To as you to teach your child how to act around dogs?

[ToBeOrNotToBee]

I'm gobsmacked, truly, still around an hour or so after this event.
Dog and I have had a busy day travelling and exploring the countryside.
On our way home, coming off train 3 of 3 on the return leg, having been out for 12 hours, I walk to the lift (which is around a corner and obscured by a stairwell) at the end of the platform with dog to heel besides me.
We're waiting with a few others when this 5-6 year old child appears around the corner, running towards us, hands outstretched, literally beelining for the dog. I see what's about to happen and immediately put the dog behind my legs and put my hand out telling the child a stern 'No'.
The child then tries to go behind to reach my dog, who is cowering between my legs. I have no choice but to grab hold of the child's coat and physically stop them, letting go when the child stops trying to reach my dog.
After a moment or two, the Dad appears and then screams at me for touching his child. As he's midscream, the lift appears and I go into it with a few others and doors close as everyone else looks awkwardly at their feet.
The doors close, we go on our merry wall.
But I couldn't stop this feeling that the child will one day do that to the wrong dog and end up a dog bite statistic.
Say for example, I wasn't as switched on, and my dog as placid as he is, or in pain that day, and the child did poke him painfully causing him to snap and bite. Child would have been hurt, my dog potentially put down, and I get a conviction for having a Dangerous Dog Out of Control.
It's something I've noticed over recent years, people treating strange dogs as public property and not animals with sharp teeth and their own minds.
So please, teach your children not to run whilst on busy train platforms (or any train platform), to not approach unknown dogs, and if someone says no, to respect it.

Is that too much to ask???

^ Do you have this same attitude to fire, going off with strangers and crossing roads?
Thought not. Don’t be so bloody ridiculous. Did you even read and more importantly comprehend the post?
Well done OP for advocating for your dog and controlling the feral, entitled tiny human.

I don’t want your child running up to me, my dog or my child! Teach children to respect others personal space for god sake!!!! You are NOT entitled to touch others, we are not your property. If you can’t control your child, get reins for it!

32% voted YABU - don’t worry they’ll have the dog put down when it bites. Of course your little darling may carry the scars for life- but don’t worry you 32% 🤦🏼‍♀️🙄honestly the human race is too stupid to last much longer.

YANBU -
When I was pregnant We were shown dog mauling pictures in a safety segment of an anti natal class,

When my daughter was a toddler I wouldn't let her stroke any dogs regardless of permission. Because it's easier to teach a toddler she can touch no dogs instead of trying to teach them they can so.etimes touch the dog.

As she got older I taught her that if a dog owner and dog approach her, she can ask if she can stroke the dog. And if the owner offers then she can stroke the dog. Other than that, no touching because it's not her dog and she doesn't know they're mood.

I think that parents needs to teach their children to ask first. My kids ask me if they can ask the dog owner. Children also have poor impulse control and that child may have also had a similarly tiring day meaning they were a little less able to manage themselves. Kids slip away from parents (not ideal I know), but unlike dogs they arent kept on leads. I think holding your dog back and blocking was appropriate but unless you genuinely feared your dog would attack, then shouting at and laying hands on a child was unreasonable.

I'd rather parents taught their kids that they may not touch other peoples dogs at all rather than ask, because ask sets up a couple of expectations:

1/That the answer might be yes, is hoped to be yes... this rapidly morphs into 'I should expect a yes because I asked first'...
2/ The the owner actually can read their dog/control their dog - not by any means a guarantee.

I will carry on shouting/physically grabbing children to prevent.

I cannot guarantee:

• Child will listen to a verbal 'no/stop'
• Parent will back me up
• Parent/child will not misunderstand an innocent woof/sniff/nudge from my dog
• Child will stand still and greet appropriately vs grab/hit/kick

I have had sufficient experiences where kids haven't listened, I've been berated by parents for NOT allowing their child to grab my (not particularly chuffed about it!) dog, berated because my dog barked in surprise (dog is blind, child grabbed from behind), parents have actively sent their child to 'say hello to the doggy'...

I won't leave things to chance, my actions might upset or scare your child, but you/your childs actions might upset, scare, hurt or end up killing my dog. My dog is my priority.

Just to add... I don't think any dog owner here is expecting people to teach tiny children the subtle nuances of dog behaviour.

