Dogs in the playground on school pickup

[MrsJamin]

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.

Not allowed at ds school often this is ignored

Also parents have been asked now to leave their dogs tied up on the railings outside school as a few times children have been frightened by the barking again ignored

Not allowed in the playground at our school and there are two very wide pavements at both gates with long barriers to the road meaning dogs can be tied up and easily avoided.

This rule also applies to my friend's dog, she does puppy training for guidedogs but because they are not with a blind person it is still a no, which I do agree with.

At my DCs school they are banned; no dogs can be in the playground or tied up to the railings. That includes dogs that are carried.

^how is the pup meant to be trained to behave in these situations? It's not that unlikely that sometime, somewhere, a blind parent might want to go meet their children after school. Considering the exceptions made for service dogs everywhere else this seems a little unfair.

Slightly off topic but I don't think children should be encouraged to approach strange dogs, in fact I think they should be taught not to do it as it can put them in danger and dogs aren't toys. My kids grew up with our 3 rescue dogs but would have got a telling off if they had gone up to a dog they didn't know.

I'm as happy as anyone to see a pup in arms, but dogs walking in? No. Playgrounds are crowded and full of excited children. Not the place for lots of dogs and whose responsibility would parents expect it to be to clean up after them?

Fairey, my kids are both scared of dogs (for good reason - they have sharp teeth and are animals) AND revolted by the grossness of their slobber, which probably contains shit judging by how many posts I see about dogs eating shit and vomit. They lick their bums and dicks and then lick their fur. Repulsive to anyone with a good sense of hygiene. How these have infiltrated our society, when rats haven't, I do not know. No thanks. Keep your filthy shit-machine away from me and my children. It's not up to you to decide how a dog enhances someone else's life. I can tell you absolutely a dog does not enhance mine. Don't be so arrogant to assume such a thing.

OP, YANBU. And if the head didn't stop, I'd change schools. Dogs do not belong on playgrounds.

Loads of people walk their children to school with their dogs here, there's never been a problem. The primary school and secondary school are right near a massive park so it makes sense as people walk them before/after drop off.

A bigger problem is the huge amount of cars parked up on what is a very narrow road making it impossible to see kids darting out and for cars driving down the road (it's a through road).

The big problem for me is I have to go down the same road to take my dog to the park. The primary and secondary schools have different start and end times and when combined with the kids what go home for lunch, there's hardly any times during day light hours where I can walk the dog down that road when there aren't any children.
My dog is very timid and small children hurtling towards her on scooters, wobbling the entire width of the pavement when their parents are down at the other end of the road talking and not paying attention makes life very difficult.

I think there needs to be mutual respect with things like this. Kids that are frightened of dogs need to be taught that screaming and making a scene makes things worse and that some dogs are frightened of them.
Similarly all kids should be taught not to just approach or try to stroke a strange dog, they should ask the owner - for the same reasons.
And it's not about whether the dog may snap - mine never would, she wouldn't want to get close enough to any human to snap, she just wants to flee. It's just that my dog is probably more frightened of you and your child than your child ever would be of my dog.

So what about guide dogs, @JPTB? Are they just shit machines as well? I suspect a blind parent could make a case for being discriminated against if they weren't allowed to bring their guide dog into the playground.

@JPTB wow. You sound a treat to know

Dogs don't enhance your life?

Dogs are incredible animals who have enhanced all of our lives. They assist the blind, the deaf, they can be trained to sniff out cancer or alert to seizures. They sniff out bombs and drugs, they assist the police in arresting violent criminals, they round up sheep to provide our food, they search for and find people lost on mountains and buried under avalanches.
They bring joy to children and pensioners in hospitals and homes.

Dogs give us so much.
Dogs are also very highly emotionally intelligent. Not a trait I'd attribute to someone like yourself.

Well they are, Lizzie, but they do at least serve a purpose. And are always well-behaved. Needs must.
I'd be happy enough in a society with guide dogs, rescue dogs, cadaver dogs and bomb-sniffer dogs - pet dogs, no thanks.

Dogs kill and maul, cause allergic reactions. It's not all good, Steak, and I don't believe the benefits outweigh the bad.
But fine - keep the trained few that serve us, the rest can go extinct.

Sheep are not my food. Why is a dog worthy of life but a sheep is not? That's some weird thinking right there!

I'd rather have dogs and let people like you go extinct tbh.
What benefit are you providing to the rest of us?

Humans kill and maul. And they kill a lot more humans and animals than any dog.

Not on the playground, but outside school gates is fine IMO

Not allowed in our school playground. There is a pretty wide path outside the school gate and enough room to tie them up and have people safely pass them.
There was one day last term where the weather was appalling and Head allowed one parent to carry (in arms) a small dog into the playground at pickup, on condition that the dog was not put down on the ground at all.
Otherwise, no dogs at all.

JPTB settle down jfc

Don't know if this has been said but if it's an assistance dog it can go anywhere as is the case for my assistance dog when I take DD to/from school. Dog has even been in classrooms (in full uniform etc) with the kids warned beforehand just in case. They all find it really educational and have raised money for the charity.

Pet dogs should not be in playgrounds or buildings.

This rule also applies to my friend's dog, she does puppy training for guidedogs but because they are not with a blind person it is still a no, which I do agree with.

This is not true. A guide dog in training wearing their coat and with the trainer wearing their identifying lanyard is allowed in all the places a guide dog is allowed.

My friend is a puppy walker for Guide dogs, and hers in the only dog on the playground.

you wouldn't be able to stand at the gate with your dog at gd school as you have to go to the class room to pick up teachers don't allow children to leave the room with out pick up dogs are tide up outside , but it is big double gates

JPTB you, loon, you sound completely unhinged.

I'm guessing the majority of MPs are dog-owners, so your dog-free new world order probably won't come to fruition anytime soon.

Dogs are allowed at my kids' school, they're tied up at at the gate.

All I've heard from the non-dog owners is that they're pleased their kids can get their dog fix there rather than at home.

@MuseumOfCurry I quite agree with you about JPTB, and I'm not a dog owner, I don't want the commitment (I'm a massive cat person though! ) But threads like this do attract dog haters, so it's not at all surprising.

I wouldn't want dogs in the playground (it wouldn't make me move my DDs to another school though), but I have no problem with them being tied up outside the school grounds. It makes a lot of sense for dog owners to combine the school run with taking their dog for a walk.

I do worry JPTB how you cope with the real stresses and strains of life if you get this wound up about pet dogs. I've had more problems with my kids picking up lice and threadworms from other kids at school than fleas and worms from animals. I really don't understand people who hate animals.