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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Letter from school saying Dogs at the school gates are scaring younger children.....

124 replies

DrNortherner · 22/01/2009 16:11

It is reminding us that dogs sniffing at young kids is scary and that a few parents have complained. It says if you must bring your dog, do not leave it tied up at the gate.

Now as a dog owner, who walks to school with my dog I can't help but feel a bit miffed about this.

Are they suggessting we should leave our dogs at home?

Are these parents who have complained over reacting slightly?

All of the dogs I see at school are much loved family pets and are used to young kids. No harm has ever been done, no barking no nothing. Maybe a bit of sniffing, but hey, isn't that what dogs do? Shouldn't these parents be teaching their kids to walk on by confidently and ignore said dog if they are a little scared rather than complaining that the dogs are actually there?

Or do I need a little bit of prospective here. Interested to hear points of view from all, especially non dog owners.

Thanks.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

memoo · 22/01/2009 16:13

YABU

I am a dog owner too. A lot of young children are terrified by dogs.

YES! leave your dog at home

PinkChick · 22/01/2009 16:14

i have a lot of probs with dogs in local park, my mindees are NOW and only now due to park, terrifed of them, one or two parents do bring theirs to school, im told they wont hurt anyone, but are excitable, jumping and licking, i wouldnt like it and at that time i cant start teaching the mindees/dd to not be scared of them, its chaos at home time, a child could annoy some dogs and they 'may' nip or jump up, which would be enough to scare some children.

cluckyagain · 22/01/2009 16:15

I adore dogs, my children adore dogs - my ds was terified beyond belief though after an over exuberant friend's dog jumped up. It took 4 years before he would not scream at them. YABU as there is obviously a child there who really is very scared and it's causing problems for the child and carers.

LadyPinkofPinkerton · 22/01/2009 16:15

Some children are very scared of dogs, so it is not unreasonable to expect them to be kept away from school gates.

If a dog is being held by an owner I think it poses less of a threat than a dog tied up to a gate or fence. This has been a problem at our school in the past, not for me personally but other parents didn't like it and I understood their point of view

pooka · 22/01/2009 16:16

I think it is completely reasonable for the school to ask for dogs to be tied at the gate, if in doing so it will be possible for parents to avoid them.

My personal opinion is that dogs should not be in the playground, and that while it may be entirely true that all the dogs at your school are lovely and friendly and wouldn't hurt a fly, if a child is afraid, then they are afraid. Why should their day be made more stressful? They might be scared enough of going to/starting school., but throwing in an encounter even with the friendliest dog may freak them out.

If their parents want to familiarise their children with dogs, then of course they can do that out of school. But I don't see why they should have to on the school premises.

INcidentally, dd generally OK with dogs, as am I (not mad keen - was bitten/chased as a child, but I am not scared any more and would not want my children to be).

Original poster

DrNortherner · 22/01/2009 16:18

No no no, dogs never go in the playground. At the moment dogs are tied up at the gate, I stay with mine, but some tie them up, tehn wait in the playground.

It is dogs tied at the gate that people have complained avout.

Just to clarify.

OP posts:

Onlyaphase · 22/01/2009 16:19

YABU and I have two dogs.

Try to think of it from the child's point of view - get down to that height and imagine having to walk past a sniffing dog when you are scared of dogs.

I'm forever having this debate with my DH who says that our dogs don't mean any harm with their sniffing and wouldn't hurt anyone, whereas I think that some children (and adults) are very scared of dogs and it isn't our place to try and re-educate them. People should be able to approach dogs only if they want to, not be forced into it on a daily basis.

FromGirders · 22/01/2009 16:19

sorry, but yes, leave your dog at home. I am an ex-dog owner (can't have one now due to being in a flat) and I'm gutted that my daughter is scared of dogs. We're doing our best to get her used to them, and she will now voluntarily pet and stroke small dogs.
But it seems for every step we take forward, we take two back when someone's larger dog comes and sniffs her face. She is a small girl and labrador sized dogs are just at eye level for her. She's quite coherent about the problem - "they've got such big teeth mummy". A large dogs canines are about the size of her largest finger. Please look at your fingers, and consider whether you would want an animal you were not personally acquainted with putting those sized teeth in the general direction of your face.
I don't think my daughter is being unreasonable.

NotRubberAndNotADuck · 22/01/2009 16:20

YABU.

Usually the part by school gates is very narrow and is hard to get children past. Now I have one child who was dog phobic when he was younger, and getting him past those gates every day was a MAJOR source of stress.

His brother was the exact opposite - lunged at dogs because he adored them (but as you can appreciate, not exactly safe to do when the dog is stressed out with loads of people passing and the owner not there).

While I appreciate the school run time is a great time to give your dog a walk too, it really is so much more considerate to find an out of the way place to tie your dog, or even (if your children are older) stay outside the gates at the side of your dog and let your children come to you.

