To ask dog owners to be extra vigilant around younger children?

[ponderingthisthing]

At the weekend, we were out in the meadows and having our family photos taken by a professional photographer.

A dog came near us and started jumping on the DC, who are 2 and 4. DH tried to fend it off until the owner came and dragged the dog away with some difficulty. By this time both children were extremely scared and upset and were screaming and crying. The owner may have muttered a quiet "sorry" before leaving quickly. No genuine apology or word to check if DC were OK, even though they were obviously extremely disturbed at that point with tears flooding down their faces. She just didn't seem to care.

For us though, it really put a damper on things and unsurprisingly the photography session did not go well. Both children felt unsafe following this (there were other dogs around, many not on lead) and clung to us.

It's not the first time that it's happened, DD was already afraid of dogs due to similar episodes in the past. We try to reassure her that dogs don't normally harm people and that she should just behave normally around them, but I wonder if we should also think more now about safety. Just yesterday, I came across a photo on social media of a little girl who was mauled in the face by a dog. Of course no physical harm came of this episode involving DC, thank goodness, and the dog was probably just over excited. However, the incident is making me feel somewhat uneasy about taking DC to places where dogs can run free.

AIBU to ask that dog owners be extra vigilant with small children around? And obviously, if the dogs are likely to jump up at people, to keep them on lead around small children in public places?

Well luckily my kids don't run up and rub themselves on strangers so it's not an issue is it 😆

wouldnt know do they not ? kids with snotty noses are way more disgusting to me than any slathery dog im afraid , but you do seem to have issues and like i said i feel sorry for your kids having a mother that regards dogs as rank and filthy , i expect that extends to all animals though im guessing not just dogs , still luckily they do get to see your mils , but im also guessing they have to sanitize their hands well after they have stroked the germ ridden beast 🙄

Key word in your post is "guessing" 😉

My apologies - I lost track of that in the thread and thought we were still talking about dogs approaching children. In that circumstance then I think it's kind to reassure the parents, but more than they deserve if they let their kids approach a strange dog without checking first!

So...

Can people be considerate of other people please?

Yeah, not unreasonable.

It applies to everyone. Can parents please stop sending their children over to 'hug the giant doggy' because that has happened more times than I can count with my giant doggy and she really didn't like it, it scared her.

Can people stop dropping litter and smashing glass and spitting on public footpaths and fields and pavements - I don't really like cleaning spit off my wheelchair wheels, car, hands, and I am not keen on tyre repairs and vet bills.

On the other hand, if your kids have a fear of dogs, you need to do more than just reassure them, you need to actively work on them not being scared and teaching them age appropriate things they can do to help themselves. Same as you'd teach them about traffic or older kids etc.

Just as I am expected to teach my dogs to be nice to kids, and expected to deal with my dogs fear of children, and expected to look where I am going and avoid spit/shit/glass..

If we all thought about others AND, did what we could for ourselves, we'd all generally be a bit better off, a bit safer, a bit wiser.

In an idea world kids being cd are dog dogs shouldn’t be a problem because dog owners should have the manners to keep their dogs well away from them. Your dog, your choice (not anyone else’s) you cannot be allowed for your choice to disrupt the enjoyment of others.

You must be joking, or making a point about how we need to control dogs by turning the situation around.

But if you are serious about "It is very important to teach your kids not to approach a dog without permission from the owner" then what you can do with this idea is not something I can say in public, but it involves this idea and your rear end.

I have yet to see a small child approach a dog twice its size, but I have seen larger dogs jump on children, which should be considered ASSAULT and prosecuted as such. Maybe THAT would pound some sense into the heads of selfish dog owners.

I'm a dog owner, I have a disabled dog who has wheels and recently had a expensive vets bill because children decided to come over and push him and his wheels over. So yes, I would like parents to keep their child away from my dog.

However that's only one negative experience. I have had plenty of negative experiences of dog owners who won't keep their dogs under control. My dog can't just move away and turn around to get away from their dogs coming over in his face. I am absolutely sick of it. YANBU OP.

I agree not off lead in parks & areas that children's parks & the pavement but we have loads of fields & woodland locally so I take my dog there so he can run freely. I would not take my dog to an area were I know there will lots of kids & busy (for my sake too as I don’t like unwanted dogs/children approaching me either) so I don’t understand why people take children to places where it’s very likely that there will be dogs off the lead & then complain about it like we have right to be there. If my dog ever approached anyone & jumped up I would expect to potentially get a moan from a parent but why is it that on the few occasions younger children have tried to pet my dog without asking & I’ve asked them not to without checking first I get a mouthful from a parent telling me that if dog isn’t friendly enough to be petted I shouldn’t bring him out??!! What a ridiculous attitude to have

Not the point of the thread but I saw an eye opening video today of a man demonstrating how easy it is to steal a dog that isn't well trained, the 'owner' called out its ok, he's friendly and the 'theif' said that's what I'm banking on, slipped on a lead and walked away with the dog while the owner was too far behind to do much. Dog thefts are riding in my area (and I imagine other areas too) it's just another reason that dogs should be kept on the lead if you can't stop them running up to strangers.

