How do you defend your toddlers from dogs not on leads?

[Flatearthersphere]

I have 3 children 3 and under, we often go to the park, on walks to different places, our local reservoir with a play area, picnics etc etc..
Anywsy all these areas say dogs should be on leads but they aren't I would say about 50 percent of the time, not exaggerating but just seems the norm round here.

Anyway I am guessing most people could pick up their toddler if a dog came bounding up to them but I have 3, usually 2 in the pushchair and one walking. I thought this would be OK but I was in a situation a few days ago which scared me.

I had 2 in the pushchair, an elderly woman had a big collie which bounded up to us, on one of those extendable leads and she just let it run up to us, I shouted "please pull your dog away" and picked up my eldest but she just said "don't be silly he's being friendly" and I said "I Dont care pull it away" but she refused and it jumped up into my pushchair and scratched all my sons legs even though I was trying to push it away because I was holding a child.

This isn't the first time I've been in this situation, even me and my husband have struggled when we've been holding hands with all 3 and there was a big pit bull cross or something which knocked one of our toddlers clean off his feet.

Genuinely, how do other people deal with these situations? I feel like I can't ever take the children out on my own and like we have to keep them in the pushchair all the time even if there is 2 of us. I'm finding I am avoiding going out now and it's getting depressing.

Oh and if you were found to be carrying a cattle prod you'd be arrested and charge with carrying an offensive weapon so stop talking rubbish. It's exactly the same as carrying a knife.

I'm so pleased that my thread has been totally derailed.

I've heard it all now

I've heard about kicking dogs, using cattle prods on dogs, using electrical shock collars, hitting dogs on the head with bricks, hitting dogs heads against walls. shooting them and now knifing them. This thread has gone beyond MN now.

This is a matter for the RSPCA. To which I may say I have also reported this thread.

Im a bit confused by this to be honest. Mine are 5,3&2 and it’s never been an issue? 🤷🏻‍♀️ Maybe youre finding/causing one? Dogs are perceptive.

We taught our 5yo to ask the owner and the boys copy her. Dogs dont often come up to us though, but of they do my children stay still and wait for the owner to say if they can stroke it. Not all dogs are out to bite your children.

pigsDOfly, Me personally I probably wouldn't because I never go to areas where dogs are walked anymore. If I see one coming on the street I would cross the road etc.

Having been bitten twice by 'family pets' with their owners present saying "don't worry he doesn't bite". The rare occasion a dog does approach me and there is nowhere to escape to I do use force to protect myself and my children. And I will (and have) sued the owners if I get as much as scratch on me from their animal family pet. Good luck to them if they ever tried to sue me for acting in self defence against their, pets that would never bite anyone.

I thought you were going @Thesearepearls? Oh yes, you are obsessed. MNHQ aren't arsed, they deleted your comment and have left my thread because it's fine. Such a strange person.

@whyareknickerscalledapair I'm assuming you didn't read the part where I said my baby in a buggy got scratched and the scratches got infected, I wanted a solution to prevent that again, that's not me making an issue.

The RSPCA are not going to care about a bunch of virtual people making virtual jokes about attacking non existent dogs with castle prods. I know none of you actually have the ovaries to go through with any of your stupid schemes outlined here. Except the chocolate one, but that's easy and tasty.

MNHQ deleted my post because I was troll hunting.

Obviously I now believe that the inconsistencies in your story are completely believable

I made the report to the RSPCA in the full knowledge that they wouldn't have the resources to deal with a bunch of keyboard warriors advocating harm to dogs.

It did however make me feel better that I did what I could to eradicate animal cruelty.

I will head back to the Oxbridge threads where I may say no-one wants to harm animals in any way and everyone just wants to support their DCs.

You should i think be ashamed of yourselves. I don't really get animal cruelty in any way.

Why are you still here? Bore off

Cattle prods and shock collars are both currently legal for use on animals and they do not permanently harm them in any way at all, unlike a knife.

A cattle prod could kill a small dog. Shock collars have been banned for use on dogs.

Shock collars have been banned for use on dogs
NO they haven't, the government has backed down on banning them.

I may say no-one wants to harm animals
I assume your a vegan then? Because I am and the last thing I want to do is harm animals but when it comes to protecting myself and my children I will use force to defend myself against human and animals, which I am legally allowed to do.

The debate about electric shock collars is redundant as no responsible dog-owner would now use one.

Unless that is the total numpties on this thread are planning to run up to a ravening attack dog (for they are all ravening attack dogs, are they not) and cunningly slip an electric shock collar on it while it's distracted?

@Thesearepearls people are entitled to defend their children (and themselves) from strange and potentially dangerous animals. The only animal cruelty in that situation is from the owner who has not properly trained and prepared their dogs for these situations. You are an idiot if you are being sucked in to all the chat about prods and shock collars. No one here is going to start carrying either of these things around, just in case they meet a dog in the park. You are either deliberately trying to stir or you are really stupid. OP has consistently said the same thing throughout the thread.

Thank you @BigGrannyPants I think she is just trying to cause trouble.

The OP has not consistently said the same thing through the thread - you can see that the OP started with the collie being on a lead and then continued with it being off lead

I'm sorry but what I have heard through this thread has been appalling

Electric shock collars. cattle prods. kick the dog. bash the dog on the head with a brick. bash the dog's head against a wall. shoot the dog

It's been looney tunes on here. I'm glad you're comfortable that none of the keyboard warriors would ever do such a thing.

So you are just an idiot then...

If that's your conclusion then that's fine

I happen to have a good job and two great DC and a pretty wonderful dog :) and a great DH. I'm fairly googleable - anyone on MN can work out who I am. I just don't subscribe to animal cruelty. I'll call out anyone who wants to harm dogs.

As I have done on here. This stuff is batshit crazy. You must agree with that. A serious suggestion was made that people should go out with cattle prods. It's bonkers!

There was also the advice to feed the dogs chocolate.

It's all very unpleasant.

I did not say it was off a lead @Thesearepearls I was talking about other dogs and also discussing the situations theoretically. How frustrating it must be inside your head.

Family friend works for Royal Mail, dogs are a big problem.
He was issued with a small hand held device about the size of a mobile phone that was powered by a 9 volt battery.
If bothered by a dog this device could be pointed at the dog and by pressing the switch emitted a sound inaudible to a human but heard by the dog, this would cause the dog to stop approaching without causing it any harm.
Have a look online and you may find one similar.

Thesearepears please go away, you are boring...

We don't want to Google you, you're boring and strange

Nope, I quite enjoy being in my head

Despite all your attempts to paint me as some kind of weirdo. (a tendency I have noticed across your other threads - I checked because I thought you were not straight up) I'm perfectly fine.

Your posts however are quite disturbing. You were the one mentioning hitting a dog on the head with a brick. You were the one mentioning bashing a dog's head against a wall.

It's sickening and disturbing.

My kids grew up with 3 huskies so could manage dogs running around no problem.

Since moving to the USA, the law here is that dogs are family members and I can defend them as such.

If The kids, dogs and me were out on a walk and a Random produced a knife or cattle prod in the vicinity of my dogs (or kids) they would get shot.

The OP sounds a bit unhappy and obviously has a serious issue with dogs. Shooting her would be a bit extreme - let's get back to reality here.