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

[DrNortherner]

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.

the space where people tie up their dogs at our school is pretty narrow and kids (who mostly aren't afraid, from their demeanour) have had huge dogs jump up at them, sometimes put their paws on their shoulders and generally make them quite fearful.

the other issue at our school is young dogs/puppies left alone - one the other day was yelping and really obviously upset while its owner was nowhere to be found

Of course I understand what you are all saying, and I take it all on board.

However, to socialise a young dog (as mine is) properly it is best to introduce it to all sorts of busy and stressful situations, including lots of young, excited kids. If they never come accross this, how do we create well balanced dogs?

Will our dogs be banned from town? From being tied outside shops/banks?

I just don't think dog-lovers can ever truly understand how non dog-lovers really feel though? Why should children have to learn to be around them?

Your dog - Your choice - Don't try to inflict it on me and my kids and justify it by claiming some 'benefit'

Surely a bit of give and take on both sides is all it takes.
Dog owners be aware that your dogs can scare little ones and non dog owners try and get your little ones to not be afraid of dogs by introducing them to dogs in parks etc and get them to stroke them etc.
I don't think you can expect dog owners to just leave their dogs at home but equally standing at the school gate, letting your dog terrorise small children whilst yabbering to another mum isn't really on either.
I am not a dog owner (have been in the past) and I have a 2 year old daughter. She loves dogs and when in the park we stroke as many dogs as possible, whose owners are willing. At first she was a bit nervous but now loves it. I believe it is also my responsibility to help her not be afraid of dogs.

I see what you're saying but perhaps you ought to consult the pasrents of children involved in socialising your dog rasther than just saying its good for your do to meet children - care you at all about the children involved?

I really didn't think that by taking my family pet on a walk on the school run to collect my child that I was 'inflicting' anything on anyone.

dd doesn't like dogs and we are doing our best to help get over that fear.
However the appropriate time to do that is NOT 3.15 after a long and tiring day at school. People who tie their dogs up by the school gates are quite simply inconsiderate.
I feel that my daughter should be allowed to develop a trust and understanding of dogs and this will not happen by her being FORCED to walk past dogs at the school gate. If anything will just exasperate the problem, A problem that was created in the first place by a dog owner with an untrained dog who leapt on her knocking her over.
There is a HUGE difference between not exposing a child to dogs and not wanting them to be exposed to them at a tiem when they are tired and ratty and are havign this exposure forced on them.

Cant see the problem with tying dogs up further along hte fencing where kids can avoid them.

On a walk fine- but not in the way of getting into school - some children have phobias and your idea of teaching them through exposing them to your dog is a little extreme even if it is good for your dog.

exasperate???? Exacerbate that should read.

Teach me to use long words

There will always be dogs in this country, though some would like them to be banned . I do appreciate that school can be stressful for some kids and having a dog to walk past for some is not nice. But there are lots of things in life that children come across that are not nice, scary, terrifying even. But if it's a thing that will always be there (like the dark for example), then keeping a child away from it is not going to help. Is my rather pathetic point.

But hold my hands up and realise we are in the minority here.

But DrN - that's my point really. Your perspective (as a dog owner/lover) is that you have something cute, friendly, lovable, safe to share, which will be to everyone's pleasure and advantag...

Mine ( as a dog-hater? ) is that you have something ugly, smelly, dirty, annoying, and potentially aggressive and dangerous, which it is in my family's best interests to avoid at all costs....

inflict:
   

1. to impose as something that must be borne or suffered
2. to impose (anything unwelcome)

You absolutely should leave your dog at home. Not everybody likes them and for some children they are intensely frightening.

Don't see why it would be a problem to tie dogs up somewhere out of the way of the school gate - you choose to have a dog, we don't. Why should we have to be involved just because you want to tie your dogs up by the school gate. We have no choice but to take the children through the gate, you can choose to tie your dog up somewhere else.
Seems a bit selfish to me.

I sympathise DrN. But am a dog-tolerator (lover is overdoing it a little) and am usually pleased rather than not to see friendly dogs when I'm out. So are my DC. However I know that so many people are terrified of them for whatever reason, and they are never, under any circumstances, going to accept that your lovely family doggie is anything but a ravening wolf under the skin. Sad but true.

Leave him at home. Sorry.

The dark thing is a really bad analogy.

It's okay to expose your child to the dark briefly (say walking home in the evening) while holding their hand and letting them play with your torch.

I wouldn't shut them in the cupboard under the stairs so they can "learn" not to be scared of the dark though

Leave the parents of the child with the phobia to decide how best to help their child get over it.

OK, whippet, I get your point I really do. But I do wonder, do these kids hate dogs because they have parents with an attitude like yours?

If you find dogs ugly, smelly and dirty then of course that is your opinion. But they are not all agressive and dangerous at all.

My dog is never off lead where yuong kids are, I totally see how a big dog running towards a child is a frightening experience, for anyone. And, as a responsible dog owner I must take into consideration that some kids are terrified of walking past dogs and I will do what I can to prevent this. But it saddens me somehwhat, that perhaps our dogs are getting the short straw here.

Maybe I'll just tie him up, stand with him outside the gates whilst puffing on a silk cut. That'll get the complaints rolling in

there's not enough goodness in a silk cut, have a full-blooded marlboro

Or B&H maybe?

There's a woman at my boys' school who has a jack russel. She brings it every afternoon and it barks and strains at the leash and is really agressive. It really looks like it has the potential to bite! I wish she's leave that fecker at home!

FFS, it's not like she's out for hours, is it? Come out, fetch kids, go home. What? Her dog can't be left in the house/garden for half an hour? Really.

If it comes near my kids, I'm kicking it! It REALLY lunges and yaps and I am telling you, one day it will bite someone.

I would be as peed off with parents puffing smoke all over my DC on the way in to school as with dogs tied up at the gates. In the same way you can choose to smoke somehwere else other than at the scvhool gates so you can tie your dog up somewhere else. What is the problem?????

My DH is massively allergic to dogs, so we really don't have much choice.

My DSs have friends with dogs and they have got to know them gradually, and become confident playing with them, so no, I don't think they have the same opinion (attitude is a rather strong word?) as me.

Of course they are not all aggressive and dangerous, but of course they don't come with warning labels either, so any unknown dog could well be both those things. And of course, like adults, dogs can behave out of character.

I think at the end of the day you're either a dog lover or you're not, and you're unlikely to chnage your view.

I honestly just don't 'get' the point of dogs, except perhaps for single, lonely people. What can possibly justify the cost, the dirt, the smell, the mess and the responsibility?!

"What can possibly justify the cost, the dirt, the smell, the mess and the responsibility?!" - the same could be said for children, whippet

I'm not about to launch into 'why I have a dog' debate, I'm not trying to persuade you all to see what I feel is good about dogs.

I work part time and finish at 3pm. It suits me to get my dog and walk to school.

I can't help feeling a little aggreived that some folk have been chuntering about this.

But I guess I am totally in the minority here, and I understand that.