dog off leash

TreyAz

So a public park, with a clear sign saying 'all dogs must be kept on a leash', ignored by many owners. A small child gets jumped on by a dog, up on her shoulders, no harm done apart from terrified child. What is appropriate action in the split second when I see a dog on her out of nowhere; Shout? Gesture towards dog? Kick? Hit the dog with something? Genuinely curious about the legal position.

Gongoozler

Is it your child?

I absolutely hate people who resort to violence with animals, and don't pretend that that's not what it is, but I understand that the concern is to stop the dog doing any harm. I would try to grab the dog from behind up under the arms. Though I don't know that it's something that you, or anyone needs to be concerned about, as the dog most likely is going for a bit of a hello rather than anything else.

Ken.

Johnny Sexton has this penalty kick from 5000 metres out for Ireland to win the grand slam.

TreyAz

Gongoozler wrote: »

Is it your child?

I absolutely hate people who resort to violence with animals, and don't pretend that that's not what it is, but I understand that the concern is to stop the dog doing any harm. I would try to grab the dog from behind up under the arms. Though I don't know that it's something that you, or anyone needs to be concerned about, as the dog most likely is going for a bit of a hello rather than anything else.

Yes my two year old. Not a dog person so would not be comfortable grabbing a dog. But also not comfortable just standing there until the owner makes their way over to resolve the situation. As I say, just wondering about the legal rather than philosophical aspect.

Gongoozler

So the legality of kicking the **** out of an animal? Can't help you there. If you're the type to kick the **** out of a dog, why would you care about the legality of it.

punisher5112

If the dog is set on attacking I hope you would do anything possible to get dog off child.

I have a dog and would have to step in if he attacked a child or anyone you never know with a animal what they could do.

Like humans they can snap.

Kicked a dog that went for me before does that count as animal cruelty no as I saved myself from been attacked.

Gatling

I'd protect the child first and foremost .
If that was me the dog and the idiot owner would be in trouble

Pkiernan

Gongoozler wrote: »

Is it your child?

I absolutely hate people who resort to violence with animals, and don't pretend that that's not what it is, but I understand that the concern is to stop the dog doing any harm. I would try to grab the dog from behind up under the arms. Though I don't know that it's something that you, or anyone needs to be concerned about, as the dog most likely is going for a bit of a hello rather than anything else.

Why not give the dog a doggie treat when you're at it ffs???? A bit of a hello????

I happened to be with my 70+ year old father when he was attached out of the blue by a St Bernard.
I ran in and kicked the dog as hard as I could and as often as I could until its useless owner managed to drag it away.

There were some bleeding hearts like yourself actually shouting at me to leave the dog alone.
They changed their tune when they saw the bite marks on my dad's arms.

OP - to answer your question - jump in and beat the living sh*t out of the dog, killing it if necessary.

TreyAz

Gongoozler wrote: »

So the legality of kicking the **** out of an animal? Can't help you there. If you're the type to kick the **** out of a dog, why would you care about the legality of it.

Just to clarify your question, I'm not the type to kick the **** out of a dog, or indeed any other animal\person. However I am the type to make a split second decision to protect a helpless child against an unknown threat.

nc19

in general, a dog off the lead in the presence of its owner is usually one that is not dangerous.

TreyAz

nc19 wrote: »

in general, a dog off the lead in the presence of its owner is usually one that is not dangerous.

This seems like a reasonable assumption, unfortunately this implies some are dangerous \unpredictable.

MarkAnthony

nc19 wrote: »

in general, a dog off the lead in the presence of its owner is usually one that is not dangerous.

LOL. What lovely area not inhabited by any knackers do you live in?

OP The sensible thing a to be fair to NC19, as most dogs are just playing, is to grab it by the collar and pull it away firmly, kicking a friendly dog may result in it becoming violent. If in any doubt do what you feel is necessary to protect your child. I love dogs but if I though for one second one was a danger to me or a child I'd put the Irish Rugby team to shame in drop kicking the thing. Bugger the legalities of it.

If a person is genuinely in control of their animal it won't come bounding over to you and your child, friendly or not, when it's off the lead. That said, don;t go looking for trouble either.

