Are you comfortable with this scenario if this was your child

[borntobeAcatslave]

I was helping my DC class for their Forrest school session today. We went for a lovely walk. A man with a large breed dog kindly gave us space to go first. One of the class boys went over to the dog and started stroking it's back. The boy has SEN and was with one to one with a staff member. This member stood right next to the boy but didn't really do anything.
I felt totally uncomfortable and my heart was racing and I felt I need to say something to the teacher.
Or am I overreacting here? It looked completely harmless, said boy has no sense of danger so needs handholding and supervision all the time.

@SirChenjins

Dog owners are forever complaining on here about children stroking their pets without checking with them first so it’s interesting to see posts effectively saying ‘meh, no big deal’.

I would always check with the owner first before allowing a child in my care to put their dog and if I was a dog owner I’d put my dog on a lead around a group of children in this circumstance. They’re animals who can do a lot of damage (both!).

Many people are saying the TA should have asked, but once it was underway the OP is overreacting to be standing observing with her heart racing.

My heart would be racing too if the TA hadn’t asked and the owner hadn’t confirmed the dog was ok to be stroked by a child in my care - probably the result of being on the receiving end of unpredictable dogs or seeing them react to other people.

@borntobeAcatslave

If you are the owner of the dog and something happens are you ok to take the blame in this situation? How can you all be sure nothing wil happen? Even if the dog is harmless child could've done something to provoke the dog?

If I'd moved to the side to get my on-lead dog out of the way and a child approached and touched my dog without my permission, then no, I wouldn't "take the blame" if anything happened. My dog is on the lead and under my control, the child is not. Not a major issue this time as it all passed fine, but the TA was in the wrong for not checking with the owner.

I'm with you teacher should have said "no ask if it's ok" I say that to my kids.

But nothing happened.

Why don't you trust the TA?

You either trust the staff or you don't. Are you just a volunteer or do you have some authority in this situation?

I think you are being over anxious about this.

As a dog owner, if my dog wasn't happy meeting children, I'd remove my dog until the class had passed. If my dog was anxious around children I would have stood in front of the dog and stopped the child touching him and/or told the child to leave the dog alone.

When you asked the TA if and why she had been confident to allow the interaction what was her response?