Just to not approach them, and if possible stand still/back off/be quiet rather than run around/approach/scream (not always possible but something worth teaching as many things are best started early on!).

Why should a personal choice (having a dog, wanting to eat Snickers) take precedence before safe(r) environment for people with genuine health conditions while using public services?

Wen I was much younger, single and didn't know how to drive one of my parents had a terrible accident and nearly died. I got on the first train I cpuld get back to their city. I had to take my dog as I had nobody who could keep her where I lived. If someone on that train was allergic to dogs and taking that journey to visit the shopping centre where my parents lived do you honestly think they had more right to take the train over me visiting a critically unwell parent? Surely they could shop online or go somewhere via foot. Why should I be prevented from saying goodbye to a parent because of the choices of others? See what I'm saying here - this sort of whataboutery just descends into nonsense. As I said before - we all share the same spaces and we all need to have a little consideration. Life isn't black and white "I have an allergy so you can't do X" or vice versa.

A person who is allergic to dogs would not have one (although some people do if their allergy is mild and manageable).

Smoking (passive or directly) is harmful to everyone. It is a poor comparison.

I have to give my child medicine to cope with your dog is basically what you are saying? Why should he have to? It is a public space and you are bringing a known allergen into it. It gets ingrained into the fabric etc. Dog owners proving themselves to be selfish as usual. If you want a dog have one but keep it in your own home and take it for walks. It does not need to go into an enclosed carriage where other people are stuck with it. If you really have to travel somewhere with then take it in car and if you don’t have one hire one.

My dog's dander/fur would be on my clothing even if my dog is not with me, so if your child is that allergic then that could still pose an issue to them. And, how about service dogs?

I don't have a car and don't drive, so can't hire a car. And if I could, the price to hire a car just for a trip the vets or to visit someone is ridiculously expensive.

As it is, dogs are allowed on public transport. So anyone with a dog on one is doing nothing wrong at all.

Totally missing the point of the thread

With all these recent news stories I've told my son never ever to touch any dogs 🐕 I don't think it's appropriate even with permission they are unpredictable

The op wasn't thinking her dog would bite but clearly says one day the child might run up to one that would.

They do all the time sometimes parents chase them sometimes they don't notice. I've grabbed a few as bout to be hit by cars outside school over the years.

Why people use lifts for all sorts of reasons. They also have the same right to use public transport to take their dogs out for excercise not everyone lives near a suitable place for longer walks ...are you told where you can walk or visit?

Read the post properly

So it's okay to run up to an animal and scare it screaming at it and pulling it about as long as it can't hurt you then?

You won't see it if you don't walk a dog though will you?

You're the one with the allergy sufferer why don't you take a car or hire one.

See? Selfishness works both ways.

I cannot drive so to visit family when I was a single dog owner I had to use public transport. That was the only option available to me. If you and your son have no option to use a car either you can also use public transport. With the option of medicine if he needs it. For the third time now, we ALL have the right to use public transport. The clue is in the name. Someone having something you are allergic to on it doesn't take away your right to use it.

Well we will have to disagree there. Public transport is for humans not dogs. Don you buy a ticket for your dog? No you do not.

have only read OPs posts
No, OP you were not being unreasonable. I find the UK a bit batshit in terms of "don't touch my child". "oh ok then, I'll let into my rottweiler's jaws/fall off the platform"

A dog that bites a child is always in the wrong. Well, the owner of a dog that bites a child is always in the wrong: a dog can’t be ‘wrong’ because it’s not a person; in law it’s just property.

Like someone said upthread, it’s sensible for a parent/carer to keep a child out of harm’s way. But that doesn’t mean the law shouldn’t require a hazard to be restricted.

Which is why dogs should be muzzled in public. Then it’s all good.

I fear another snowflake generation is being raised if their child is never in the wrong.

why? Because for parents it’s perfectly acceptable to allow their little darlings to do touch, poke, kids with no recourse. Obviously, if a dog starts showing signs of agitation, we hope the dog owner will extract themselves and the dog from the situation. However, I also expect parents to extract their little darling as well. Obviously I hope both parties would have taken action before the dog is so scared it feels the need to bite.

lets put all kids on reins. Problem solved.