TreyAz

MarkAnthony wrote: »

OP The sensible thing a to be fair to NC19, as most dogs are just playing, is to grab it by the collar and pull it away firmly, kicking a friendly dog may result in it becoming violent. If in any doubt do what you feel is necessary to protect your child. I love dogs but if I though for one second one was a danger to me or a child I'd put the Irish Rugby team to shame in drop kicking the thing. Bugger the legalities of it.

If a person is genuinely in control of their animal it won't come bounding over to you and your child, friendly or not, when it's off the lead. That said, don;t go looking for trouble either.

Probably the most sensible approach is to remove the dog by the collar, not something I'd be particularly comfortable with but I'd rather take any risk on myself. Any dog that has come over has been friendly, if annoying at times, patricularly when there's food involved. Owner was apologetic, however his attempt to justify the situation by claiming it was a 'dog park' annoyed me, when I had to spend the next 10 minutes trying to calm a sobbing child..

MarkAnthony

TreyAz wrote: »

Probably the most sensible approach is to remove the dog by the collar, not something I'd be particularly comfortable with but I'd rather take any risk on myself. Any dog that has come over has been friendly, if annoying at times, patricularly when there's food involved. Owner was apologetic, however his attempt to justify the situation by claiming it was a 'dog park' annoyed me, when I had to spend the next 10 minutes trying to calm a sobbing child..

The only counter point I'd make, and I'm playing devils advocate to a degree, is junior might want to be told to toughen up a little. It's only a dog after all.

One eyed Jack

TreyAz wrote: »

Probably the most sensible approach is to remove the dog by the collar, not something I'd be particularly comfortable with but I'd rather take any risk on myself. Any dog that has come over has been friendly, if annoying at times, patricularly when there's food involved. Owner was apologetic, however his attempt to justify the situation by claiming it was a 'dog park' annoyed me, when I had to spend the next 10 minutes trying to calm a sobbing child..

I think the only reasonable, sensible option here OP is to notify the park warden or the local council that there are people letting their dogs off leashes in the park.

Senna

MarkAnthony wrote: »

The only counter point I'd make, and I'm playing devils advocate to a degree, is junior might want to be told to toughen up a little. It's only a dog after all.

A 2 year old, toughen up a little, that not playing devil's advocate that's just playing stupid.

I love dogs, but I'd kill one in an instants if it was actually attacking my child.

MarkAnthony

Senna wrote: »

A 2 year old, toughen up a little, that not playing devil's advocate that's just playing stupid.

I love dogs, but I'd kill one in an instants if it was actually attacking my child.

Meh, I was brought up before everything needed to be signed off by 'ealth and safety. While I can understand the OPs position in a park where there's a specific requirement we always had dogs as kids and while I don't remember being two and taking the Dog for a walk on the adjacent meadow I do remember dogs bounding up to my brother at that age and I; my parents not taking issue - unless of course they though the animal was being aggressive - and I've no doubt we were told not to be scared cats if we started crying over something silly, specifically remember being followed by a cow once.

Different strokes for different folks I guess. If you wanna raise a pansy raise one :pac:

salamanca22

I am a dog person. Have had dogs all my life. Love them more than most people I know. However if I had a child and I seen a strange dog barreling toward the child I know myself I would do whatever it took to make sure that the child was safe before the dog / myself. If that meant getting in front of the dog and giving it a swift kick with the result being the dog biting me instead of the child then so be it.

It's as simple as this. If your dog cannot be controlled then do not take it off the damn lead. If it runs towards strange animals and people then keep it leashed!

I have had 2 family members mauled from strange dogs as kids and they now have a fear of most pets well into their adult life.

MarkAnthony

One might assume picking up the child might also be an idea, again I stress here that the OP shouldn't have to given the requirements for dogs to be on leads.

irishgrover

MarkAnthony wrote:

Different strokes for different folks I guess. If you wanna raise a pansy raise one 

think I'd prefer to raise a "pansy" (sic), than an internet hero who thinks it's appropriate to call a two year old child names and insult her/his parents. Your parents must be so proud of their non pansy son.....

MarkAnthony

irishgrover wrote: »

think I'd prefer to raise a "pansy" (sic), than an internet hero who thinks it's appropriate to call a two year old child names and insult her/his parents. Your parents must be so proud of their non pansy son.....

