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Original poster

dogs at school gates

183 replies

southeastastra · 07/06/2006 09:08

hi im really livid but would like to hear all sides.
took my ds4 to school this morning - outside the school (not in school grounds) someone had tied up a dog I would say it was a cujo type dog (sorry dont know much about breeds). It was tied right by the entrance that we have to go in which is very small and also the nursery entrance.

im not saying this dog is dangerous it just looked big and to my son scary. I am so fed up of people taking these animals, even tied up, to the school.

Am i over reacting? my son is scared of dogs, and i have tried to tell him they're nice etc, but this is now getting on my nerves, it seems so irresponsible for parents to do this, should i call school? this dog was not on the school grounds but very near!

Thanks Im just so angry.

OP posts:
serenity · 07/06/2006 10:27

Blu - just making a vain attempt to lighten the thread before the dog owners got offended - shouldn't have bothered really Grin

You can do what you want outside the school gates - just don't expect me not to bitch about it!

Blu · 07/06/2006 10:27

Alicemamma - your post does demonstrate, though, how dog owners don't understand that thier dogs, however big, small, freindly etc, just ARE scary to small children. Even a small dog is thigh height to a toddle, and it's open mouthed face is often face height. Because of the no sweating / panting that dogs do, their open mouths can look scary, teeth and tongue on show. Also, thier unredicatbility and quick movement.

I am not scared of any animals (within reason), and am surrprised that DS is - but friendly small dogs bounding playfully about and trying to lick hium certainly don't help.

geekgrrl · 07/06/2006 10:28

Blu, how can 10 week old cocker spaniel on a lead be scary to a child? They're the size of a kitten at this age FGS.

alicemama · 07/06/2006 10:31

Blu- I will try to remember that when I pick up dd1 later, as I said I do keep him on a very short lead and don't allow him to go up to any other children.
I've only had him 2 week, I bet he didn't realise he could be the centre of mn controversy!Smile

SecurMummy · 07/06/2006 10:32

Serenity - are you trying to say that your post was supposed to be a little tounge in cheek light hearted? [genuinly confused emoticon]

because if so then that certainly is not the way it read to me (alhtough clearly Blu didn't read it the same way)

If that is the case then I appologise as it seemed to me to be a blatent attempt to bring in inflamitory phrases to what had been a nice calm thread (eg mauling distance etc).

If that is really the case then I am very sdad to have overreacted, the only thing I can say in my defense is that it really did not read that way to me.

geekgrrl · 07/06/2006 10:33

alicemam, don't you find that you mobbed at school?Grin I avoid taking our puppy with me because we always end up being the last to leave otherwise, with big crowds of children wanting to scratch his belly (and he'll happily lie there on his back, the tart!).

SecurMummy · 07/06/2006 10:33

geekgirl, I am afraid of spiders and they are only the size of a tuppeny piece, size is not always waht makes something scary

geekgrrl · 07/06/2006 10:34

I meant 'you get mobbed'

Blu · 07/06/2006 10:34

Watch, and see. You will see children scared of a small animal jumping about.

I don't know, i'm not scared of a tiny fluffy thing on a lead, many things that small children react to are not understandably scary by adults.

But many children just ARE scared of dogs, even small ones.

With DS is helps a lot if he can see them on a lead and that they can't get to him. If one was on a short lead at a school gate, fine, but if it could get across the gate on it's lead (to either lick or maul), I would have to force him through. But like i say, dogs are life, we have to live with it. But it would help if dog owners could occasionally recognise that shouting 'he won't hurt you' as their dog bounds disobediently over 100m of park to lick your child is, dare I say it, inflammatory to the parent who is trying to allay general terror of dogs in their child.

alicemama · 07/06/2006 10:35

Yes we do get mobbed a bit but another dad brings his dog as well so we split the kids into 2 groups!

Took me 20mins to get of pets@home yesterday...and I went in for cat food, nothing to do with the dog!Grin

Blu · 07/06/2006 10:36

Alicemamma - Smile

puddle · 07/06/2006 10:36

To answer the OP I agree that the dog should not be tied right next to the entrance and I would have a word with Head or a parent governor about it. I'm not saying people shouldn't take their dogs to school, just show some consideration for children who, quite understandably, may be wary of dogs.

Our school asks parents to keep dogs out of the playground and away from the entrances and I think that's fair enough.

serenity · 07/06/2006 10:36

Blu was referring to my first post I think, as was I.

