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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Dogs in the playground on school pickup

153 replies

MrsJamin · 26/01/2018 07:26

I don't think dogs should be allowed in a playground at drop-off/pick-up, am I being unreasonable? What is done at your school? My school allows it and I don't think it's quite right.

OP posts:

londonista · 26/01/2018 13:00

No dogs in the playground.
I can cope with a dog in a bag though, we have lots of parents that do that.

And while we're on the subject.... please no vaping in the playground. I know it's not, but it looks exactly like a cigarette to a 7 year old.
Just wait till you get outside.

itsgettinghotinhere80 · 26/01/2018 13:00

DCs school doesn't allow dogs on site and they are not allowed to be tied up outside either (one side is private road belonging to school, other is railings belonging to school so they can enforce this). Good idea IMO

ExConstance · 26/01/2018 13:01

Please don't leave dogs tied up alone! A friend of mine is part of a group to find lost dogs and the numbers of those being stolen at the current time is very high, some of them will end up as bait dogs.

Nanny0gg · 26/01/2018 13:07

I've never known a school allow this.

Irresponsible parents let their dogs foul the playground/field (banned at my local school for that reason), jumping up at people, children scared of dogs, potential for bites.

If the HT won't see reason, write to the CoG and ask if a risk assessment has been done and what is the school policy.

A former HT used to bring his dog into school, but it was immaculately behaved and very well trained and all the children loved him.
But that was then and this is now, and you cannot trust all parents to be sensible, sadly.

CryHavoc · 26/01/2018 13:15

I was so pleased when we moved to where we live now (military) and found that the school allows dogs in the playground. It makes my life easier in that I can combine the school run with a dog walk without having to hang around outside the gates. (I would never leave my dog tied up. In my opinion that is far more dangerous than having the dog on a lead, in the playground.)
There are usually about 20 dogs at any drop off/pick up, and they are all well behaved and under control. I'm not sure if there is a policy about dog behaviour, but it's a friendly school in a small village - people know other people, so there would, no doubt, be judgement for any badly behaved dogs.

muttmad · 26/01/2018 13:15

@steppemum
I get what you're saying but id actually prefer these dogs to have their owner on the end of their lead assessing their dogs behaviour rather than them left tied to a fence outside the school unattended whilst kids walk past and stroke them etc!

Ihatemarmite123 · 26/01/2018 13:17

I hate the idea of dogs being left tied to the fence while owners go off and get their kids.

My dog is an exception. He responds very well to children. We volunteer for a charity and go into schools a lot so he is frequently mobbed by groups of children desperate to stroke him and he responds by rolling on his back or giving his paw to ask for more strokes. He's been great with a few kids that are phobic of dogs. My other dog however isn't so chilled even though they are the same breed. A lot of it is down to owners being aware of how their own dogs behave

specialsubject · 26/01/2018 13:24

Having a dog means a decade or more of picking up excreta, finding minders, realising it often isn't allowed in places that you want to be. That's what you volunteered for when you got a dog.

Spikeyball · 26/01/2018 13:36

The children come first and since some children are scared of dogs they shouldn't be in the playground or so close to the gate that there is no way of avoiding them.

TheVanguardSix · 26/01/2018 13:44

Tied to the gates is fine. And common sense tells you that a dog tied up for 5 minutes at the school gates lives with children and is unlikely an aggressive dog- for those thinking a tied up dog might feel vulnerable or might harm the kids .

I don't believe there is ANY school that would allow dogs onto the playground, even on a lead.

veuveo · 26/01/2018 13:51

Well this is all very interesting

Ours is an independent school, it's so normal for dogs to be on the school grounds that I've never given it a lot of thought.
If I had to leave my dog at home, he'd be alone for 2 extra hours a day, I could leave him in the car, but parking isn't close and he would be stressed.
If they banned dogs I'd have to seriously rethink my routine!
I have to say though that it's not difficult to ensure your dog doesn't go to the toilet, it's only a 2min walk inside the grounds.
I've never witnessed any dogs doing their business in the school. But you can't account for irresponsible dog owners.

veuveo · 26/01/2018 13:52

If I tied my dog up outside he would get very stressed if he couldn't see me.

