's precisely because of owners like this that my own dog became scared of others to the point she developed fear aggression.

It's not just children: it's also, e.g. other dogs to be mindful of (hint: other dog walkers have a right to go places without strange dogs bounding up to them), other adults, and various distractions.

In this scenario, it doesn't seem that the child was doing any harm.

And Akita man sounds rough as ***, thinking it's acceptable to let them roam everywhere and giving it what for to anyone. That's not something to boast about.

You do need to improve his recall. Running up to children is obviously a lack of one.

And yes, perhaps the woman should also be more mindful. But there seems to be some unclarity as to whether the area is exclusively for dogs. We've got a few areas like this, and I assume they are for everyone (the one designated dog park is clearly signed and fenced off from the children's playground).