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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

About dogs on beach

113 replies

benten54 · 21/01/2023 11:40

We live in a beachy holiday area in Australia. It's local to a big city and it's the kind of place where people come with their family for a long extended break in the summer holidays from the city. They either come to their family beach house or rent places.

I live here all year. In the summer there are rules about when dogs can be on the beach which is until 10am in the morning and then after 5pm. The rules are there so holidaymakers can enjoy the beach without dogs. That's all fine. All of us who live here respect that and the beach is dog free for 7 hours in the day. We all have to rearrange our day so we and our dogs are off the beach at 10am.

Over the past month virtually every day there has been several holidaying families who have arrived with tiny children or toddlers and set down their beach blanket well before 10am. For context the beach is 2k long and there would probably be 40 dogs and their owners getting their morning walk in. Running after balls and playing with each other

These dogs walk that beach every morning, winter, rain, storms yet everyday in the sunny weather there has been an altercation because dogs have been running around and 'scaring' their kids. Most of them go nowhere near or just have a sniff and wander off but today a mother kicked one of the dogs because she got close to her wandering toddler.

Every day some parent has had an issue with dogs running around near their kids and made a massive fuss about it. Today I threw a ball for my dog and a toddler suddenly threw himself into the path of her running. There was no contact, and my dog has no interest in other humans but both parents came flying up and screamed at me about 'too many fucking dogs on this beach, keep your dog on a lead when there's kids around'.

AIBU for shouting back 'dogs allowed before 10am, kids allowed after that, keep your children under control'? Surely if you don't want dogs around your kids, come after 10am!!

OP posts:
custardbear · 21/01/2023 11:43

Do the signs say no children before 10am

Original poster
benten54 · 21/01/2023 11:44

custardbear · 21/01/2023 11:43

Do the signs say no children before 10am

No but I wish they did

OP posts:
BlueBooh · 21/01/2023 11:44

custardbear · 21/01/2023 11:43

Do the signs say no children before 10am

Hahaha!

Original poster
benten54 · 21/01/2023 11:48

If people with kids are there before 10am then I assume they are fine with dogs running around or coming up for a sniff and an investigate.

OP posts:
Iwantmyoldnameback · 21/01/2023 11:56

YANBU.

ZED55JAX0 · 21/01/2023 11:59

Yanbu if the kids and parents are bothered about dogs they need to come after 10
surely that’s simple to understand! Seems like a reasonable set up

ShakespearesBlister · 21/01/2023 12:00

Here in the UK dogs are banned on some beaches between 1st May to 30th September so that families get exclusive use in holiday season and are only allowed on them in the winter months from October to April. Other beaches are dog friendly year round so if you have an issue with dogs you use the beach they are banned from instead. Some beaches have a year round ban. You just have to pick and choose but you don't really get confrontations. I would think having a specific time is trickier to police because people who don't like dogs are always going to arrive early.

Sirzy · 21/01/2023 12:01

Just because dogs are allowed doesn’t mean they get to take priority over other beach users though. As with anywhere you should have enough control over your dog to keep him away from others.

LlynTegid · 21/01/2023 12:05

ShakespearesBlister · 21/01/2023 12:00

Here in the UK dogs are banned on some beaches between 1st May to 30th September so that families get exclusive use in holiday season and are only allowed on them in the winter months from October to April. Other beaches are dog friendly year round so if you have an issue with dogs you use the beach they are banned from instead. Some beaches have a year round ban. You just have to pick and choose but you don't really get confrontations. I would think having a specific time is trickier to police because people who don't like dogs are always going to arrive early.

I think that is a better approach I agree. Any restriction by time of day brings arguments, ask any bus driver for example.

SoupDragon · 21/01/2023 12:09

Owners shouldn't let their dogs run up to people (or up to on-lead dogs which is my personal big bear!). If they didn't, there would be no problem.

HandbagsnGladrags · 21/01/2023 12:11

Sirzy · 21/01/2023 12:01

Just because dogs are allowed doesn’t mean they get to take priority over other beach users though. As with anywhere you should have enough control over your dog to keep him away from others.

OP isn't expecting them to take priority, she just doesn't want to get grief from parents worrying that their precious offspring will be scared of her dog.

Supernova23 · 21/01/2023 12:13

YABU. Just because dogs are allowed on the beach at those times, doesn't mean other non dog people people can't use it then, or that your dog has the green light to be out of control. If a dog is running up to people and "sniffing" them and you can't stop them, it's out of control. A dog should only be off it's lead in public if it's got an outstanding recall. If you've got that, recalling them away from a kid long before it makes any sort of close contact shouldn't be an issue.

Original poster
benten54 · 21/01/2023 12:14

My dog didn't. She has no interest in other humans. The kid ran into her path.

The dog who got kicked happened to walk 'near' a child.

OP posts:
Babymamamama · 21/01/2023 12:16

Totally ridiculous. Yabu OP kids can go on any beach whenever they want and dog owners should always have their dogs under control.

AllThingsServeTheBeam · 21/01/2023 12:16

Regardless of if it's on the beach, a park or anywhere that dogs are allowed off, you should never ever let your dog approach others. Be it dogs or people, without the other party being ok with it. If your dog cannot be recalled it shouldn't be off the lead. This is what gives dog owners a bad name.

