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Original poster

What is the law regarding dogs on leads in parks hassing small toddlers and slobbering over them please?

145 replies

oliveoil · 03/01/2007 14:14

Do they have to be on a lead in parks or "under control" in some way?

I am sick to death of having something the size of a donkey come lumbering over and scaring my children, whilst the owner yells (from a distance) "ooooooh it's ok, he's lovely!!!".

I DON'T CARE! GET IT'S STINKING FACE AWAY FROM MY CHILD!

And they shit everywhere.

So. Can I complain to anyone or is that it, put up and shut up?

Thanks.

OP posts:
Drusilla · 04/01/2007 14:49

I think you are far more likely to pick up toxoplasmosis from cat shit than dogs.

handlemecarefully · 04/01/2007 14:54

Apparently you can contract meningitis from pigeons - yes truly! (I was astounded too). Lots of pigeon poop around

ruty · 04/01/2007 14:54

well where i live cat shit does not litter the parks and paths. Cats generally bury their shit, well every cat i've known does. Not like stupid bloody dogs. [saying that my lovely cross breed i had as a kid would be so embarrassed to poo he would always hide behind a tree and wouldn't dream of going on a path]

ruty · 04/01/2007 14:55

oh don't say that HMC, bird poo is everywhere!

Caligula · 04/01/2007 15:15

Toxicaris, from dogs I think. But if you de-worm a dog regularly, the risk is lower. (The tossers who leave dog-shit in the street are the same tossers who don't bother to get their dogs de-wormed, so chances are that the stuff left lying around is the offending type, as opposed to the harmless smears which didn't go into the plastic bags).

ROFL at the turn this thread has taken.

Howard Hughes move over.

Judy1234 · 04/01/2007 15:35

You go blind. I thought that was from cats more than dogs. I don't know.

Saturn74 · 04/01/2007 15:41

LOL re Caligula's Howard Hughes comment!

NorksBride · 04/01/2007 16:02

Dogs in parks should be under control. If possible, you should calmly point out to owners of badly behaved dogs that they are in breach of the law/council rules/signs in the park, whatever. And point out that it's unhygienic and that they should keep their dog slobber to themselves.

Fortunately I live in a forest so we can walk the dog of the lead, he never poo's on roads or paths either, he slinks off into the woods. Mostly it's private land so the only DCs around are mine. When I am walking him in a park or in MILs suburbia he stays on the lead, because he is a big country yokel who doesn't understand about cars and other peoples shopping bags

Boobooroastingonanopenfire · 04/01/2007 16:20

Norksbride: my dog is great in the park (no bag-sniffing or buggy-nosing), but terrible in the countryside. I think she'd like us to get her a pet sheep to chase...

...so on the lead all the time outside the M25, basically.

paulaplumpbottom · 04/01/2007 16:22

Surely in the country we should be allowed to have them off leads as long as we still clean up the mess. My cooper loves the mournes.

Pruni · 04/01/2007 16:40

Message withdrawn

Boobooroastingonanopenfire · 04/01/2007 17:19

Pruni, to be fair, I think most of the dog-owners on here (myself included) have said that they don't think it's acceptable for dogs to jump up/slobber on people/terrorise children.

I don't think there's been too much unwarranted sentimentality on this thread at all.

And I love my dog.

KathyMCMLXXII · 04/01/2007 17:26

I get the feeling that the dog owners on Mumsnet are much more reasonable than the ones we come across in RL... PMSL a bit at Norksbride's suggestion that we calmly point out to the owners of dogs off leads in places where it is banned, that it is not allowed, though: if they have already decided to not only ignore the sign but also let their dog jump up, the chances of getting anything other than an earful of abuse if you point it out to them are not that good IME!

nothercules · 04/01/2007 17:37

pruni, I love my dogs but they are not even allowed on my stairs or sofa never mine the bed. THey are dogs and I treat them this way. Please dont brand everyone the same.

paulaplumpbottom · 04/01/2007 17:39

Mine has never been inside my house. Ever.

NorksBride · 04/01/2007 18:04

Kathy - in my experience most people flout the law because they haven't even noticed the signs and don't know the rules or they're trying their luck. When I tell people they are driving around the car park the wrong way or that they can't cycle on the forest for instance, they are reasonable. If you live in a neighbourhood with lots of nasty and aggressive people then I'm very sorry for you. Must be wretched.

SaggarClaus · 04/01/2007 18:11

I don't hate dogs, but having been bitten, snarled at and snapped at for no good reason I'm a little wary.

Pruni · 04/01/2007 18:59

Message withdrawn

ruty · 04/01/2007 19:49

howard hughes aint a patch on me.

Ripeberry · 04/01/2007 20:43

When my dd1 was only 4 months old we went to visit my mum and the neighbour 2 doors down had a staffie puppy (9 months old) and he would just let it run around totally unsupervised in the street whilst he watched football in the front bedroom.. you could hear it all the way down the street.
Anyway, when we went to leave this "devil" dog ran up to my DH who was holding our DD1 in her car seat and was trying to nip at her!
Of course my DH gave the dog an instinctive knee in the chest.
THEN! the neighbour's children who were watching all this yell to their dad that we were hurting their dog!
He came out of his house ready to clout my DH but we drove off as fast as possible.
Because of him we have not been able to visit my parents that often and they usually came to us instead.
Dogs themselves are not bad its the OWNERS!
AB

KathyMCMLXXII · 05/01/2007 11:57

Norksbride - no, we live in a very nice village where people on the whole are lovely.
The problem is with those of the dog owners who regularly use the recreation ground as a dogwalking space/toilet even though there are great big signs at both entrances, which I can't believe they have missed.
(My guess is that there may be some history there - I have only lived here a little while but I imagine people have been using the rec for dogwalking for years and the ban is fairly recent. Personally I would allow dogs to be walked there as I don't see why dogs and people can't coexist if the dogs are properly under control, and it wouldn't particularly bother me if they used the edges of the field as a toilet as long as they avoided the children's play area and the bits people actually use, but unfortunately many don't, and I can't believe this situation is that unusual.)

themoon66 · 05/01/2007 15:41

Loose dogs piss me off when I'm out jogging. My jogging mate - a 6ft burly gentleman - always has a good response. When the owner does that pathetic 'its ok he wont hurt you' shout, he always shouts back... that's ok, coz if he does he'll be getting my foot between his ribs very hard'... smiles and jogs on.

Boobooroastingonanopenfire · 05/01/2007 16:45

themoon66 - people like your jogging mate make my blood boil, frankly. Unless the dog is jumping up or showing signs of aggression, that's an unnecessarily aggressive and rude response.

themoon66 · 05/01/2007 16:49

Its only a verbal warning.

ruty · 05/01/2007 16:50

the thing is people think they 'know' their dogs inside out. They don't. No one really knows what an animal might be capable of at any given time. And it is this cheery false confidence 'oh don't worry he won't hurt you' when a dog is running full pelt towards your child that rankles. Actually, you really don't know. Less sentimentality and a more realistic attitude towards animals please.