To not understand what this parent was thinking?

[Frequency]

While out with my rottweiler x this afternoon, I noticed he was panting more than I was comfortable with, so I abandoned our walk and took a detour to the nearest shop to buy him a bottle of water.

I crouched down at the edge of a very wide path to give him a drink. I wasn't paying attention to what was around me because I was watching the dog, and no one had any reason to be near us anyway. The pavement is about 8 feet wide on that street, if not wider. We were right at the edge, by the shop window.

The second I stood up, there was a toddler, eye-to-eye with my dog. He must have run up behind me while I was kneeling. He was literally nose to nose with the dog, reaching his hands out to grab/stroke the dog's face.

My dog is friendly but a little wary of small children, so I tend to keep him away from them.

Luckily, DD was with me and had spotted the kid and managed to hold his hands before he grabbed the dog's face and loudly told him, "Sorry, he's scared of kids, and he's just trying to have a drink, can you leave him alone, please?" She had to say it loudly because his mum and her friend had continued walking and were now a good 10 feet away from us. At this point, the mother then shouted at her other small child (around 7 or 8) to "get the baby," so the dog now had 2 kids to contend with while the mother kept walking away, ranting about how the young girl was supposed to be "watching the baby."

DD has anxiety and was really shaken by it, and can't stop thinking about how much worse it could have been if our dog were not friendly, or if the kid had managed to grab the dog's face and spooked/hurt him.

I still just cannot fathom what the mother was thinking, allowing her toddler to run up to a strange dog who was obviously eating/drinking, get nose to nose with him to try to grab him, and then send a second child over after she's made aware he is not a friendly dog?

Surely it is common sense to know that nose-to-nose with a strange, large breed dog, who is eating/drinking, is not a safe place to be, no matter how friendly the dog is?

But yes, spooked or hurt dogs can and do lash out, which is exactly why the child should have been supervised by his parent and should be taught not to approach strange dogs.

Yes, I agree the parent was at fault here. But surely you can see that the reason you have given above is also reason why you need to muzzle your dog?

You were in a public, shopping area. You cannot guarantee that the young children you pass by will be supervised every second. You cannot. What you can do is muzzle your dog so if he is spooked at least he can’t bite.

The child’s face was level with your dog’s for heaven’s sake! I’m with your DD…the potential consequences just don’t bear thinking about!

I don’t think this is the case really. The law would normally not agree with you on that. If your dog is in a public space (as the OPs clearly was) and something happens, the law will almost always side against the dog owner. Some wiggle room around the OP or the dog being attacked. Dog owners are meant to anticipate that members of the public can, and do, act unpredictably (eg kids, SEN).

Why respond to the OP like that? What a dick move.

Muzzle yourself.

Such wit!😉

Any dog is unpredictable when taken by surprise by a small child like this. It doesn’t matter what breed.

To allow a small child approach any dog like this is madness. It’s lucky her daughter was there to keep the child safe.

Indeed - chihuahuas immediately spring to mind.

Oh, he's beautiful. All the mumsnet dog haters are out in force again 🙄

I feel that pedestrians have the right to walk along a street and not have to maintain a high level of vigilance, beyond what is usually required in caring for a young child that can walk.

To paraphrase the OP,

Control your dog around dangers, not just young children, but also strange adults, heavy traffic, cars pulling up onto the pavement, or any number of other accidents which could have befallen the dog in that area.

If you're unable to control them verbally, use a leash and consider asking a friendly dog trainer for training tips .

Exactly right 👍 my friend keeps both her dogs muzzled and their friendly dogs

I mean, I kind of agree, but then one has to parent one's child and keep it safe and Op was not being the entitled one in this situation.

Oh for heaven’s sake it’s completely normal for dogs to be wary of small children. They are unpredictable, move in a very different way to adults, make sudden loud noises and give off a chaotic energy. All of this puts dogs on edge. It doesn’t mean they will react. In fact most people may not see they are on edge but owners know their dogs and the subtle change in posture and body language which say ‘I don’t really like this’. As a dog lover and a dog owner I keep my child away from all dogs we meet in public out of respect to the dogs.

I’m sorry this happened op. You did nothing wrong, some parents are completely slack and lazy with their children. On a couple of occasions, some of my little dogs have been randomly grabbed and picked up by strange kids. My dogs don’t bite but equally they don’t like to just be snatched up by strangers. When I have said, very firmly to “put him/her down. Now” the parents have been most offended because little Ophelia just “thinks they are cute and wants a cuddle” FUCK OFF and control your child, you dimwit.

Some common sense at last . I have Bullmastiffs and they are the most gentle souls . The only dog I’ve ever been bitten by in 55yrs of ownership is a chichihua . I hate the automatic oh he’s large he must be dangerous old trope .

YANBU. We have a Labrador, so renowned for being "friendly". While to be fair most parents don't let their children come up to it, there's always the odd one who does.

My lab loves children/humans generally and I have no worries about any kind of aggression or biting. But he CAN get very over-excited when being given pats and cuddles by someone new, and he often wants to jump up to them to say hello. Given that he weighs 35kg he could easily knock over a child (or adult TBH) so I always have to say no even if a parent or child asks politely if they can pat him.

Always better safe than sorry, and all parents should be instilling in their children never to approach an unknown dog. You and your DD were being responsible and appropriate in the situation you describe.

One would hope not!

Perfect response

Depends what you call ‘intimidating’. Friends had 2 big black Flatcoat Retrievers - and a little white Westie. It was the ‘cute’ Westie that children always wanted to stroke - but he was a little bugger and had to be kept apart from any strangers.

The 2 Flatties, OTOH, were as soppy as you like, wonderful with children.

He is gorgeous! (My cat - who lives happily with my horribly vicious staffie - does the same thing, and is particularly obsessed with the inner soles from my shoes!)

it makes my blood run cold that if something had happened to the child, there are so many who would blame the child and the mother.

He’s a lovely dog. My 5 yo DS has SEN and is a runner, the only time we feel just about comfortable to let him go free is in an open space like a park provided there’s no pond. We still have to be cautious of dogs though, sadly because he absolutely adores them and wants to stroke them. He has no sense of danger whatsoever and doesn’t recognise that some dogs could hurt him.

This mother obviously should have chased after him and been more cautious generally. I can’t believe she’d let a toddler run off anyway, when presumably they were beside a road.

But that's the whole point - the parent was not maintaining ANY level of vigilance!

Yep - adore bull breeds. Only dog that's bitten me, in many years of being around dogs, was a Yorkshire Terrier!

Whilst the mother should have been watching the child, nobody is perfect and everyone at some point has made a parenting mistake.
Dogs need to expect unpredictable children though. If you are sure your dog wouldn’t bite then there is no issue.