Jaysus I see the no sense of humour brigade are out in force. It was clearly a tongue in cheek remark.

Won't someone think of the children, won't someone think of the children.

OP Sorry to have derailed your thread. You've both sides of the argument from me - the fact is if it's lead on, leads should be on. Do what you think is necessary to. Legal advice can't be given but practical advice can.

Pat Mustard

Mod:

Could all posters move back on topic, please.

seamus

In reality if walk towards the dog confidently and let out a roar, it'll run away. Otherwise you walk up and push the dog off your child.

The dog isn't attacking and hasn't done any harm, so causing injury to the dog by kicking it or hitting it with something is not a proportionate response. The owner could very reasonably sue you for any injuries to the dog.

The appropriate response in future, if dogs worry you so, is to put yourself between the dog and the child and tell it firmly to piss off.

Lead on or off is a separate matter, a dog with a lead on can still jump up on someone.

goz83

MarkAnthony wrote: »

The only counter point I'd make, and I'm playing devils advocate to a degree, is junior might want to be told to toughen up a little. It's only a dog after all.

I don't know any 2 year old who wouldn't shed a few years after being knocked down by a dog probably twice his/her size. I have a 2 year old and while I wouldn't attack a dog I knew was only being playful, I would be having words with the owner (as long as he wasn't too much bigger than me :P ). I wouldn't hesitate in taking the dogs head off if I thought for a split second, it was going to turn nasty. And I have 2 dogs, who I walk in the park without a leash. 6 years and never anything close to an incident beyond sniffing another dogs butt. My dogs have been attacked and have never retaliated, even when it's a little hand-bag dog a tenth of their size.

MarkAnthony wrote: »

Different strokes for different folks I guess. If you wanna raise a pansy raise one :pac:

Oh God no. The child might end up driving a Fiat 500 if it doesn't toughen up!

MarkAnthony

I agree ref being knocked over but I got the impression the kid just cried at dogs. It's worth trying to introduce the child to dogs even at this young age. They're going to get a sense later on in life as to what's dangerous, what's not and what becomes more upsetting by running away screaming at 15.

My Fiat is fecking Awesome - when it works.

Arbiter of Good Taste

seamus wrote: »

In reality if walk towards the dog confidently and let out a roar, it'll run away. Otherwise you walk up and push the dog off your child.

The dog isn't attacking and hasn't done any harm, so causing injury to the dog by kicking it or hitting it with something is not a proportionate response. The owner could very reasonably sue you for any injuries to the dog.

The appropriate response in future, if dogs worry you so, is to put yourself between the dog and the child and tell it firmly to piss off.

Lead on or off is a separate matter, a dog with a lead on can still jump up on someone.

And the counter suit would be against the owner who is legally obliged to have his or her dog under control.

I'm a massive dog lover, but I think the OP is perfectly within his rights to give the dog a massive kick. I don't let strange people touch me, why should I tolerate it from a dog if it makes me feel uncomfortable.

If your dog does not practice appropriate recall, then he should be on a lead at all times in public. Not everyone likes dogs.

TreyAz

Arbiter of Good Taste wrote: »

I don't let strange people touch me, why should I tolerate it from a dog if it makes me feel uncomfortable.

In this particular incident, the dog caught both of us unawares, there was no time to react in a thoughtful manner, I looked around, it was on her shoulders. I'd rather not be put in the position where I overreact with a friendly dog, but I'm definitely not going to be in the position of under reacting with an unfriendly one. Presumably dogs being on a leash is partly for their own safety also ?

seamus

Arbiter of Good Taste wrote: »

And the counter suit would be against the owner who is legally obliged to have his or her dog under control.

That's a separate matter, for the dog warden to deal with. You have no right to enforce nor take a civil action for breaches of the Control of Dogs Act.

Unless you can show loss or injury arising from the actions of the dog, you'd have no recourse to sue. It would be a defence of course to argue that the dog should not have been out of effective control of its owner, but you'd have no basis there for a counter suit.

I'm a massive dog lover, but I think the OP is perfectly within his rights to give the dog a massive kick. I don't let strange people touch me, why should I tolerate it from a dog if it makes me feel uncomfortable.