GreatDuckCookery6211 · 26/01/2018 13:54

If the dog doesn't have to be tied up so the parent can go into school I don't see any reason why a dog shouldn't be allowed in the school yard, as long as it's on a lead.

steppemum · 26/01/2018 13:58

muttmad, I agree, but then I don't think the dogs should be tied to the fence either.

Nowhere to tie them at our school, roads and school owned fences, so no dogs tied up.

I have picked up dd on the way home from a dog walk. I stood outside the fence and waved at her as she came out of class, and her teacher waved and me and let dd out. But I have dropped dd off (at gate) with the dog, and there are one or two children who are really scared when they see me with the dog. (at the time black lab, very quiet).

On balance, I think I trust the owners at our school significantly less than I trust the dogs

GreatDuckCookery6211 · 26/01/2018 14:01

I doubt the head will take any notice OP. A dog jumped up? You seem more annoyed that the owner didn't acknowledge it than anything else.

CramptonHodnet · 26/01/2018 14:01

Banned from school site because dog walkers have been using the playing field to walk their dogs and not cleaning up after them.

Parents with dogs now leave them tied up outside school gates whilst they go in to do drop off/pick up or wait at the gate with the dog. This doesn't seem to have been a problem with anyone. I quite like giving the friendly dogs a quick pat on the way past :)

georgie262 · 26/01/2018 14:10

Dogs are allowed in our school playground as long as they are well behaved and on a lead and under the control of an adult. As far as I am aware there have never been any incidents. Children don't seem to mind. I quite like being abvle to bring my dog as it's a long walk to school (1.2 miles through the woods) and it 'kills two birds with one stone' so to speak but if they changed the rules I wouldn't be up in arms about it I'd just change my routine. I don't see the problem if they are being well behaved.

upsidedownfrown · 26/01/2018 14:11

Our school installed hooks on a wall just inside the gate on a grassy patch of the carpark for parents to tie their dogs. Dog owner parents happy as dog is secure but also not out on a public pavement, parents and children happy as they're nowhere near the path so don't have to see them if they don't want to and staff happy as we've generally been able to stop the repeated announcements in the newsletter about walking dogs through the playground

PerfectlySymmetricalButtocks · 26/01/2018 14:14

People either leave dogs at home or hold them outside the gate until yr6 children come out. Presumably they'd have to tie them up for younger children, as teachers have to see the responsible adult or older sibling before they let them leave.

Mummaofboys · 26/01/2018 14:16

No they shouldn’t be allowed! I usually drive to school with dogs in the boot of the car, walk the dogs Home and leave the car at school, then walk back to school at Home time with dogs, leave them in the car whilst I collect kids, then drive home. I wouldn’t want to leave the dogs at the gate some children are very scared of animals.

Lizzie48 · 26/01/2018 14:19

At our DDs' school, dogs are tied up outside the school gates. It's annoying, I admit, as there's one that's seriously cute and friendly (under other circumstances I'd love it too) and my DDs want to stay and stroke it for ages. But apart from that there isn't a problem imo. And I don't think you could enforce any rules against that anyway.

It wouldn't be good to allow dogs into the school grounds, though, I'm surprised there are schools that allow it tbh.

RadioGaGoo · 26/01/2018 14:24

'The school has PAT dogs so they can't really complain on the odd occasion I have to go to reception to hand forms in'

Oh, go right ahead then.....

Coloursthatweremyjoy · 26/01/2018 14:36

I am very jealous of the schools who have dogs. I couldn't even get ours to have chickens. But I suppose you couldn't get them to dress up for world book day...

Our school has a no dogs on site rule. Some dogs come to pick up but the parents stand well back from the gates and the children come out to them. Our school has form for being outstandingly sensible though.

I used to love it when my Mum brought the dogs to pick me up. She would wait at the gates...they were big gates.

YoniHuman · 26/01/2018 14:40

Our school allows no dogs in the grounds except working dogs. I'm surprised there are still schools that allow it.

MsHarry · 26/01/2018 14:55

Not allowed on the playground at the schools I have worked at.

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