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Original poster

all you people with LARGE dogs....

104 replies

SquonkTheBeerGuru · 18/04/2008 15:52

Please be aware that sometimes children are frightened of your dog.

Please acknowledge that saying "oh he's dead soft, he wouldn't hurt a fly" will not stop that child from being frightened.

Please please please do NOT allow your very large and vicious looking dog to follow you to nursery when you pick your children up because some of the other nursery children WILL be frightened of the large, vicious looking dog hanging around the school playground, looking like it is hunting a small person.

Please do not patronise me by telling me that it is allright when my child screams and runs into the road to get away from your dog.

Just lock the fucking thing up occasionally will you?

(apologies to everyone who is not my selfish twatty neighbour)

thank you.

Rant over.

OP posts:
pagwatch · 18/04/2008 15:55

I have a large dog. He is an old english and is the sweetest thing. But he is never allowed to approach small children. Ever.

so I am probably not your selfish twatty neighbour ( but instead someone else's selfish twatty neighbour)

Original poster
SquonkTheBeerGuru · 18/04/2008 15:56

no, you;re not my selfish twatty neighbour.

And if you don't let it approach small children, then you're not someone else's selfish twatty neighbour either.

Have calmed down a bit since I posted that. I was a tad angry. It's not the first time it has happened. When they are approached about kids being frightened of the dog, they just say "oh he wouldn't hurt anyone" and put it out of their mind.

Which isn't the point. I'm not worried that the dog will eat my kids. I'm worried that they will get knocked over as they try to run away from it.

OP posts:
DoodleToYou · 18/04/2008 15:57

Message withdrawn

fletchaaarr · 18/04/2008 15:58

Oh squonk - I feel for you.

I am not scared of dogs at all usually, but I was walking in the park when this huge rotweiller [sp?] cross came running into the park and galloped up to me and DD. Owner appeared round the corner (100 yards away) and when he got to us I said "you know you should keep him on a lead - he could really frighten someone". Answer "oh he wouldn't hurt a fly"

Not the point says I.

Threadworm · 18/04/2008 15:59

I used to have a very large dog, and he did come with me to pick up the kids from school. I didn't usually take him right into the playground (though this was allowed) and he was always on the lead.

I gave a conspicuously wide berth to anyone who looked apprehensive. Mostly kids wanted to maul him affectionately. He was very docile.

Seems like a reasonable compromise to me. Or do you think that the dog shouldn't come on the school/nursery run at all?

UnquietDad · 18/04/2008 15:59

As far as I can see the purpose of dogs is to (a) make lots of noise and mess, (b) to leave hairs everywhere and (c) to frighten children. DD and DS do (a), DW does (b) and I do (c) quite effectively when required.

Threadworm · 18/04/2008 16:00

(I do absolutely agree that 'he wouodn't hurt a fly' is hardly the point.)

Original poster
SquonkTheBeerGuru · 18/04/2008 16:00

it is a rottweiler cross I think.

It is a very barky, leapy, jumpy dog. My kids are scared of it.

Some of the other mums always park on the other side of school so they don't have to walk past the dog in its garden.

I have to walk past its garden as I don't drive to school. But now they're letting it out!!!!

OP posts:
DoodleToYou · 18/04/2008 16:02

Message withdrawn

Original poster
SquonkTheBeerGuru · 18/04/2008 16:02

Threadworm - I don't have anything against dogs. Or dog owners.

My kids have (warily) been over and stroked dogs, and they are slowly but surely overcoming their terror.

If a dog was fairly docile and on a lead, it really wouldn't bother me where it was. But this one is completely out of control and the kids are terrified of it. And we can't avoid it.

OP posts:
Hassled · 18/04/2008 16:02

Oooh good, I've been wanting to rant about the owners of big dogs for a while now. Apart from anything else, the poo of large dogs is correspondingly bigger and that's even more gag-inducing when you have to see it in a snadwich bag dangling from the owners' hand.
And that patronising, stupid "Don't worry, he loves children" line - yes, but they're twice the size of a toddler and if something bouncy, hairy and twice the size of me ran towards me I'd head for the hills shrieking.