Because there's a world of difference between "tolerating" and "giving a massive kick". What's wrong with shooing the dog away, or pushing it?
Why do you feel the need to become irrational & violent? Do you do the same when people get too close to you?

Red Kev

If possible grab the dog by the scruff of the neck and collar together, lift him(or her) off, then hold him on the ground for a few seconds by the neck and with your knee on his side.

You don't need to put pressure on the dog with your knee, just let him know your presence.

Shout loudly once or twice at him, by doing the above you have showed your dominance over him, when releasing him push him away strongly. The dog will almost always go away and should think twice about doing something similar again.

Find the owner, get their details and threaten them with a court case/gardai/dog warden. It'll make them think twice about letting the dog off again (if they have any cop on), you don't have to pursue it further, but it may shake them up a bit.

AryaStark

Red Kev wrote: »

If possible grab the dog by the scruff of the neck and collar together, lift him(or her) off, then hold him on the ground for a few seconds by the neck and with your knee on his side.

You don't need to put pressure on the dog with your knee, just let him know your presence.

Shout loudly once or twice at him, by doing the above you have showed your dominance over him, when releasing him push him away strongly. The dog will almost always go away and should think twice about doing something similar again.

Find the owner, get their details and threaten them with a court case/gardai/dog warden. It'll make them think twice about letting the dog off again (if they have any cop on), you don't have to pursue it further, but it may shake them up a bit.

This is NOT good advice... especially for someone who is not a dog person. You will frighten the dog and it could cause aggression.
A loud shout and moving into the dogs space will work.

nuac

Senna wrote: »

A 2 year old, toughen up a little, that not playing devil's advocate that's just playing stupid.

I love dogs, but I'd kill one in an instants if it was actually attacking my child.

Agreed.

Suggest catching dog by hindlegs gives some control until owner shows up

MarkAnthony

nuac wrote: »

Agreed.

Suggest catching dog by hindlegs gives some control until owner shows up

Ummm... finding it very difficult to work out whether you're having people on or not. You're going to have zero control of a dog by grabbing it by it's hind legs if you even manage the acrobatics to grab them in the first place.

Ed_Stephens

This is so annoying when idiot dog owners think their dog is grand off the lead until of course they see something they want and off they go whilst the idiot owner finds out their dog doesn't speak english after all. It's one of my pet peeves about the longer evenings and nicer weather that all the fair weather irresponsible dog owners come out behind walls. Just had an incident yesterday with a neighbours dog I haven't seen in months, no lead, owner chatting away and never even noticed me walking my two dogs on the lead. I let her have it as the last time I saw the dog it ran out in front of 2 lanes of traffic to get at my two.

Legally it's the owner's responsibility to have their dog under control in a public area, certain breeds aren't allowed off the lead at all. If they're not under control then it's the owner's fault end of story. Report to council dog warden, you'll find these people won't have dog licenses either.

TreyAz

Curious about an owners point of view after a similar situation.. If your dog goes bounding off and causes obvious annoyance\upset, would you be inclined next time to keep it on a leash ? Or is it more of a "no harm done" attitude ?

MarkAnthony

TreyAz wrote: »

Curious about an owners point of view after a similar situation.. If your dog goes bounding off and causes obvious annoyance\upset, would you be inclined next time to keep it on a leash ? Or is it more of a "no harm done" attitude ?

I don't have a Dog now but always did. I've never walked anywhere where there was a specific requirement for a lead, If I did it's be on a lead. If my dog upset someone elses dog (off a lead) then it wouldn't affect my behaviour at all. I would of course apologise! If another dog was on a lead I'd usually have control over my dog if it did get away from me it'd be back on the lead and straight home.

In relation to child though, and this happened fairly recently while I was home, you err on the side of caution and if you're not 100% in control of the animal it's entirely your fault. In the local park a little girl came running over to play with my niece, nephew and my parents mut and I immediately had the dog on the lead. It turns out that she wanted to play with the dog more than anything else but once on the lead it can always be let off again.

