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???

You shouldn't even be asking in the first place. It doesn't matter that because you're not doing it face-to-face to someone at the station. There is still a person on the other end of the computer/phone that you've no right to be asking about their disability, or lack thereof as the case may be.

I've a hidden disability. I would absolute detest being asked about it by a nosy stranger. It's none of your business.

You should probably see someone about your fear/hatred of dogs. It's beyond the level of normal. Practically no one likes being approached by strange dogs, myself, as a dog owner, included, by the way. But if you fear or hate them so much that you cannot tolerate them leaded, getting some help for this may actually help your experience of public transport and lifts. It sounds like you need it.

I had a 4/5 year old run up to my dog a few years ago making barking noises. My dog was very scared and started barking at the child. I told the kid to back off (parents nowhere to be found) and stood in front of my dog to try and stop the kid from approaching him. My dog loved attention but not so keen on ambushes. People sitting around the park just tried to ignore me shouting at a child but I'd rather that than my dog snap and retaliate out of fear.

Anyway, today my own child (4) and I were walking to the shop. My son was really happy and started squealing his delight about something. We were approaching a dog who was stood on the corner of the street (leashed) and I told my boy not to make any sudden movements or loud noises around dogs as you never know how they will react. As we walked closer, he walked past quietly without fuss and the dog didn't bat an eyelid.

Just teach your kids.

None of this has anything to do with the OPs post. You don’t like dogs, we get it. Some of us do and the law doesn’t prevent them being in public places so you are being unreasonable getting so arsey about it.

people do lots of things I don’t like or agree with in public and that negatively affect me, but I accept I can’t go round imposing my will on people, so you should too.

OP I can't believe 1 in 3 people think you were in the wrong here. I definitely think you were in the right. You protected the dog and the child. In your post you said the dad came round the corner so I assume the child was out of his sight initially which seems so dangerous at a train station. I have a dog that looks like a teddy bear and so many children run up and grab her - luckily she's super chilled and never reacts but it's such a dangerous behaviour for a child.

I've usually found that kids are generally better than adults around dogs, to be honest. Certainly with our Akita, which is probably because she's fairly imposing (and usually bigger than the children).

I've had incidents with other dogs, though - particularly our first. He was a rescue, and I badly misjudged his temperament in the first few weeks and took him near an area of town where there were lots of people - particularly stupid of me given that we didn't know his history, but I didn't know a lot about dogs back then. He, understandably, freaked out - I managed to get him to a relatively quiet place and crouched down to make his world a bit smaller so he could calm down, which was working until this idiot came up to us trying to stroke him. I refused and said he might bite because he's stressed, and got the golden words in response...

"Oh, it's fine, dogs love me, I know what to do"

This one doesn't, mate. After a couple more refusals from me, the guy pushed my arm aside and thrust his hand in front of our boy's face and pulled his head around. He had to have stitches in the end, and screamed blue bloody murder about how he was going to have my dog put down.

Fortunately, I got phone numbers from the witnesses to his Darwin-Award-winning performance, and the police basically told him to do one. This was about 18 years ago, mind, before the law started blaming dogs for people's failings.

I like to think everybody concerned learned something that day. I certainly learned to protect my dogs more strongly from idiocy (including my own).

It does seem that now a days a lot of people seem to think a dog should never react to anything even if it's in self defense and if they do they are a dangerous out of control dog - makes me nervous to take mine out. Like if you randomly kick my dog I kind of think it's ok if you get bitten (my dog would not bite though, it would run away in terror)

My dog is small, very cute and thankfully adores children. The other day I was out walking her when a child, who looked about three, walked up to her and shoved his head in her face and started stroking her. While the parents looked on smiling.

So fucking stupid.

It's taken me years to train DS1 to freeze and stand quietly when a dog approaches him rather than going into an exciting panic reaction that results in a chase. The poor child had far too many unsolicited encounters with "friendly dogs" untrained nuisences with lazy owners There is near to zero chance of him imposing himself on a random dog.

DS2 is cautious and wants to like dogs, but is wary and easily startled. He has managed on some occasions to ask owners of calm dogs if he can stroke them. This progress has regularly been set back though.

I've done my best to train the DCs to behave calmly and sensibly around dogs and those efforts have regularly been undermined by feckless owners who will let their dogs be "friendly" to any poor sod, human or caninine in the vincinity.

OP is sensible for keeping her dog under close control and protected.
The parents of the child have been lax and put their child at risk from dogs or general station hazards.

Always taught dd to ask the owner if if ok to stroke the dog then if they say yes to put her hand out so dog can come to her. Basic manners and safety.

It’s not just about dogs though. My daughter knows not to approach any animal without permission from the owner. Any animal could be dangerous. She always knows that we definitely don’t touch or chase wild animals too.

YABU for taking your dog on a train. The child's dad was also BU for letting his son run amok.

@Lostcotter anyone is entitled to use the lift. That's a non issue. The issue is whether the dog should have been allowed in the lift? Of course a service dog should be, I'm not sure about other dogs. Personally I love dogs but I can understand it must be rough for those who are allergic or phobic. I think if dogs are allowed everywhere people with allergies or phobias might feel unable to access places.

