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???

I’m unclear what else the OP could’ve done, save for carry the dog by balancing it on her head. By your logic, dogs aren’t under control simply by existing. And I say this as someone who isn’t a dog lover.

We get lots of lovely reactions like this when my DC ask if it's ok to stroke their dog. Even if it's a no, it's often followed up with "but very well done for asking" or similar.

Bloody hell! My DD is 5 and there is no way she would ever attempt to even go particularly close to a dog in public. And no she's not frightened of dogs, just sensible, and empathetic to them.

I guess those parents are more used to the dogs who bound up to everyone and the owners call out "he's friendly!" and everyone lived happy ever after.

My kids fucking hate dogs after being bounded up to way too many times and I would never let them approach a dog without asking first anyway. It's the schism between the bounders and the askers and never will the two sides agree.

I'm still stunned, to let your child run around on a train platform, and then to think it's OK to let your child run after a dog they do not know and have not met before.
I just can't get over it, the fucking danger that kid was it and Dad didn't give a fuck.

Quite!

I have a dog who looks very like a teddy bear. On his very first experience in a crowd at about 1 year old, a small child pushed through the forest of legs and grabbed him from the rear around the neck. Poor dog literally jumped and spun round in surprise.

Luckily for all concerned, including him, he really is the sweetest dog and, realising it was a very small human, was fine about it. He loves children and is very patient with them. But she was lucky and next time she may choose the wrong dog to bear hug.

YANBU!
People are idiots though. I once went to the … drumroll… Northern Parrots Show. I saw dads lifting toddlers so they could put their hands through the bars of cages containing large Macaws. They can crack Brazil nuts FFS! This was probably 20 years ago.

My 2 year old loves dogs but I’m trying to teach her to ask the owner before approaching the dog. You are being unreasonable to say to teach kids NEVER to approach unknown dogs as that teaches kids to be scared of animals.

You could have also been a bit nicer with your words. The single world no is what you tell a dog not a child. You could have said please don't touch my dog. Rather than a harsh NO.

You did the right thing but did the parent see what had happened or did they just see u grabbing their child? Mine know to ask before stroking a dog.

As a parent I despise when strange dogs jump up on me or my kids. I expect the dog owners to be responsible when in public with dog. The absolute same should apply to parents and children, don't invade anyone's space, human or animal.

That's what the OP was doing. In this instance by preventing the child from reaching the dog. I don't see anywhere that the parent was given any advice on how to parent, just a venting of frustration on here. Perfectly valid thing to do IMHO.

I get it all the time with my dog. Adults and children think it's OK to just touch him without asking because he looks handsome. Dog is actually fine with it, but that isn't the point.

My 4 year old knows to ask the owner before touching a dog. Equally, I always have my dog on a tight lead in a public place because she likes to jump up on people with her sharp claws (because she loves everyone- sorry dog, not everyone loves you).

However, if my dog had the potential to bite a child I don’t think I’d be taking it to a busy train station with the unpredictable (and yes, stupid) general public.

YANBU, but the same way some dog owners shouldn't encourage children to approach their dogs all the time!
We are trying to teach our 2yo to stay away from pets/animals in general, and often in the street or cafes the owners seem offended that we seem to imply their dog is dangerous! We get a snappy "it's ok, he's used to children" and try to get our son to come closer or bring their dog over to us.

Yes, one of the reason we don't want him to approach dogs we don't know is because they could be dangerous, but also we don't have pets so he is not used to them and would go straight for the eyes or pull their tail!

No need to be so angry about it

I’ve trained my DS to ask me and the Dog’s Mummy / Daddy if they can have a hug. He’s scared of big dogs so I’ve never needed to worry about it too much.

Why is that unreasonable?

Do you teach your child it is sometimes ok to run into the road, sometimes ok to grab a hot drink or touch a hot pan, sometimes ok to play on the train tracks?

No, of course not and that doesn't mean your child will grow up terrified of those things.

Teach your kids that it is never ok to run up to a strange dog. Walk. Ask the owner. If there is no owner, then do not touch, do not approach.

You don't have to add 'because doggy might rip your head off', if kids are old enough to be taught something, you can start adding 'because you might scare the dog' or 'the dog may not like it'. If they're not old enough and you're still managing their behaviour and controlling their actions... then do that.

I wouldn't want to be walk around with an animal that poses a danger to kids

You're taking your dog out for 12 hours, used 3 trains and are surprised and angered to have been confronted by a member of the public. A child and all.

I think you need to get a grip and realise your dig isn't the centre of the universe and be prepared for such events.

Yeah I can't understand adults who happily Gaddy about with dangerous animals.

YANBU

I was once waiting near school with my very placid Labrador who was sitting beautifully. A young child walked up and, before I had time to react, whacked her really hard on the head with his toy. The adult he was with said, 'don't do that - it might bite you'.

The same happened with my greyhound in a cafe. She was asleep on her bed near me, and a small child went to whack her with a toy. Thankfully, the mum grabbed the kid and apologised. But some people on MN will say it was my fault for having my dog there to start with.

Even the most well trained dogs can bite and snap. Are we forgetting that a dog is an animal that cannot tell a child to leave them alone?
As the owner said, her dog was tired, if the dog was also in pain or taken by surprise the automatic response may he to bite.

Let's flip it, if a child approached an unfamiliar cat and the child got scratched/bitten by the cat, would that be a surprise?

Obviously I'm aware that a dog can do more damage, but parents need to teach their children to behave and respect ALL animals.

Of course children should be taught to leave dogs alone.

But if all dogs were muzzled in public it would be even better.

A little boy maybe 4 or 5 raced over and grabbed my on lead spaniel by her ears a few weeks ago. I didn't see him coming as he came from behind . luckily she's so placid all she did was whimper but her tail went down and she was obviously frightened and hurt .Thankfully his father raced over and told his DS to let go. I then explained that you should always ask before touching a dog and never pull at them especially ears and tails.

if my dog had grabbed the child by the ears there would have been mayhem