Again though if a child was crying just because there was a Dog sniffing around (on the lead, off the lead) I'm sorry but I stand by my original statement that I'd (if I was in loco parentis) tell the kid to stop crying. Would I shake them and hold them over hot coals no but it's just the approach I'd take. It's a different story if the child is knocked down, of course.

People seem to take the 'ah sure it'll be grand' attitude way too much here. The flip side of that is totally over reacting to a situation and/or wrapping kids in cotton wool. I come from a different background, maybe not 100% what people would want for their kids but then I wouldn't be letting my dog knock over a two year old in the first place so take from it what you will.

gleesonger

TreyAz wrote: »

Curious about an owners point of view after a similar situation.. If your dog goes bounding off and causes obvious annoyance\upset, would you be inclined next time to keep it on a leash ? Or is it more of a "no harm done" attitude ?

In your particular situation i would have been mortified and apologised.
In greneral unless the recipient is unreasonable i would effectively give out to myself for letting it happen and learn from it. Learn from it means not letting any similar situation happen again, and try and reason why it happened, "do i understand my dog"?
For example, my dog has no issues with people big or small, completely ignores them, always has always will, so i have no issue letting run loose on the beach once there is no mitigating reasons (another dog/road being some), however he once decided he needed to mark his territory on a lads jumper.... Not a good outcome! Since then i watch out for such things and prevented them from happening.

There is a balance between letting him off the leash and keeping him restrained each dog/owner/location is different.

I can't judge your situation as i would need to see the event for myself. However based on your description grabbing the dog by the collar would be reasonable in just about any situation. For a swift kick to be reasonable it would have to be a particularly bad event eg the dog is attacking the child. A kick should be last resort what if the dog turned nasty and attacked the child due to the kick? I sympathise that being a non dog person this desion is extremely hard in a moments thought.

Btw don't allow this event to create a fear of dogs in your child.

beyondbelief67

MarkAnthony wrote: »

I don't have a Dog now but always did. I've never walked anywhere where there was a specific requirement for a lead, If I did it's be on a lead. If my dog upset someone elses dog (off a lead) then it wouldn't affect my behaviour at all. I would of course apologise! If another dog was on a lead I'd usually have control over my dog if it did get away from me it'd be back on the lead and straight home.

In relation to child though, and this happened fairly recently while I was home, you err on the side of caution and if you're not 100% in control of the animal it's entirely your fault. In the local park a little girl came running over to play with my niece, nephew and my parents mut and I immediately had the dog on the lead. It turns out that she wanted to play with the dog more than anything else but once on the lead it can always be let off again.

Again though if a child was crying just because there was a Dog sniffing around (on the lead, off the lead) I'm sorry but I stand by my original statement that I'd (if I was in loco parentis) tell the kid to stop crying. Would I shake them and hold them over hot coals no but it's just the approach I'd take. It's a different story if the child is knocked down, of course.

People seem to take the 'ah sure it'll be grand' attitude way too much here. The flip side of that is totally over reacting to a situation and/or wrapping kids in cotton wool. I come from a different background, maybe not 100% what people would want for their kids but then I wouldn't be letting my dog knock over a two year old in the first place so take from it what you will.

But it didn't just sniff at the child. It jumped on them with its paws on the child's shoulders. Obviously a child is going to be upset if a strange dog does this, even if the child is fond of animals it could change how they feel but merely the shock would frighten them.
especially when the child is only 2 years old !

MarkAnthony

beyondbelief67 wrote: »

But it didn't just sniff at the child. It jumped on them with its paws on the child's shoulders. Obviously a child is going to be upset if a strange dog does this, even if the child is fond of animals it could change how they feel but merely the shock would frighten them.
especially when the child is only 2 years old !

To clarify the clarification of the clarified post which I posed in clarification of my earlier clarification yes I agree.

Right Turn Clyde

Gongoozler wrote: »

So the legality of kicking the **** out of an animal? Can't help you there. If you're the type to kick the **** out of a dog, why would you care about the legality of it.

Nobody said anything about kicking the **** out of the dog. Stop inventing problems for yourself. If it was a case of protecting my child from a dog, I would strike the dog. If it was a case of using my hand or my foot, I'd use my foot. So would you if you were worried about your child's welfare, so get real.