I am definitely not joking.

I had to physically peel a small child off my deerhound, as she ran up and flung her arms around my dogs neck to hug her, with her mother laughing and saying 'oh she's so cute she thinks all dogs are like our dog and love cuddles'.

Walking with a friends St Bernard, we had to ask multiple people including children not to run up to him and one child tried to climb ON him!

Parents actively encouraging their children to 'go and see the doggy' is very common, many of my friends have experienced it.

Parents not watching their children and those children running up to pat the dog, pull at the dogs fur, hit the dog or shout or bark in the dogs face - also pretty common, have experienced this multiple times in the last 20 years.

Again, just because you have not experienced it or would not allow it, does not mean it's never happened to anyone else!

But if you are serious about "It is very important to teach your kids not to approach a dog without permission from the owner" then what you can do with this idea is not something I can say in public, but it involves this idea and your rear end

Why the hell would any parent not teach their kids not to approach a dog?

Darwin Award contestants?

Because there is a certain breed of parent who believes that it is the rest of the world that should alter its behaviour, moderate itself, bend over backwards to keep their children safe.

Not them. They don't have a dog, so they don't need to teach their child to not approach dogs or how to be safe near a dog. Not their problem.

Thing is OP, those of us who have well trained dogs don't need to be more vigilant or keep them on leads because they won't approach anyone uninvited anyway and those who cba to teach their dog basic manners couldn't give a fuck, which is why their dog is so badly behaved in the first place.

In a nutshell, you're preaching to the choir.

I'm a dog owner, I have a disabled dog who has wheels and recently had a expensive vets bill because children decided to come over and push him and his wheels over.

Nasty little pieces of work, deliberately hurting a helpless animal. Sometimes I think there's something to be said for giving them a bloody good smack.

YANBU. We live near some beautiful walks but have had many encounters with over friendly and sometimes aggressive dogs. My DS is now very nervous of them. Even worse, we met a dog he was trying his best to stay away from but owner insisted the dog was friendly and he should stroke it! He politely obliged. The dog tried to bite his face, though luckily owner was able to knock it away at the last minute. The moral is, do not believe dog owners who insist their dog is friendly and your child is safe to stroke them. If you like to take your children out into nature it may be wise to carry some sort of repellent, a whistle or spray. Dog owners should have to take thorough training classes with their dogs, by law, in my view.

@Notanotherwindow might employee that technique to the next dog that tries to jump up at me or my children!

While you fur baby fanatics worship the cult of dog.
ANOTHER CHILD HAS DIED TODAY! 😞

Nice to see the typical response to this type of thresd from the dog defenders, lots of child hating, including a poster inciting violence towards children, turning it round 'well your child shouldn't approach dogs' if you're having such a problem with start your own bloody thread about it. Just because a child once came up to your dog doesn't mean your dog can now jump up st and terrifiy a child, one is actually illegal one is not.

And my particular favourite....well what about litter?!? What the fuck about it?!? Again well 'people drop litter' so my off lead dog should be able to approach who it wants!?! Honestly?

Oh also, you just need to teach your children not to be afraid of dogs, no my child's not afraid of dogs but they are afraid of something 2/3/4 times the size of them with teeth, claws and barking jumping up at them.

How would all these entitled dog owners be feeling if you were out with a dog stranger twice as big as you, ran put from nowhere, chased you, proceeded to then jump up at you, scratch you with their nails all whilst shouting in your face. Please tell me what you would and how ypu would feel if that happened?

I think you’ve had too much to drink

No @Hollygolightly86 I'm just so sick to death of entitled dog owners/child haters

Under the MEN news story about todays fatal attack, comment after comment about 'poor dogs hope they're ok', and people posting photos of their dogs. This is where we're at now. They don't care, all the care about is dogs and they don't even care who knows it . It's like a disease has deformed the mind, or it's a cult.

I once saw an article about a theory that in some cases dogs infect their owners with some kind parasite or disease that leads to the person being deranged in the mind to being overly dog sympathetic. I thought at the time it was too far fetched, but I'm not so sure now

More women died at the hands of their partner today.

Oh well thats alright then is it! It doesn't matter that a child is dying in a dog attack EVERY MONTH this year, because , well um, other bad things happen as well

Christ almighty, why doesn't anybody care about dogs maiming and killing children

Every month? So 5 this year already? Is that in the UK, or global?
Please compare it to women being killed by their partners.