I am a dog owner who walks their dog off a lead.

WineDup · 21/01/2023 12:16

SoupDragon · 21/01/2023 12:09

Owners shouldn't let their dogs run up to people (or up to on-lead dogs which is my personal big bear!). If they didn't, there would be no problem.

A dog running after a ball isn’t exactly having the dog running into people though. My dog has fantastic recall and doesn’t care about other people or dogs, but if I throw a ball she’ll run to it and then run back to me. If people are in the way, then she might get near them, but she won’t actually approach them.

I would never let a dog not under my full control off the lead, other people or not. That’s why our precious dog only got let off lead in fenced dog runs which we had exclusive use of.

Id be fine with my kids going to the beach prior to 10am because they’d be there with my dog, and we are fine with other dogs - my eldest knows never to approach another dog and to check with owner before touching one that approaches her. My youngest is a baby so it’s not an issue. I’d never take non dog savvy kids to somewhere overrun with dogs (I don’t think I would anyway - I don’t have non dog savvy kids to say with certainty)

Sirzy · 21/01/2023 12:16

HandbagsnGladrags · 21/01/2023 12:11

OP isn't expecting them to take priority, she just doesn't want to get grief from parents worrying that their precious offspring will be scared of her dog.

Show quote history

She is expecting everyone to be happy with her dogs coming up for a sniff. That’s never an acceptable approach

PauliesWalnuts · 21/01/2023 12:16

I can’t quite believe a toddler would launch themselves into the path of your dog (unless you threw the ball too close to them). Just stay away from people’s kids. It’s not hard and it’s not your beach.

(I don’t have offspring or pets so no bias here).

ThreeLittleDots · 21/01/2023 12:19

If the beach is 2K long why did you throw a ball within toddling distance of a child?

Your dog does not have priority.

Quveas · 21/01/2023 12:22

SoupDragon · 21/01/2023 12:09

Owners shouldn't let their dogs run up to people (or up to on-lead dogs which is my personal big bear!). If they didn't, there would be no problem.

And parents shouldn't let their children run up to dogs or get in their way. It cuts both ways. My dog isn't interested in children or people he doesn't know, and not will he go up to any dog who he isn't friendly with. He's very well trained - a working dog. And I'm fed up to the back teeth of parents who think that makes him public property because he's well behaved. He is not there for your kids to run up to and pet. Or to pull his hair or his tail. And no it isn't OK because they "like dogs" or you can't be arsed to supervise your children when they are out in public.

Irresponsible ownership of dogs is a problem. But owners of dogs are not the only irresponsible people. Parents come in that variety as well!

SpareHeirOverThere · 21/01/2023 12:23

Yabu. The children take priority. The rule isn't to allow off-lead dogs, it's to allow dogs. On lead may be necessary at times.

Walk your dog on-lead during the summer

Invest in training so your dog's recall is beyond doubt

Do your summer beach-walks early or late enough to avoid most children.

HandbagsnGladrags · 21/01/2023 12:25

SpareHeirOverThere · 21/01/2023 12:23

Yabu. The children take priority. The rule isn't to allow off-lead dogs, it's to allow dogs. On lead may be necessary at times.

Walk your dog on-lead during the summer

Invest in training so your dog's recall is beyond doubt

Do your summer beach-walks early or late enough to avoid most children.

Why are children the priority though? Presumably because you have kids and you don't like dogs. The OP is following the rules of the beach, which do not say 'children have priority'

WeWereInParis · 21/01/2023 12:32

benten54 · 21/01/2023 11:48

If people with kids are there before 10am then I assume they are fine with dogs running around or coming up for a sniff and an investigate.

I disagree. Just because dogs are allowed somewhere, that doesn't mean that everyone who goes there must be happy with a dog coming up to them. Dogs should be controlled around other people (not necessarily on a lead, but I don't think dogs should run up and bother people).

That said, children should of course also not run up to dogs.

But I don't think that before 10am dogs trump children. Children don't trump dogs either, both need to just give the other space.

Original poster
benten54 · 21/01/2023 12:33

Beach was high tide so 2k long but maybe 10 metres wide until the water breaks.

Toddler was on the left hand side on the edge of the beach digging a hole, I threw the ball toward the right (waters edge) and the kid suddenly ran to the waters edge where the ball landed.. several metres away from where he was digging. My dog grabbed the ball and ran back, toddler got within a metre of her when she ran back with the ball. No contact.

My dog has excellent recall and has no interest in humans. She runs after the ball and brings it back to me and walks alongside me otherwise (Collie). As we walked past the toddler ran closer to us and my dog sniffed at him for a second then carried on with me.

The parents (lying on a blanket with a tiny baby) then yelled at me.

OP posts:
SpareHeirOverThere · 21/01/2023 12:34

HandbagsnGladrags · 21/01/2023 12:25

Why are children the priority though? Presumably because you have kids and you don't like dogs. The OP is following the rules of the beach, which do not say 'children have priority'

Show quote history

Children have priority because they are human beings. I can't believe that's in question.

I own 3 dogs and no young dc.

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