SecurMummy · 07/06/2006 10:36

Blu - TBH, anyone with a dog who lets them approach small children is in the wrong in any case, all dogs IMO should be taught to allow children to approach them, not the other way round - for precisly this reason.

geekgrrl · 07/06/2006 10:36

fair point. Our neighbours breed Maltese (little hysterical ankle biting, yippy-yappy type things) and my children are terrified of them. They're a nasty bunch of dogs though.

Blu · 07/06/2006 10:39

SEcurMummy - that sounds so sensible. I wish we had more contact with well trained dogs, and I could let Ds get used to them on that basis. Sad

alicemama · 07/06/2006 10:40

I do agree that all dogs regardless of size or breed should be trained properly.
My mom has had several guide dogs over the years and so I have learnt a lot about dog training from them.
Dogs should know their place and learn basic commands.
My little puppy behaves far better than some other dogs I know that are 8 or 9 yrs old.

Jimjamskeepingoffvaxthreads · 07/06/2006 10:47

alicemama- does your mum train guide dogs? I was looking inot getting an autism dog (guide dogs for the blind in ireland have started providing them), but there's nowhere that does it here- except dogs for the disabled who are starting a pilot program next year (but we live in the wrong area).

I'm wondering whether to get a dog anyway and then make sure its trained really well- do you have any tips on how to make sure you get a very well trained dog. Any organisations you can use? I may try and talk dogs for the disabled round - they're not that far from me.

Jimjamskeepingoffvaxthreads · 07/06/2006 10:49

\link{http://www.guidedogs.ie/cgi-bin/show.cgi?news89\here are autism dogs btw}. I would love to be able to take ds1 out without having to hold onto his hand- would make shops and things safer and easier to manage as well.

coppertop · 07/06/2006 10:58

What a fantastic idea, Jimjams! The description in the link sounds really good.

thewomanwhothoughtshewasahat · 07/06/2006 11:00

sorry I think you are over-reacting; why is it irresponsible? If it wasn't tied up yes, but it was.

MrsDoolittle · 07/06/2006 11:02

I don't like spiders but I know they are just part of dealing with life. Being afraid of spiders is my problem, the same as being afraid of dogs is your problem, if its a friendly quiet dog of course.
To people who think I have a totally irrational fear, I feel the same about those afraid of dogs.
However, it is downright irresponsible of someone to leave a potentially dangerous dog at the school gates but I don't think this is the case in this scenario.
I have a beagle, a real wuss of a dog. She would love the oppotunity to come on a school run as she is in fact happier in other children's company than adults.

serenity · 07/06/2006 11:04

securmummy - bit dense, me. I've just realised what you're talking about Blush I was irritated and so posted as I speak (iyswim) and I have a tendancy to overdramatise in my vocab (I'm probably really annoying) Next time, just say if you a problem with a particular word, and we can bash out a compromise Wink

thewomanwhothoughtshewasahat · 07/06/2006 11:14

securmuumy, all children should be taught to allow dogs to approach them. It is far more likely that human/children's behaviour will be the cause of unpleasant experiences (for both the dog and the child) than the other way round and children are a lot easier to teach than dogs (although maybe not dds at the moment Wink). Children need to know not to suprise an animal, to allow it to sniff their hand, basically to ask if it wants to be stroked. Obviously dogs can and should be taught not to jump up but when dealing with human-dog relationships it's important to remember who is the responsible one in the relationship and modify outr expectations, of oursleves and our animals accordingly

wannaBe1974 · 07/06/2006 11:23

Thing is though where do you draw the line. If you don't want dogs to be tied up outside schools would you apply the same principle to shops, or anywhere else for that matter. If that were the case then the idea would surely be that dog owners should take their dogs for walks, on leads, to places where no other people who might be afraid of them ever go, and then take them home again? I agree that large boundy dogs can be intimidating, but dogs don't learn how to behave unless they're exposed to social situations, and by the same token children don't learn to overcome their fear of dogs unless they're exposed to them.

I have a guide dog, so not only does he come with me to preschool, but he sits with me outside, and then comes in with me to drop off ds, so is very near to the children, obviously he's on a lead and is always under control, but usually it's the children who approach him not the other way round, and not taking him with me is simply not an option.

Jimjams where abouts do you live? As I have a guide dog (recently qualified) I am well aquainted with several guide dog trainers who I could perhaps approach for you re the training of an autism dog? after all the least they can do is say no.