Right to clarify a few things for the weirdos of MN.
Of course the dog was on the lead. We had just got off a train and were on the platform.
The platform was double sided, as in trains either side. If I were to run away in the split second I had to make a decision, I would have lured a running child toward a packed platform with more people and more danger.
Dogs are allowed on trains. Perfectly legal. Don't like it, don't use public transport. My dog has been on trains for 5 years and knows the drill, he sleeps between my legs under the seat and if standing knows the command 'middle'.
The lift question. Fuck knows why this is anyone's business. The station doesn't have stairs, it has escalators, or a lift. Dogs can't be taken on escalators unless carried, and I am physically unable to carry my dog rendering the escalator void. And even if I could, so fucking what. I pay the same fair as everyone else, I will use the same facilities as everyone else.

And to the people defending the father. You lot are nuts. Utter batshit. Go let your child run away out of sight on a busy train platform, and see how safe you think your little DC is then....

This. I'd move my dog but tbh don't have to because he loves people fussing him. I think of you are taking a dog on multiple trains it shouldn't be a threat to people, what if it wad crowded and someone accidently trod on his foot, would he bite them?

I voted YABU.

You did nothing wrong in the situation. You kept your dog under control and ensured the child was safe.

Some children (and adults) have additional needs. Therefore you can't expect all children to be able to understand how to behave around dogs. I worked with a young man with ADHD and ASD who loved dogs. We went over the rules constantly, but he always forgot in the moment when he saw one. I couldn't always physically stop him from approaching over-enthusiastically.

Therefore, I was glad that, like your situation, none of the dogs he approached were out of control or dangerous.

No-one should expect that all children who approach your dog will do so sensibly.

We have corgis which are like a magnet for children. One is a petite girl with an extremely cute face, she looks like a cross between a teddy and a fox. She loves children (and puppies) and is ridiculously tolerant. The male, however, is a rescue who was abused. Most children where we live are very clued up on dogs as there are dogs everywhere, but a while ago we had a toddler come along the path swinging a toy sword and rammed it right in the male's face - luckily I had him on a short lead close to my leg because we are responsible owners and I saw the child coming. He yelped and barked, clearly thinking he was about to be hit again.

The father's explanation for this behaviour was "he's a 3 year old boy". Nice.

I must admit it’s very rare this has happened to me and I have dogs that are human magnets. I think you’ve been very unlucky but reacted as I would have.

I remember one incident I turned around to find a small child actually sat on my dog who was lying down…I nearly died. Another time camping we had one child that would not leave us alone to the point I had to tell him to go away, it was the parent encouraging him! I usually just say sorry he’s sleeping/tired/wet or whatever excuse I can think of on the spot but I can’t see you would have had time in this situation.

I tend to find the people that grope my dogs without asking are almost always adult men!

The child shouldn't have been able to reach your dog. Shouldn't judge his parenting my arse. His 5 year old was able to run around a train platform and approach a dog without dads intervention. Yea he was a bad parent. Yes it was his fault. A train station is where you have hold of a child that can't behave or follow instructions.

So important to teach your child to ask before stroking. I’ve got a cockapoo so people assume because he’s cute and fluffy he’s fair game for stroking. But he’s very anxious, currently going blind and so I’m very careful at agreeing. I tell people not to reach out to him, most non dog people do this, let him come to you. Then he’s fine. I’ve had a few kids over the years just come over and start stroking. I tell them that whilst it’s ok to stroke him (he loves kids) it’s very important to ask the owner first. Usually parents are no where to be seen for the first minute or so.

I’ve travelled on trains regularly long distance for over 20yrs now. Let me tell you I’ve had far far more issues with humans on trains, not dogs. In fact never a single incident with a dog on the train. If people don’t like it, tough as dogs are permitted to use public transport.

That didn't take long 🤣

(also when did we start using the verb "parent" instead of "bring up" or "look after" or "teach". It sounds so wanky)

Around 1975 I think

If your dog is a risk, it should be muzzled in train stations. Or don't take it on the train. Ultimately it's your responsibility as a dog owner to ensure your dog is not a risk.

Parents should also prevent their children approaching dogs. However it's vanishingly rare that a dog is bitten or injured by a child whereas the reverse is increasingly common. And trains are for humans not dogs. If you want your dog to go on a train the onus is on you to ensure people are safe. Different if the dog is on your own private land or on a dog walking field.

Then don't own any animal.

Luckily, OPs dog is not a danger to kids.

The father was doing a bad job of looking after and teaching his child. Yes, it is the parents' responsibility to teach children not to approach dogs at all without clear specific permission from the owner. The parent was in the wrong. So was the child.By 5 mine knew to ask the owner from a safe distance if the dog would like a stroke.
But also. Some parents are crap. So
dog owners need to make sure that their dog can deal with unexpected and crap situations. It's not OK for a 5 year old to be bitten because they have a crap parent. My dog is small enough that I could pick her up to protect her from a out of control child. If she wasn't I think I'd muzzle her in very stressful situations like crowds and trains. Just in case. Because it's not just out of control children. It's also genuine accidents. What if somebody stood on her paw. Or tripped and fell on her. Or anything else that might make the most placid dog snap.