Dachshund in the playground

[Carrotsurprise]

I was at a very large, busy playground yesterday with my toddler. A couple who were there with their toddler had tied their dachshund to the buggy, which was on the rubber floor next to the equipment. The park has a sign up saying no dogs, as most parks do. The dog started to do a little squat like it was about to wee/poo, the woman said oops and quickly took the dog and tied it to the fence at the far side of the playground. But the dog got anxious when she walked away and started whimpering, so she brought the dog to stay with them as they went around the playground.

A few kids were really excited by the dog so I suppose the couple were emboldened by that, and when I saw them later, they were full-on allowing the dog to play on the equipment. I saw them taking the dog on the roundabout, over a bridge on a climbing frame, and challenging the dog to run up a slide and meet them at the top!

I was annoyed and I don't know whether I should have been or whether I'm just being miserable. I don't think that individual dog was doing any harm, really, assuming it didn't piss anywhere. There were some kids who were really happy to see it. But the couple were obviously pleased they'd found this hack of getting around the issue of dogs not being allowed in the playground, by simply keeping the dog with them at the playground. And I don't like the idea that people there could see that and think "I'll bring the dog with me next time because apparently it's fine". I have been to a playground where dogs were actually allowed (in a popular field for dog walking with no fence around the playground for some reason) and it was hell! Dogs cocking their legs against the equipment. Skid marks everywhere. More than one dog that became suddenly aggressive and had to be quickly caught and put back on the lead. And indeed people taking their dogs up the climbing frames and down the slides like they were children.

All the dachsunds
So many dachsunds
And they all go paw-in-paw
Paw-in-paw through their parklife

YANBU. Love dogs, don't want them in places they should not be.

Stop with the songs please, they be in my head now 😂

beautiful work

Sooner or later the dogs going to get over excited and nip one of the kids.

Or one of the kids will rough house the dog accidently and it will bite them.

Then of course there will be chaos.

You can tell the owners this beforehand, but they won't listen until it actually does.

I am a daschund owner and yes she owns me. 😁

They’re lucky I wasn’t there because I would have said something.

Yeah I’ve done this with a few people taking dogs into playgrounds. Incredible that they do it in the first place, even more astonishingly they have the brass neck to argue about it, asking me to explain the reasoning behind the rule, telling me I’m not the police, any old shit to deflect. You’d think it was a slam dunk argument but apparently not!

Where I feel for the OP is with the level of support the dog owners were apparently getting, this whole ‘we all love dogs’ vibe. I think that would have made me reluctant to intervene. It feels like such hard work. But then these things get more and more accepted and then it gets harder to stand up for the rules.

Absolutely love the idea of remodelling signage like this, I think it can really help. It sends the message ‘this is a big enough issue that we have spent some money on it and yes, the rules still apply despite the fact that every bugger has a dog now’. I think when signage is really old and knackered entitled types can more easily convince themselves it doesn’t really apply!

But the couple were obviously pleased they'd found this hack of getting around the issue of dogs not being allowed in the playground, by simply keeping the dog with them at the playground.

It sounds like everything was fine and you are unhappy that everyone was happy.

I love dogs but it shouldn’t be there no matter how cute it is. Rules are rules. I’d have said something.

Not the point. Some people who are happy to flout the rules for a small inoffensive dog make it much harder to keep out the pit bulls, the large excitable dogs, the nippy dogs, the shitters, the noisy barkers.

Rules make sure that the greater good is accommodated for. Entitled dog owners just don’t seem to care about that. And people who don’t want to be around dogs are always disadvantaged, because of the massive imbalance when it comes to the dog fan club bystanders.

There’s nothing fine about dogs in playgrounds. They’re not allowed for good reason. If you think there’s some sort of wind of change blowing because there are so many more dogs around these days, think again. My local authority (London borough) is looking at ways to tighten up rules to stop increasing dog-related anti-social behaviour, not loosen them. They’re not allowed in kids playgrounds and never will be I hope.

I could drive over the speed limit or after drinking and everything could be ‘fine’. Wouldn’t stop it being wrong.

That's far too much for me to read. The OP stated that they weren't really bothered but the attitude of the people, not being bothered, was what bothered her over the dog being there.

Everything else is white noise. I'm trying to address the root of the post not the feelings of the internet.

It was the point, though, which is why I pulled it out and addressed it. Your view on this doesn't change mine.

@Carrotsurprise, the knobby dachshund owner found your post.

I had a dog, he stayed out of the playground (mostly, the fence was wholly inadequate when squirrels were inside the playground, though the squirrels only ran around when there were no kids around of course)

There’s a dachshund in mi playground what am I gonna do, there’s a dachshund in mi playground what am I gonna do? I’m gonna teach that dachshund that’s what I’m gonna do I’m gonna teach that dachshund. Sung to tune of “Rat in Mi Kitchen” by UB40.

Im a dog person. I would never allow my dog into a childrens playground.

Sorry but in all my many years of having to go to play parks, I've never seen a dog pee or poo in them BUT I have seen children pee on the equipment on four separate occasions and poo twice 😂

The OP never said she wasn’t really bothered. It’s clear to me she was bothered, but was second guessing herself because there was no particular harm she could point to on that particular occasion. That to me is the root of her post.

Hope that addresses your post succinctly enough.

I used to be the playground manager for village and people would argue that their dog needed a special exemption.

They were always cocker spaniels.

And in all my years, I’ve never seen children wee or poo in a playground but I have found dog poo in them.

We can all chime in with what we have or haven’t seen. And of course we always have to have the obligatory posts about how children are worse.

Doesn’t change the fact that dogs just shouldn’t be in playgrounds. Doesn’t matter if they’re all teeming with children weeing and pooing everywhere, which of course they’re not, it’s irrelevant.

I just thought it funny in regards to "pee and poo free area" that's all 🙄
Obviously the changing song lyrics are very relevant of course.

Dachshund in the park,
On a slide and on a swing
Will it have a bark?
Or poo on everything?
Will it do a wee?
Or growl and bite someone?
Hump somebody’s knee?
Or just play in the sun

I wouldn’t take my two small dogs in a playground but I wouldn’t be too bothered if someone else did