DOGS

[Getmeoutofhere2019]

At the beach with my 5 and 2yr old today. Sitting by the wavebreaks building sand castles. Too many dogs off leads coming over and invading our space. Trampling our area and getting in the children's face. Closely followed by an owner saying "oh its ok ... they are friendly " AIBU to be totally annoyed by this. I never know how to respond to the owner. NO Its not OK .... or just smile and nod.

“Being friendly and being under control are two different things”.

No dog should be off lead unless it can be recalled away from distractions.

the problem seems to be that dog owners equate 'dogs allowed' beaches with 'dogs have total freedom' beaches - it is the same with parks. My local small park has a big sign saying dogs must be kept on a lead as it is used by the local primary school and nursery for play and sports - as well as by local residents for walking.
In fact, it is used mostly as an impromptu dog training off-lead free for all and it is a minefield of dog poo for small children.
If dog owners want a true relaxing off-lead experience for their dogs - they should go to a dog field - AND PAY - otherwise dog friendly beaches should be redesignated and fenced off (and owners should pay) and other beaches should allow dogs under control and on lead . Dogs do love to run free - but the owners must realise that comes at a cost.

I know this is MN, posters mainly parents of little precious darlings, but that doesn't mean I should accept the behaviour of little brats whose parents think pestering a scared dog is acceptable

I’ve never experienced children pestering or scaring my dog on purpose. Nor do I know any parents who think that’s acceptable behaviour.

Occasionally a toddler will bump into my dog or grab at him (he doesn’t mind as he’s well socialised with children and very gentle even if they startle him). If you walk your dog in an area frequented by kids your dog needs to be fairly unflappable around kids. If a dog bites a child out of fear, in a public place, the dog is likely to be seized and PTS regardless of what the child did to scare it.

I don’t agree with dogs off lead in parks unless they have excellent recall and give other dogs and humans a wide berth (unless given permission to play). You always get out of control dogs in the wrong areas. Or people with kids too afraid to walk through the ‘dog’ bit to reach the non-dog area and playground. Plus people who either don’t read the signs or let the dog play in the kids area because they don’t care!

@Missfelipe, @DarlingFell, When we mention kids harrassing dogs on MN, we are always making it up because it just never happen.

Ultimately, with these threads, it always results in the same outcome: Dog owners agree there are bad ones, but claim that they are not, and those parents who actually do acknowledge that kids can pester dogs claim that their never would always ask.

That's because bad dog owners and bad parents do remain a minority and those won't come here and admit that they allow bad behaviour. What gets to me are posters who have had bad experiences and conclude that all dog owners are bad, as it's been clearly written on this thread.

I’ve never experienced children pestering or scaring my dog on purpose. Nor do I know any parents who think that’s acceptable behaviour
ha ha, I actually wrote by post above before reading this one. Certainly proving my point! What's the 'on purpose' for anyway. On purpose or not is irrelevant. If my dog is scared by a child's behaviour, whether on purpose or without realising they are frightening the dog, their parents should intervene.

Occasionally a toddler will bump into my dog or grab at him
So it does happen!! Your dog might not care, mine does.

If you walk your dog in an area frequented by kids your dog needs to be fairly unflappable around kids
And he is! Absolutely fine walking and staying way away from them, which seems to be what most posters want, so all good. The problem is because he is especially cute, kids come to him and insist on petting him even when I tell them he doesn't want it. That's the issue.

If a dog bites a child out of fear, in a public place, the dog is likely to be seized and PTS regardless of what the child did to scare it
My dog would never bite. He won't even show teeth, he just runs away and hides. If a kid did something that could hurt him though and ignored my commands to stop, I definitely wouldn't care if my actions to free my dog hurt the kid. This is extreme behaviour though and thankfully, I don't foresee this ever happen.

If dog owners want a true relaxing off-lead experience for their dogs - they should go to a dog field - AND PAY
Absolutely not! If my park allows my dog to be off the lead, and my dog is behaving perfectly and not pestering anyone or any dog, I certainly will NOT go and take him somewhere else (which is miles away as opposed to 10 mns walk from my house) just because some kids can't act properly and their parents are too lazy or stupid to intervene.

I've had plenty kids pestering my dog, It has happened pretty much every day of the summer holidays, I don't mind and my dog loves a fuss, but it is a double standard.

I walk my dog daily in a busy park full of families and dog walkers, I would say I see an incident average once a year (dog on dog, never dog on human) which to me on the grand scale of things suggest that most dog owners are responsible. On the flip side the ammount of human on human incidents I have seen . Dogs really aren't a problem on this earth on the big scheme of things, just cant get my head around why people are so bothered by them. Cant help but feel there is an air of arrogance that 'how dare another species enjoy our world'.

Yes dogs shouldn't jump on people unwelcomed, no one is denying that, and no one is denying dogs should be trained and have recall. But we share this world with animals, and they arent perfect just like humans, and will have behaviours that inconvenience and annoy others, but that's just part of sharing the world with other species (and humans).

I literally know no one in real life who has these views mumsnet seems to have on dogs though, maybe I just live in a more relaxed and accommodating area

I'm a dog owner and my dog is incredibly excitable so he's always on the lead but we have it too, big dogs come bounding over to us in the park and their owner is seemingly nowhere to be seen. Then the owner shows up and says the whole "oh, they're fine" line but that's not a guarantee, is it? If you're a dog owner, you should be responsible and keep them in sight at all times and if you do let them off the lead, it should be in safe, enclosed spaces. They should also have excellent recall so they return to you when you say their name.

Having said that, we also have it with over excited children who come running over to our dog and start grabbing at him (in their defence, he does look like a teddy bear that's come to life) which is a risky game. Now, I know my dog is friendly, adorable and sweet natured but he's still a dog, I can't guarantee he won't get pissed off and react to an overly tactile child one day. I'd encourage parents and dog owners to be responsible and respect that not everyone wants to be around a dog, and not every dog wants children near them.

What's the 'on purpose' for anyway. On purpose or not is irrelevant. If my dog is scared by a child's behaviour, whether on purpose or without realising they are frightening the dog, their parents should intervene

Of course there’s a difference. Kids can unintentionally scare a nervous dog by shrieking, running, kicking balls, riding scooters and all the other things kids do in parks. If your dog can’t cope with that he needs to be on a lead or taken to dog-only places. Parents shouldn’t have to stop their kids playing in the park just because your dog gets scared.

Obviously I tell my DC not to run up behind dogs (or people) but you can’t guarantee a runaway toddler won’t trot blindly into your dog or grab at their fur before the parents can react. Once again avoid family-friendly places if your dog is frightened by this. Don’t blame the parents!
When a toddler walks into my dog or a child pets him without permission the parents usually rush over to apologise. Then I tell them it’s ok, he loves kids but is a bit boisterous even on the lead and might pull them over by accident if they try to play tug of war or something.