RipMacAeFondKiss · 22/01/2009 16:20

Dr N - I can see your point but you mention that you stay with your dog. I can see (as someone who is absolutely sh*t scared of dogs) how an unsupervised dog can be intimidating. And that's as an adult, not a child.

Sorry, just thought I'd add my perspective.

For the record, my DH thinks I'm nuts. He's very much a dog lover

Twims · 22/01/2009 16:21

Why are the dogs there anyway - can you not walk them before the school run or after you've picked up and gotten the children home/changed?

ScarletA · 22/01/2009 16:22

I'm in your camp Dr Northerner - as a person who ties up her dog outside the school gates along with several others.

Some children are scared of dogs. But never ever exposing them to dogs is never ever going to get them over their fears.

Of course it goes without saying that any dog left tied up anywhere should be well behaved and safe - as mine is.

BlueCowBackToWondering · 22/01/2009 16:22

wish my kids' school would send the letter - dogs are HUGE when you're 4 or 5 and so much worse when a toddler in a buggy and you just can't get away.

Tie the dog up a long way from the school.

FromGirders · 22/01/2009 16:22

I would have no problem with them being tied to the fence some distance from the gate, if there was an alternative route we could use which didn't involve walking directly past them, ie we could walk on the other side of the road. But if you tie them at the gate, all the children have to past them, in quite close proximity.

whippet · 22/01/2009 16:22

YABU

We had a similar problem at out last school. Dogs tied up by the fence at the school gate, barking, tugging, sniffing, jumping.

DS , who was usually pretty tired and a bit edgy at the end of the day hated having to walk past them.
Some dog-parents are so inconsiderate too - they have them on those wretched extending leads and stand chatting, oblivious to the fact the dog is running into the road, or running around and tying up a child, or jumping up at children.

I really hate dogs, and I don't see why kids should be subjected to them is they don't want to be. An unwanted advance of any kind, human or animal, is unwelcome.

Original poster

DrNortherner · 22/01/2009 16:23

This is why MN is GREAT for a little bit of perspective.

Thanks guys

OP posts:

aGalChangedHerName · 22/01/2009 16:24

I think if owners want to walk their dogs it should be done outwith the school run, or get your child to meet you away from the school pathe/gates where children do not have to pass your dog and be sniffed or slobbered on

My 2 dd's are scared of dogs and we have to get through around 4/5 dogs on each school run. You try pushing a buggy with mindee and have 2 dd's (4.6 and 2.6) leap into your arms to get away from said dogs

Not nice for us!!

NotRubberAndNotADuck · 22/01/2009 16:24

ScarletA: but as a parent surely you expose children to dogs in a way YOU can control and not at times of stress.

Going to/coming out of school IS a stressful time, and having to squeeze past a load of dogs tied up at the gates adds to that and is not going to help a child get over their fear, if anything it could well add to it.

clutteredup · 22/01/2009 16:25

Can't you tie them up away from the school gates - my DS is vey wary of dogs and frights when a dog jumps towrds her. When dogs are actually tied up to the school gates she has no option but to go past them and that makes her upset - we are working on the whole getting used to dogs thing but in our own way thank you - so YABU of couse you can bring your dog to school just don't leave it in the way of children who are terrified.

whippet · 22/01/2009 16:26

This is making ME stressed just thinking about it!!

NotRubberAndNotADuck · 22/01/2009 16:26

Incidentally, both dses have got over their dog loathing/lunging now thanks to a lovely patient neighbour who has a very docile greyhound who puts up with lots of fussing and strokes while in a safe open environment where the kids could back off the second they weren't comfortable (and importantly, so could the dog!)

MaryBS · 22/01/2009 16:30

My son used to panic when a dog came near him. He'd flap and his arms would lash out to keep the dog away from him. Best case dog isn't bothered. More likely case dog would jump up and lick him (scaring him more). In a few cases my son was barked and growled at. It was after one such case I complained to the school. One badly behaved dog is all it takes.

VoluptuaGoodshag · 22/01/2009 16:33

It's just one extra hassle at an already stressful time. Picture the scene if one parent has two children and a toddler to round up and get out the gate and the kids are either a) terrified or b) so adoring that you can't actually get them moved on. Now multiply this by the number of kids coming and going out of a school gate.

I love dogs, so do my kids and I love it when they can approach a dog and pet it when it's peaceful and quiet. However I cringe everytime I see the usual crowd of dogs at hometime knowing that I'll never get my kids past without a major stress

Mutt · 22/01/2009 16:33

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MrsWeasley · 22/01/2009 16:35

We had an incident a while ago where a dog was tied up at the school gate and as a girl (ages 5 or 6)ran passed it barked, she jumped and stepped into the road. Could have been nasty as a car was coming.

Another time two dogs started fighting at the gate (these dogs had been left together before with no problems) now that did scare the children.

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