Original poster
SquonkTheBeerGuru · 18/04/2008 16:03

doodle - that's right, I have posted about this dog before. The exact same thing.

dp brought it up at a governors meeting, and there was a letter sent to all the local houses asking them all to keep their dogs under control at home-time.

Fat lot of good that did, eh!

OP posts:
conniedescending · 18/04/2008 16:04

ooh brilliant we haven't had a we hate dogs thread for ages.

I do control my 2 large dogs and no they won't hurt children. But, if children come over to pet them they are going to have a sniff and a wag.

What's with all the children scared of dogs anyway? They should learn never to run from dogs btw.

Threadworm · 18/04/2008 16:04

That sounds awful, squonk. That dog should def. be controlled much more sensitively.

The really annoying belief that some owners have is that if their dog is not dangerous then they are within their rights to start 'educating' your children not to be afraid of it. That is not on. It has to be entirely the parents' choice whether their dcs are close to a dog.

Original poster
SquonkTheBeerGuru · 18/04/2008 16:07

connie - I repeat, I do not hate dogs.

And if my children went over to pet the dog, then it is entirely down to them what happens.

But surely we have the right to walk home from school without having a great big hairy beast running after us, barking, and leaping, with no fecking owner in sight?

OP posts:
fletchaaarr · 18/04/2008 16:07

CD - I don't hate dogs.

And all my children love dogs and aren't frightened of them in most circumstances

DoodleToYou · 18/04/2008 16:07

Message withdrawn

Hassled · 18/04/2008 16:07

Threadworm - in an ideal world, and I do see this is very unfair to nice gentle dogs, I wouldn't let them near a school playground. I'm apprehensive around dogs, DS2 is terrified - but to leave the school playground we have to walk past about 5 regular parents waiting just outside the gate with their dogs.

The dogs are all on leads etc but I dread it, and DS2 tenses up. I do see that for some it's their only opportunity to walk the dogs etc., but I don't think people realise that many non-dog owners are really deeply incomfortable around dogs.

CountessDracula · 18/04/2008 16:08

my dd is terrified of small dogs OTOH

They jump up
and yap

Original poster
SquonkTheBeerGuru · 18/04/2008 16:08

and as it happens, we are "educating" the children not to be frightened of dogs.

Although... somewhat against my better judgement.

Okay, so this dog isn't likely to eat them. Who's to say that a different dog won't. We are never going to be dog owning people, so I think a bit of where dogs are concerned isn't necessarily a bad thing for them.

OP posts:
pagwatch · 18/04/2008 16:12

Hassled
I am a bit at that. It would never ever occur to me to walk my dog to school to collect my paglets - especially smallest pag as they are reception age and i would expect some of the children to be apprehensive. i always talk to mums before any small friends come over to play to see how their child will react and, if the child is worried then Angus is locked in a special area ofthe garden.
it wouldn't occur to me to walk dog to school like that. Am I odd or do lots of people do that?

conniedescending · 18/04/2008 16:12

ahh well if it's off the lead and chasing you then that's a different matter. Have you tried actually talking to the owners?

And surely poo in a sandwich bag is far less puke inducing than being left of the street?? Dog owners cant win sometimes

conniedescending · 18/04/2008 16:14

and could someone tell me what's scary about a dog on a lead? [hmmm]

Rubyrubyruby · 18/04/2008 16:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

hercules1 · 18/04/2008 16:16

Is the dog not on a lead? Have you spoken to the owner to ask that it be put on the lead?

Sorry but I do think it is sad that so many children are terrified of dogs and I really cant see the problem if a dog is kept on a lead and is foaming at the mouth to do a runner.

THat said I never go near parks with playgrounds etc where small children might be. I fully appreciatethe sight of large dogs running in a park however well trained could terrify other people.

I also wish people would ask before stroking my dogs too. The other day I had to tell 3 families not to stroke my dane. All groups of people acted as if they were offended that I was stopping them doing this. That is unti I told them he was covered in fox poo.

I'm not going to let the silly comment about large poo in bags bother me