Childless dog owners at kids park

[Canisaysomething]

My DCs school has a children’s park right outside. There is no fence around it and nowhere does it say “dogs not allowed”. Dog owners with children at the school let their dogs walk about the play area and this isn’t normally a problem at all.

Here is my AIBU. There’s become an increasing number of childless dog owners going to the park before and after school to let their dogs “socialise” with the children using the park. I had to ask a dog owner the other day to call their dog away from my child trying to use the swing and was shouted at by the owner who said “she’s just excited and trying to play”. The dog at one point chased after my child who got scared and upset.

Here’s my AIBU. Who was right? Me or the dog owner?

There were no signs saying “no dogs” but aren’t dogs meant to be trained NOT to bother strangers? Especially children in parks.

I’ve had dogs all my life. But if someone’s untrained dog starts chasing my kid, then you’re damn right that it’s getting kicked off.

Not my job to train someone else’s dog or try to approach it as I would a dog which has been trained when it hasn’t been and is chasing my kid. Don’t want your dog kicked then keep it away from my kids.

@Oliotya I'm also allergic to dogs (though not asthmatic) and frequently get told it'll be fine because their dog is hypoallergenic. Absolute nonsense, I still end sneezing, wheezing, eyes and nose running.

This thread has is hilarious, so many bees in bonnets today!

I nearly always walked my dog without my kids because they weren’t interested in coming with me so I suppose people might have assumed I was childless?

Surely the issue is dogs being unruly and not the existence of dogs? If they’re under control and in a space they’re allowed to be in then who on earth would have an issue with that? Even if people hate dogs or are scared of them they would acknowledge that the owners and dogs are doing no wrong.

it’s dogs behaving badly and the owners who allow it that are the issue.

The fact that there are people on here stating that unless a playpark is specifically signposted as only for children (human children, not your 🤮🤮 "fur baby") and not dogs is very concerning. OF COURSE a playpark is not for dogs. Nor is it for naked kids scraping their exposed anus along the slide, sitting in swings, or pissing on the playframes. So please keep your snappy, pissing, happy mutt menace away.

Days were great when dog people kept their dogs in their own homes save for a short walk around the block twice a day. Now they expect us to tolerate dogs in children's playparks, restaurants, supermarkets, the cinema.

Same! Am sick of the "oh but he's hypoallergenic" crap.
Even if he is, he still stinks.

We decided that home education was right for us as a family.

Dogs are allowed in some libraries e.g.
https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/using-library/dog-friendly-libraries

Councils are increasingly opening up open air swimming pools at the end of the summer season to dogs e.g.

https://thelondog.com/6-dog-swim-days-at-lidos-outdoor-pools-in-uk/

https://chippylido.co.uk/the-lido-dog-swim-2023/

https://www.bracknellnews.co.uk/news/national/23779038.golden-retrievers-take-lido-dog-swimming-month-begins/

I pick up after my dog, so there is never anything for anyone to step in.

The play equipment in my local area is open, unfenced, without any signs about dogs (there's a separate fenced off area, which is no dogs, and we don't go in that part). If dogs were meant to be excluded from that area, they would have been. When we go to the park there are usually no children around.

There's something supremely entitled in thinking that childfree people should pay for your lifestyle choice, but we shouldn't be allowed to use the facilities provided to your lifestyle choice, even at times when you don't want to use them.

If you've read Aesop's Fables, you may be familiar with The Dog in the Manger - or in this case - The Parent Not Currently In The Playground.

Wow! I’m not sure you should be allowed around dogs or children. Did you used to pull the wings off flies as a child?

I can well believe it, sadly. I also agree with you regarding the entitlement.

Oh dear, you’ve confused common sense with entitlement.
Not all facilities are yours or for you. You don’t take a dog in a play park. Like don’t rock up in the garden of a council care home with your child or start breaking into school playgrounds at weekends. You don’t get to Use everything simply because it exists.
I used to wonder why so much is invested in signs stating the obvious.

I think the set up of the playground isn't helping here. In the centre of our our village/estate there's a big green field area, with a small fenced of playground area clearly labelled as no dogs and only children under 12. There's also a skate park and a basketball net. So there's a safe place for young children to use play equipment, but also plenty of space for dogs to exercise and socialise. Could you write to the parish council and suggest they review the area?

The childless thing is unhelpful. Recreation spaces should ideally suit everyone. If there's not a specific space for teenagers they will hang around on the play equipment because there's no where else for them to go. If there's not a fenced off area where dogs can't go, then dogs will go everywhere.

It should be possible to have tax-funded recreation facilities that cater for everyone. I don't think it's unreasonable to want a space where little kids can play without being approached by dogs. But I don't think it's unreasonable for dogs to be running round either.

Do not kick a dog.

Not only is it abusive but it’s also a great way to make it attack you/your child.

It's happening in my local parks also

We don't all get to do whatever we want with public facilities just because we can. That's immense entitlement. Children's play equipment is not for dogs.

These people are utter twats. They should be discouraged and told of their twatiness firmly.

Years ago had to tell a man off for bringing his husky to do this and that he should leave as he would be responsible for his dog hurting any child. I don't actually think he had considered that at all. It was all for the dog. Idiotic

On a serious note, I actually train one of my dogs at a children's playground....
She's going to be a search & rescue dog.

The truth is, my dog as well as many others wouldn't have made the grade in terms of fitness & agility if it wasn't for the wobbly bridges, slides and balancing beams.

The search & rescue team in my county is entirely run by volunteers. The dogs training course is also paid by volunteers.
So unless a dog is super fit among other things, they won't be considered.
Plus, we have space/ funding for 5 search & rescue dogs.... the Woking team has 3 dogs plus mine in training.

So next time you hear on the news that someone is missing (elderly person or a child) or we are sending in rescue teams to an desaster zone, the dog finding people might well have started training on a children's playground.

It's another reason why the two shouldn't mix. It's a risk for dogs in addition to being hit by swings etc.

Only if you’re particularly dim.

A lack of adequate funding and facilities still doesn't mean a children's play area is an appropriate place to train a dog.

Only until some vulnerable in your family goes missing.

My point was that it shouldn't be necessary. Training working dogs should be possible without using children's facilities. Dogs in play areas shouldn't have to be the solution.

So next time you hear on the news that someone is missing (elderly person or a child) or we are sending in rescue teams to an desaster zone, the dog finding people might well have started training on a children's playground.

Inadequate training facilities for rescue dogs is not a good enough reason to let them trample their muddy paws all over children's play equipment. There are plenty of dog agility clubs. Take them there.

It depends what they want the dog to do.
Getting them used to ignoring the kids is exactly what they need. So maybe walk past at busy times rather than hang around.
Wanting the dog to greet everyone is not fine.

When I got my first Lakeland puppy, my then DH was working at a school.

He got permission to take the puppy into to the infants' school so we could socialise the dog with children. I also used to make a point of taking DPup out for a walk at the time the children were going to school and coming home, so he was socialised with them, and did the same with the second puppy.

It's the responsible thing to do if you haven't got DCs or know anyone with young DCs. Dogs need to be exposed to as many things as possible when they're very young, they're more likely to fearful or aggressive if you don't. And that causes no end of problems later on.

Mine had been on trains, buses, busy boot fairs, pubs, the stables where my friend had her horse, all sorts of places before they were 6 months old.