AIBU to think the UK is more tolerant of dogs than children

[playgroundwarrior]

This morning an entitled dog owner shouted at me for pointing out that she wasn't allowed her (offlead) dog in our local playground. The dog was nosing around in our pushchair and hurtling around. The owner said she had seen the notices to say 'no dogs allowed except assistance dogs' but that hers was a puppy and that I needed to get a life! She genuinely thought her dog was as important as our children (she didn't have her own child and was with a friend)

This made me think about all the threads I've seen here about noisy toddlers in cafes and small children blocking the stairs. Last night I read someone moaning about the sounds of Peppa Pig on the bus.

I appreciate that the above examples of toddler behaviour are objectively annoying (mine frequently annoys me) but I'm beginning to think there's greater tolerance of dogs in this country than toddlers.

I've seen so many toddlers knocked over by offlead dogs and our 3 year old neighbour was pinned down by one last year, which was sort of just accepted as something that happens.

Since the pandemic, everyone seems to have a dog and the culture feels much more dog orientated than child oriented. I'd love a nice cafe or pub with a sign welcoming kids and a nice play area for them but have never seen one in my area, yet there are many signs welcoming dogs with treats and bowls.

Fully appreciate there are inconsiderate parents of toddlers and great dog owners who have perfect recall etc! I quite like most dogs but am
starting to feel the UK has its priorities very muddled.

AIBU?

Toddler's don't maul or kill babies

Ugh someone’s Labrador stole my son’s sandwich from his lunchbox in a playground today. I had to pull dog away (he had a harness on). Owners watching on not doing anything. Then he came back for more! Owners again just watching on. My friend was fuming, calling out for the owners they just did nothing. I was obviously focussing on packing lunchboxes away mid picnic (4 kids between us). Anyway OP. YANBU.

A duck stole my sandwich once.
I have also had small children climb about under my table in restaurants.

Presumably the duck wasn’t the equivalent size of a horse running up to you and full of muscle and slobber and teeth - Labrador vs 4 year old. Dangerous as well as annoying.

Dogs are equally important as children - they are part of your family - its not weird to love your dog the same as your children - probably some parents love their dog more!!!!

It's not weird, it's downright tragic

Do people really love their dogs the same or more than their children? Surely not. If it's true...poor kids. Some people shouldn't become parents

@QuertyGirl I'm with you. Either that or people have really awful kids.. but then that's a parenting thing mostly

That’s bloody insane

YABU

e.g. My local council bans dogs from the beach from May to September every single year. I know of no council anywhere that bans children from beaches.

As for signs welcoming dogs to e.g. pubs and cafes, that's only because dogs are completely banned from most places so it's rarer to find a place that even allows dogs at all. That's not the case with children.

Gross. Poor kids. Poor, poor kids.

That's primarily because they are a menace to wildlife, especially ground-nesting birds.

And they shit on the beach.

I love kids. I have a dog but so like kids more. But over years of going out people are affectionate. Every old lady used to corner me to play with the kids. Nowadays no one can risk going near or saying anything to a child. They might, but I think they would rather pour the love into a dog than the child next to them because it's safer. An adult with a dog will smile at you, smile at a child and they become protective

Exactly, I would even get up for a pregnant women. Most people I know would including teenagers so why wouldn’t a dog and thing is I don’t think dog owners pay for their pets to have a seat. Absurd!

Personally I think they either shouldn’t be on public transport or if so, limited to certain carriages in trains. I don’t like their smell, their drool, the way they shake their wet fur and the fact there’s a good chance they might do a poo on the bus/train floor not to mention reactive dogs which could easily bite.

This is very sad but it explains why you get clearly dangerous dogs living in homes with young children. We only hear of it when a fatal dog attack happens but it’s more common than we know and their overriding love for the dog explains why they’re putting their child at risk.

YANBU

Dogs are definitely placed on a pedestal, way above children.

And may I take this opportunity to publicly boak at the term "pet parents".

It's "pet owner".

You are not the parent of an animal. You are its pack leader if you're doing it right. Not its mummy.

You might want to google before making that statement...

www.standard.co.uk/hp/front/toddler-3-killed-her-sixmonthold-brother-by-sitting-on-him-6641856.html

www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/toddler-was-burned-death-oven-6884005

I could find more, I won't, they are really horrific... but yeah, kids kill smaller kids, it is not that rare.

No, actually those doing it right should be in a 'parent' type role - ie, guardian, educator, primary care giver.

Dogs aren't pack animals, but in any case, a 'pack' of wild dogs is in fact a family group and the leaders of that pack are... the parents.

It is those who have some weird idea that they must dominate their dogs 'as a pack leader would' (they wouldn't) and manage, handle and train using force and intimdiation who create dogs with dangerous behaviour (communication suppressed, body language suppressed, higher anxiety and higher chance of using aggression to protect themselves from percieved threats, higher chance of percieving something as a threat in the first place).

Dogs don't scream in public places, dog owners don't look on lovingly whilst their dog runs around pubs knocking over waitresses.

I've seen parents (usually mums) change a shitty nappy on a table in a cafe and when she was told that was disgusting she cried discrimination.

Never seen a dog owner let their dog shit on a table

I agree, moaning and complaining is like a hobby to some people these days.

I would like to hear more about this duck.

@SkivingSnackboxes but they let them shit all over the place in the street and don't pick up after their dog. People (especially children) then step on it and have to walk around with shit on their shoes.

@WiddlinDiddlin

Extremely rare occurrences vs sadly quite frequent ones.

I have a scar on my leg from a dog bite. How many people have that from toddler bites?

People drawing equivalences between dogs and children are at best, mentally ill

Are you a parent? I cannot imagine any halfway-decent parent saying something as ridiculous as this.