To expect someone not to let their three dogs jump all over me

[8oreighty]

and "playbite" my arms?!!! I was on a rural path...fair enough, but I think people should control their dogs...I got muddy footprints all over me. It is also kind of scary if you don't know the dogs. There were two women with 3 dogs, not even an apology. Even when I said angrily, "please can you get your dogs off me". That's just not on - is it?

If a dog is physically harming your child, I would think that physical force is utterly reasonable, weegiemum - no question. The response needs to be proportional to the threat.

I suppose in many ways my question has to change ---

How do you deal with the owner of a dog who is in the process of mauling your child?

My son had clearly ripped clothing (4 layers, including a parka-type coat). There was blood all over his clothing. He was screaming fit to wake the dead (no wonder!!!). I had dialled 999 to get an ambulance to get him to hospital as I was worried about how badly he was bleeding (the dog had ripped a shoulder artery!!!). Doctors said I did the right thing.

But I was faced with an owner cross that I had kicked the dog 3 times and that I was accusing their "lovely, friendly" dog of mauling my son!!!

They were very very angry that I reported it to the police!!

They had no right to be angry with you either for kicking their dog or for reporting the incident to the police. They hadn't trained the dog properly, hadn't got it under proper control and had taken it into a children's playpark where dogs were not allowed - what happened was avoidable, and entirely their fault.

people who own dogs are on the whole utterly mad.

well my children have nearly got attacked by a rottie but the owner came out just in time, i have a collie and she is no way dangerous.

where was the owner??

i totally understand if your kid is been mauled by a dog, you need to take whatever action you need too.

the op started this thread because a dog jumped up a her and the owners didnt do anything and then their was a suggestion of harming the dog, that is what i replied to.

This collie (crossed with something, dunno what) was several hundred yards from the owners who were standing under a tree talking to other dog owners.

They only came out and ran over when I started kicking their dog off my son.

Their reaction was that it "could never have been" their well trained dog.

It was!! I watched it happen!!!

My children were in a fenced off playpark with huge NO DOGS signs.

I should not have had to been vigilant for a dog attack on a preschooler in this situation. But the fecking owners paid no attention till I kicked their dog - by the time they got there the ambulance was on its way!!!

Kittywise - I am utterly mad, I accept that - but I was utterly mad before we got a dog too - so I'm not sure where that leaves your theory.

"i have a collie and she is no way dangerous".

That is the crux of the matter. You don't know your dog, no-one knows your dog. It could snap at anytime.

That statement is in line with the usual "oh it wont touch them" drivel that I hear time and time again.

This thread is pixxing me off - time to leave.

I think dogs should NEVER be off the lead where children are playing.

Never.

They cannot be trusted, no matter how well trained, around a bunch of screeching, playing kids.

Take them somewhere else, where noone will get hurt - dog or child. There are a lot of places away from children's play parks where dogs can run.

If you choose to have a dog, then you have to choose also to keep it under control, of suffer the consequences if it attacks someone.

i dont agree with that, obviously the dog was dangerous then the owners should of made sure this didnt happen.

your poor child i'm not heartless you know, not if a dog is attacking a child.

what i didnt agree with is telling a child not to touch a dog cause she nips - and they do, also the threats to hit a dog when they have jumped up! that is the owners fault not the dogs!

If owners have to let their dogs off to exercise why cant they wear a muzzle?

Not taking the piss,i am genuinely asking why they cant?

Oh & if a dog was biting my ds i would kick it so hard,then i would probably kick the owner.

"my collie would never attack someone"

thats what the owners of the collie-cross who mauled my son said.

It "could never have been" their good natured, well trained dog.

My son could have bled to death. Without serious stitching under GA there was a possibility of the loss of use of his arm as there was nerve involvement as well as a ripped shoulder artery.

I don't believe anyone ever that their dog could never attack anyone. Rubbish!!!

i have 3 children

she has never bitten
never growled
and never barked at people or other dogs.

my ex used to hit her(it was only later i found out), but she followed him around like a lap dog.

not all collies are the same.

thesunshinesbrightly Thu 24-Sep-09 13:44:36 Add a message | Report post | Contact poster

"i totally understand if your kid is been mauled by a dog, you need to take whatever action you need too.

the op started this thread because a dog jumped up a her and the owners didnt do anything and then their was a suggestion of harming the dog, that is what i replied to."

so how do you know that the dog that is currently jumping up on you/your dc is not going to bite?

ime you can't trust the owners on this one:

every instance I have personally come across of someone getting bitten has been preceded by the words "he won't hurt you, you know"

that's what the owners said to ds

and by the time they have been proved wrong, it is too late

I would seriously doubt that this was the first incident involving this dog too, weegiemum.

And whilst I do accept that one cannot be 100% sure that a dog won't 'snap', you should know your own dog and their temperament, and will know their history - ie. if they've ever attacked before or if they are snappy or laidback or too boisterous around people they don't know etc etc - and based on that, you should have a pretty good idea of what your dog will do - though the longer you know the dog, the better you will know them, and vice versa, clearly.

My sister wonders why we don't visit and when I tell her it is because she has a mad huge dog that basically knocks you over when you walk through the door.
The last time we went my dc had to stop playing with some balloons because it "made the dog jealous".

I hate dogs that are out of control I have one and he is never off the lead as we live in an area around a lot of children and he is only a lab.

I would also kick any dog that came bounding up to me and my dc so stick that in your pipe and smoke it.

Weegiemum .

FFS!

I don't care if all collies aren't the same!!!!

Do you want to come round here, and explain that to my now 7yo ds who freezes when he sees any dog and screams to high heaven when he sees anything that looks like a collie - cos one almost killed him!!!! - when they are off the lead. He is fine with dogs on the lead - cos I have explained, ad nauseum, that dogs on the lead are under control!!

I think my ds (who has had psychological help to deal with the trauma!!!!) should be respected, and not made to feel like a freak cos a free running collie type dog frightens him.

For one moment, can nay of the dof lovers here who are jsut not getting this, put themselves in the shoes of a freaked out, terrified child being violently bitten?

No, you see, I don't think you can, cos you are still saying things like "but my dog ......."

Sorry, but any dog could do this. Any dog!

Again i will ask why cant dogs wear muzzles when off the lead?

I don't know if any dog could or any dog couldn't bite. No idea.

What I would like is some sort of identification code whereby you can tell whether the words "he won't hurt you, he's ever so friendly!" proceeding from the owner are likely to be followed by a sharp nip on the leg or not. So go on- how do we tell these clueless owners from the rest?

Weegie come join me in the land of pixxedoffness.

SSG - Never in my life have I seen such complete and utter tripe being written. Get this - yes YOUR DOG COULD ATTACK AND YOU CANNOT SAY OTHERWISE.

You can't.

That's why I never trust a dog owner, when they are talking about their dog!

This boils down to the fact that some people are wankers and some are nice and there are varying degrees in between.

Some people own dogs - some dog owners are nice and considerate and some are ignorant wankers.

This is not about dogs it is about people... they are the ones in charge of the dogs and they shouldn't allow them to do that.

sorry - this is the second time I've said this today... but it really isn't about dogs. You can't generalise about people or about dog owners. The only thing you can be sure of is that dogs are animals and they behave how they want to/ have learnt to - it isn't there fault..

am now boring myself.... sorry!

The thing is ---

as a parent of small children playing in the park, there is no clear, obvious way to tell the wankers from the good owners!!

Therefore the only safe and sensible way to proceed is to assume everyone is a wanker!