I passed by an English Bull Terrier yesterday, unmuzzled and tied to a pole while its owner was inside a store. That breed is, if I'm not mistaken, pound-for-pound the most powerful of them all. If that dog was off the leash and ran at my child I would absolutely be ready to kick it.

Mark Tapley

TreyAz wrote: »

Curious about an owners point of view after a similar situation.. If your dog goes bounding off and causes obvious annoyance\upset, would you be inclined next time to keep it on a leash ? Or is it more of a "no harm done" attitude ?

I would be very embarrassed and apologetic if my dog caused distress to anyone. I have a big friendly dog but her recall is not 100%. I usually walk her on the canal towpath and can see well ahead and behind. I will put her on the lead when I see people coming. I think I am responsible for my dogs behaviour and would hate to let her get into a situation where she was hurt or put someone in fear. I am especially cautious around children as she could easily bowl one over.

beyondbelief67

My dogs are always on the leash, for their protection as well as that of others, they are both over friendly and this can scare people, especially as one is very large, and one very small but yaps when he gets excited which he does when he sees children as he wants to play but they are scared thinking he's going to hurt them, due to the amount of noise he makes !
So unfortunately they always have to be on the leash.
But even then I find myself apologizing for scaring people with their over excited behavior.

Lantus

Pkiernan wrote: »

Why not give the dog a doggie treat when you're at it ffs???? A bit of a hello????

I happened to be with my 70+ year old father when he was attached out of the blue by a St Bernard.
I ran in and kicked the dog as hard as I could and as often as I could until its useless owner managed to drag it away.

There were some bleeding hearts like yourself actually shouting at me to leave the dog alone.
They changed their tune when they saw the bite marks on my dad's arms.

OP - to answer your question - jump in and beat the living sh*t out of the dog, killing it if necessary.

I would the very same if a dog came at my children. If I could euthanize it on the spot then I'd be doing society a favour.

Sick to death of all the so called dog lovers who don like rules and think letting dogs run around off the leash everywhere is fine because their lovely pet wouldn't hurt anyone, or just foul everywhere which to them is not a problem because the rain will eventually wash it away.

Its just a dog. If we had a society where dogs off leashes were instantly put down and it was legal you wouldn't have so many lame excuses about dogs escaping or wondering around on their own. People would be dam careful if they really loved animals.

MarkAnthony

Lantus wrote: »

Its just a dog. If we had a society where dogs off leashes were instantly put down and it was legal you wouldn't have so many lame excuses about dogs escaping or wondering around on their own. People would be dam careful if they really loved animals.

In the US people frequently shoot dogs on their property (perfectly legitimately). I suspect the odd farmer does it here too. Dog still escape. The problem you have is with dickheads not people who genuinely love their dogs, who in the main can control them.

daingeanrob

consensus to some. am a dog person, dog on lap at mo, luckily my daughter at 4 has good understanding of dogs wouldn't freak out at a dog jumping but if i felt she was in danger id make sure she was safe, body language etc first, but wouldn't take any risks with strange dog. whenever we walk in a park however our jack russell is with us and she just knows problem dogs and stands them off

daingeanrob

MarkAnthony wrote: »

In the US people frequently shoot dogs on their property (perfectly legitimately). I suspect the odd farmer does it here too. Dog still escape. The problem you have is with dickheads not people who genuinely love their dogs, who in the main can control them.

id have an interesting conversation with someone who shot my dog. they may wish they have theyre shotgun on them

Lantus

Lantus wrote: »

I would the very same if a dog came at my children. If I could euthanize it on the spot then I'd be doing society a favour.

Sick to death of all the so called dog lovers who don like rules and think letting dogs run around off the leash everywhere is fine because their lovely pet wouldn't hurt anyone, or just foul everywhere which to them is not a problem because the rain will eventually wash it away.

Its just a dog. If we had a society where dogs off leashes were instantly put down and it was legal you wouldn't have so many lame excuses about dogs escaping or wondering around on their own. People would be dam careful if they really loved animals.

Rather extreme, don't you think????

What about those annoying children 'off the leash', eg riding scooters round supermarkets, which seems to be the latest craze and getting in the way of people trying to shop. What extreme solution do you propose for them?

