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??

All our play areas have signs saying, well, play area. They name it, give a brief list of regulations, eg no dogs, no smoking, no children over 12 or whatever, and usually the telephone number of the parks dept. so you can advise them of any broken equipment. So to say that parks are not labelled parks is not true (here at least, and I have no idea where the OP is)

Also, I have never looked at a council map of the local area, I would see a park and unless it was labelled dog-walking area it would not occur to me that it would be. Maybe this lady has not seem a map. Either way, unless the area has clear signage I think it is not reasonable to claim it is dog walking only.

If you are that bothered then ask the council to put up signs.

If you can't train your dog to come back when recalled you shouldn't have a dog should keep your dog on a lead.

sibys1, OP also says that the dog comes back when called. To me that implies that he starts to run towards the children, is called, comes back, and it's the constant starts towards children which make him wearing to walk near play areas.

I'm with you 100%.

Here (not U.K.) designated dog exercise areas where they are allowed to be off lead are 100% multipurpose and dogs are expected to be under control. The only places this is different are dog parks which are fenced off for the dogs to run till their hearts content.

*Some PP seem to be confusing the term 'designated' with the term 'exclusive'. OP didn't say the area was solely for the purpose of dog walking hmm But as dog poo bins and signs related to dog walking are placed there this 'denotes/indicates/signifies' (AKA designates) a place where walking of dogs is encouraged.

Why then do some posters think it's reasonable for a mother to take her DS to such an area when there are plenty of other options for them*

This. If there are multiple parks around that do not encourage dogs and only one or two that do, why would you take your wary child and their exciting, noisy toy to one of the only parks that does encourage dogs? Dogs who, by the way, need exercise! Shame on PP who seem to want to keep animals in cages.

why would you take your wary child and their exciting, noisy toy to one of the only parks that does encourage dogs?

The mother explained that her child likes it there because it's a wide open space.

It's not for the exclusive use of dogs only. While it would be unreasonable to expect there not be dogs, I don't think it's unreasonable to expect the dogs to be under control, or to be on a lead if they do not have good recall.

I can let him off his lead here as we're normally the only ones there

Hmm doesnt sound like a popular 'designated' dog walking area to me if its usually just you.

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!

Oh wait, sorry I thought you were usually the only ones there.

Could it be you are annoyed with someone else finding this lovely tranquil little place to walk/play whatever and as your dog has no recall, or a very poor one, you will now have to keep him on a lead?

Which is it? Somewhere no one goes or somewhere loads of dog walkers go?

Also, you mention its labeled as such on all the leaflets and maps you get from your council. What council sends everyone a map of the area on a regular basis? Think you might have made this bit up TBH.

YAB -a selfish idiot- U

Whenever I read these threads it makes me so glad that I usually walk my dogs early in the morning in the middle of the country. If I see more than two people a week it's a miracle!

All these people with so called rock steady recalls on this thread are amazing. Wow! I am obviously a child of a lesser dog training God.

I'm also amazed at all parents who haul their kids to their sides when they see my ragged old lurcher in case she mauls them to death (unless they are rats, rabbits or squirrels she's not interested) but as soon as they see the puppy terrier they want to play with him. Dog anxiety obviously doesn't extent to puppies.

When I have my bird of prey on my arm, they get grumpy if their child isn't allowed to stroke it, but as soon as they see a ferret, you'd think I had bought out a man eating tiger and hysteria follows.

People are strange.

a lot of dogs would struggle to resist a mini car coming flying towards them!

And that would include mine! They are very well trained. They do not jump up, their recall is brilliant and they will "wait" "tay" etc with no problem, but a noisy, fast-moving buzzy little car would probably be too much for them - it is too much like a small animal and the instinct is to chase. I have successfully called them off rabbits before, but the urge to chase is there.

This woman can't expect the world to revolve around her child, even if her life does. Other people (and their animals) need to be able to enjoy a walk, too - dogs, like children, need to run about to remain healthy and to get rid of excess energy.

Unless . . . OP - have you thought about buying your dog an X-box and encouraging him to become a canine couch potato?

bigears - stop being provocative, You are twisting what the OP has said,

YANBU. My son is terrified of dogs so I would stay in the kids bit and avoid designated dog areas. Yes OP's dog should be trained but it sounds like he behaves appropriately for the area he's in. Woman with kid can't complain she doesn't like other kids being around and claim a right to the dog's area.

It would be like me sitting in the middle of the skate park to read my book and saying "well if you can't control where your skateboard is going you should be skateboarding"

Of course YANBU. She sounds very entitled.
To look at it from the opposite perspective, if your dog didn't like other dogs, that wouldn't give you the right to take your dog to a designated children's area and let him run around off the lead and be surprised by parents' sh1tty attitudes towards you.
(I love children and hate dogs by the way)

Think you were totally in the right... It's hard enough to find areas where you can let a dog rip around without children who are scared of dogs taking over these too

It's not a designated dog area.

Even if it isn't an exclusively dog designated area, the poo bins etc should be notice enough to those that don't like dogs that there is possibility that dogs will be there ffs.... OP, YANBU at all.

Navy, I didn't say it was exclusively for dogs did I? I said that there's a good chance there will be dogs there and if the mother doesn't want her precious snowflake or his toy near a dog then maybe avoid the situation and play in the designated children's areas where dogs definitely aren't allowed. I appreciate that this might not be tolerable for those that think the world revolves around there dcs, but it's not exactly rocket science either, is it?

their, not there..

We get it Navy. You are to dogs and dog training what Eric Morecambe was comic timing.

We are humbly on our knees!

And neither did I say they CAN'T go there either. But if she wants to have a dog free space her son can piss about with his toy, maybe don't go to the one place on the estate where dogs actually are allowed?!