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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think that dogs in park should be muzzled?

147 replies

hawkgirl · 09/03/2010 21:25

I live in London where quite a few teenagers have fighting dogs in the park around babies and toddlers. Its been a bit scary at times and I know i'm not the only one who worries.

It must be hard to enforce some kind of police control on who can and can't have a certain dog breed, but thinking that around areas where small children play that all dogs should have a muzzle.

OP posts:
Vallhala · 09/03/2010 21:43

"Fighting dogs"?

Original poster
hawkgirl · 09/03/2010 22:25

yes, vicious things. Not helped by the morons kids who have them and seem to run around with them and a big chain to occassionally beat them into submission. They really don't have much control over them at all. Real accessory for the young in London.

OP posts:
wannaBe · 09/03/2010 22:27

yabu to suggest that all dogs should be muzzled. All dogs should be under control yes, but not all dogs are fighting dogs or status symbols.

MrsCrafty · 09/03/2010 22:31

No I don't think you are unreasonable. I was horrified by todays announcement that all dog owners will have to have insurance for their dogs in case they bite someone. Like all car owners have insurance [hmmm]

Err, shouldn't we be trying to stop this before someone gets bitten.

Dogs, should be banned from childrens play areas anyway.

I agree with muzzling all dogs in public areas. They can't bite you or a child then.

Vallhala · 09/03/2010 22:32

What wannabe said.

IMO it's the teenagers in charge who should be muzzled and punished, particularly if they are beating their dogs.

Original poster
hawkgirl · 09/03/2010 22:34

Can't believe that. I'd want the owner to face assault charges if a dog attacked any of my family, not a higher insurance premium.

OP posts:
Kelix · 09/03/2010 22:36

It is scary in the park when there are dogs around children, they should be kept under control and some should defiantly wear a muzzle but like you say would be hard to police which should and which shouldn't.

If its actually in a children's play area then dogs aren't allowed in most of them round here.

stripeyknickersspottysocks · 09/03/2010 22:37

I wouldn't be happy muzzling my dog. She's as soft as anything and would hate wearing a muzzle.

We muzzled her for a day when we first got her to introduce her to the cat (she's a greyhound) and she hated it so much she went and rubbed it on the corner of the shed until it broke.

You can't blame all dogs for the behaviour of some.

junglist1 · 09/03/2010 22:37

One of my staffies is muzzled in public, as he is dog aggressive. Our female, no.
And as for the lowlifes who beat their dogs? I think if me or Valhala caught them they'd cack themselves

Original poster
hawkgirl · 09/03/2010 22:37

sorry new to this, what yabu?

also saw a adult female owner with three dogs attack a lone dog and its swarm around its female owner in the park when lots of young kids were being taken to school. Maybe wrong to specify just the young for their dogs as this women was in her 30's and unable to control her dogs. Luckily a few dads came to the rescue to scare away the dogs and help get them leashed again.

OP posts:
darkandstormy · 09/03/2010 22:40

yabu why should my old girl of a jr terrier be muzzled as she has hardly any teeth.Why not muzzle all humans they bite too you know.some are very rarely under control.Lets ban all footballs they hurt if they hit your leg in the park,lets ban all ice cream wrappers after all you could slip on them.Lets ban most of all toddlers on scooters very very dangerous, not to mention beginners on bikes.In fact lets all just stay in, cos it is so much safer.

stripeyknickersspottysocks · 09/03/2010 22:40

yabu - you are being unreasonable.

hmc · 09/03/2010 22:40

YABU

All dogs are potential killers in the same way as all men are potential rapists ...so muzzles for all dogs and chemical castration for all men .

Sledge hammer to crack a nut - ridiculous.

However, I do agree that all dogs should be kept on leads in parks

Original poster
hawkgirl · 09/03/2010 22:43

what would the solution be if not a muzzle? How can families feel safe with uncontrolled dogs around?

We have a dog free area too in our parks but the parks are not policed, there is no park keeper and dogs do run in to the play area.

What would you suggest? interested in particular to what dog owners think, is insurance really enough?

OP posts:
hmc · 09/03/2010 22:45

A lead, hawkgirl, is quite sufficient

Vallhala · 09/03/2010 22:47

This bloody silly insurance idea willdo nothing but punish decent owners and condemn even more dogs than ever to death in pounds.

Premiums will go up and up, as the insurance companies will have us by the bollocks once the element of choice is taken from owners. Those who can't afford the insurance will be handing their dogs into pounds - rescue is already on it's knees, with more dogs than spaces. The feckless won't even do that but will throw their dogs onto the streets at the first whiff of enforcement. It will cost millions to police and will be impossible to do so even with those millions and create an even greater compensation culture. It will also encourage a lot of spurious, malicious complaints.

Another example of the Labour Party's blind stupidity!

darkandstormy · 09/03/2010 22:48

agree hmc.

Original poster
hawkgirl · 09/03/2010 22:49

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8288182.stm

This is what we face in London. Leads aren't enough when owners are barely strong enough to hold their dogs.

OP posts:
darkandstormy · 09/03/2010 22:49

agree also valhalla

hmc · 09/03/2010 22:53

Then hawkgirl - the tiny number of irresponsible dog owners should be pursued - not the vast majority who don't have rabid frothing aggressive dogs

Original poster
hawkgirl · 09/03/2010 22:55

how pursued and to what result?

OP posts:
ifancyashandy · 09/03/2010 22:58

Sooooo tricky - for instance, what kind of park do you mean? What if the park is huge (like Hyde Park, say) - should dogs be on a lead there?

Completely agree that they should be kept on lead (not muzzle) / away from kids playgrounds (and these are often fenced off in big parks) but not in parks in general. Apart from anything else, a frustrated dog who can't go running after a ball is going to turn into an unhappy dog....

Guess I'm trying to say that a carte blanche 'muzzle law' would be difficult to police. And yes, I have got the stupidest dog! She's never bitten but she might love you to death!

ifancyashandy · 09/03/2010 23:00

And I'd beat the livin' bejeezuz out of of any wanker owner I saw beating a 'status' dog. They'd get whipped. With their own lead (no bad dogs - only owners)

Vallhala · 09/03/2010 23:02

Muzzling dogs in public is going to do nothing whatsoever to prevent the attrocities described in that BBC report, hawkgirl. Long-term jail sentences for those responsible might, yet all too often animal abuse goes unpunished or is rewarded with paltry judgements if it ever gets to court. (Personally I'd have these bastards shot and would happily pull the trigger). Not least is the problem that in areas of law a dog is viewed as a possession, like a TV, and not a sentient being.

Some normally perfectly well behaved dogs will react badly to being muzzled and feel threatened if they are so contained, thus exacerbating the likelihood of a problem not preventing it.

onagar · 09/03/2010 23:10

The long term answer is that when you see someone who has clearly got a dangerous dog as a status symbol and then trained it to be more dangerous (I know people who are proud of this) is to beat the owner to death with a big stick.