I am a parent too but sick to death of those parents who try to protect their cotton wool kid from every perceived danger. We are raising a generation of wimpy kids. Kid in this instance was not harmed in any way by the dog. Lets keep a sense of perspective.

MarkAnthony

daingeanrob wrote: »

id have an interesting conversation with someone who shot my dog. they may wish they have theyre shotgun on them

If your dog was on their land killing their animals they're perfectly justified.

TreyAz

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I am a parent too but sick to death of those parents who try to protect their cotton wool kid from every perceived danger. We are raising a generation of wimpy kids. Kid in this instance was not harmed in any way by the dog. Lets keep a sense of perspective.

In this case a perceived rather than actual danger, easy to realize after the fact. Not so sure about your cotton wool kid and similar remarks from others, are you saying its impossible a kid could be hurt in that scenario ? Because lots of dog people seem to suggest otherwise ? And anyway a situation doesn't have to be dangerous to be really irritating and stressful. Say someone sat beside you in the park playing loud annoying music, would you just treat it as a character building experience ?

goz83

TreyAz wrote: »

Curious about an owners point of view after a similar situation.. If your dog goes bounding off and causes obvious annoyance\upset, would you be inclined next time to keep it on a leash ? Or is it more of a "no harm done" attitude ?

I'm very lucky to have two well behaved dogs who I can walk without a leash. They stay close to me. They come when called if they're having a run around. They stop at the traffic lights and wait for me to tell them they can cross, before they do. But, if they caused any upset to anyone, especially a child, they would be a long time gaining my trust again.

daingeanrob wrote: »

consensus to some. am a dog person, dog on lap at mo, luckily my daughter at 4 has good understanding of dogs wouldn't freak out at a dog jumping but if i felt she was in danger id make sure she was safe, body language etc first, but wouldn't take any risks with strange dog. whenever we walk in a park however our jack russell is with us and she just knows problem dogs and stands them off

:pac: that's some fancy telepathic goings on with you and your jack. For the record, jack russels usually stand their ground if any other dog is in their space.

Deleted User wrote: »

Rather extreme, don't you think????

What about those annoying children 'off the leash', eg riding scooters round supermarkets, which seems to be the latest craze and getting in the way of people trying to shop. What extreme solution do you propose for them?

I am a parent too but sick to death of those parents who try to protect their cotton wool kid from every perceived danger. We are raising a generation of wimpy kids. Kid in this instance was not harmed in any way by the dog. Lets keep a sense of perspective.

Wow. A generation of wimpy kids? i'll take a wimpy kid over one mauled by a dog any day, thank you. You say the kid wasn't harmed. I say thank God the kid wasn't harmed. I wonder what you would be saying if the kid lost half a face.

I doubt the crazed kids on their scooters are much of a risk of mauling you with their milk teeth. But, they might get chocolate hands on you :eek: the little gouriers.

Ed_Stephens

Deleted User wrote: »

Rather extreme, don't you think????

What about those annoying children 'off the leash', eg riding scooters round supermarkets, which seems to be the latest craze and getting in the way of people trying to shop. What extreme solution do you propose for them?

I am a parent too but sick to death of those parents who try to protect their cotton wool kid from every perceived danger. We are raising a generation of wimpy kids. Kid in this instance was not harmed in any way by the dog. Lets keep a sense of perspective.

Unbelievable, how many instances of dogs mauling kids and killing them do you need? The dog has no business going near any child without the consent of their parents. All the kid has to do is pull one of the dogs ears or step on a paw and you've got a problem that was easily avoided. Buy a lead, they're a tenner. I'm going to bring my spare lead around with me this Summer and offer it to idiot owners who don't seem to realise they've been invented.

If there was a phrase that sums up Ireland it would be "Ah sure what harm was he doing?"

MarkAnthony

Deleted User wrote: »

Rather extreme, don't you think????

What about those annoying children 'off the leash', eg riding scooters round supermarkets, which seems to be the latest craze and getting in the way of people trying to shop. What extreme solution do you propose for them?

I am a parent too but sick to death of those parents who try to protect their cotton wool kid from every perceived danger. We are raising a generation of wimpy kids. Kid in this instance was not harmed in any way by the dog. Lets keep a sense of perspective.

Kids should be on leads too.