rottweiler at school gates - opinions?

kaya

Dogs have as much right to walk this earth as any other animal (human beings included), just because you wear clothes and pay taxes doesn't give you any more rights over this planet or make you a better animal! So long as the animal is under control (children and stray dog chasing silly men included) the only problems you are experiencing are your own self perpetuating paranoia, its not my pet's fault that you have issues

maggied_2

kaya wrote: »

Dogs have as much right to walk this earth as any other animal (human beings included), just because you wear clothes and pay taxes doesn't give you any more rights over this planet or make you a better animal! So long as the animal is under control (children and stray dog chasing silly men included) the only problems you are experiencing are your own self perpetuating paranoia, its not my pet's fault that you have issues

Riiiiiiiight <slow hand clap>

Got that everyone? If you're wary of someone else's dog remember - it's your problem.

Kaya this is exactly why people who aren't comfortable around dogs fear them. Unfortunately dog owner don't have flashing signs on their heads to alert others as to how well trained their dogs are.

As a broader point, dog owners DO have a responsibilty to ensure that their dogs don't put anyone else at risk, no matter how brilliantly 'soft' and 'friendly' you think they are.

As for your 'animal rights' argument.....I don't think there's a smiley to demonstrate how far back my eyes are rolling - you're using a complete straw man argument to make your 'point'. No one is saying dogs don't have 'rights' to be in places. As the owner, to ensure the dogs 'rights' are met you also have the responsibilty that go with it - sneeringly dismissing others because you can't possibly understand why they might have a problem with your darling doggy doesn't make you sound like a very responsible owner at all.

Paradigm

ceebeeby wrote: »

But is it not good to debate the issue, whether it's media hyped or not?

Absolutely! But what is there to debate? We don't really know anything!

How far from the gates was the dog? Did any other parents feel intimidated & need to comment/complain? Were children frightened by the dogs presense? Was the dog behaving?(apparently so!)

1 person saying "I was distressed" & nothing else surely doesn't warrent a debate!

As it stands it's basically a thread on whether dogs should be walked in public near children.

I own 3 large dogs & I could bore you to death with how my dogs are this & how they are that but it doesn't add anything or mean anything to the discussion of one persons "sudden" distress at seeing a Rottie!

giantmutantbroccoli

Fun thread!
Have to say it looks like you're all going to have to agree to disagree, what with all the "dogs are wild savage beasts!" on one side and "my ickle cute snookiepookums would never do anything bad!" on the other.
I think the OP is long gone but personally, I'd just echo what the sensible sounding people are saying - first point of call should be to talk to the owner of the dog and politely ask them to move out of the way, then maybe talk to the school about asking folk not to bring their dogs onto school property, or not to block the exits at hometime.
It doesn't sound, to me, like the dog owner the OP describes was doing anything wrong. The dog was quiet, presumably well-behaved (I assume the OP would have mentioned if it wasn't) and not actually on school grounds - she's not breaking any rules, and as the OP didn't ask her to move out of the way, we'll never know if she would have been polite and moved or not.

Regarding the few unfortunate folk who have had a bad experience asking dog owners to move - please don't judge all dog owners by the bad behaviour of a few. Not all people are the same! I've had experiences with rude people of all backgrounds :rolleyes:

For example, I've met a couple of very rude people who DON'T like dogs. One time was while walking my two black labs down the country lane that leads to our house. It's a bridle way and a couple of footpaths join onto it, so when we encounter people/cars/horses (which happens very rarely) on the lane the dogs are made to sit on the verge and wait while I hold their collars. Otherwise, they walk to heel without a lead on the bits where I can't see the road ahead, and they walk further away and play games when I can see the road is clear.
So, I spotted a couple of people walking down the road towards us, told the dogs to sit and put a hand on each of their heads so I can keep them calm and grab their collars if necessary. The people walk up to just in front of us (well, about 2 metres away) and stop dead in the middle of the road. I ask if they're lost, one woman says no, they're waiting for me to move my animals. I get the dogs to move back a bit more, so they are completely off the road. She says that her friend (who hasn't spoken) has a fear of dogs and they weren't expecting to meet any - on a farm lane, in teh middle of the countryside. Lol. She gets quite annoyed and asks again if I can move "the bloody things" out of the way. Turns out that, for her, "out of the way" means in the next field - and when I refused to hoist two full grown BIG labradors over a barbed-wire fence to go and stand in some mud she got very abusive and started shouting.
Oh, and one of the dogs growling at her after she shouted abuse at me apparantly meant that they were vicious, savage and uncontrollable - not that they were protecting me (14 years old at the time btw) from angry strangers.

I don't judge everyone with a fear of dogs against this woman, I just dismiss her as an idiot. Same as the person who nearly let me get bit by her mental little yorkie the other day. If dogs make you nervous, you can ask the person with the dog to move out of your way. If your fear of dogs is so great that you can't approach close enough to speak to the owner, that is not the fault of the dog or the dog owner.

MrsTinks

I honestly think that the young boy who died shouldn't be used as a comparison to this particular case - that dog was an illigal breed (not that this fact alone makes it dangerous btw) and apparently there had already been complaints regarding dogs in this property. That to me means that the dog was not trained and should have never been near a child - supervised or not! The blame for that poor childs death rests with his parents and grandmother - there is as far as I know still no comments on why the dog turned on the child or the grandmother - but this is like saying "well there are people who turn psyco and start shooting random people from rooftops - no people should be allowed near rooftops!"
Well yeah - some people loose the plot - in fact I expect statistically a far higher proportional number than dogs. If you want to go just by injuries and not deaths then go check your local A&E and see how many dog bite injuries they deal with compared to human caused attack injuries.
Statistically your child or you is far more likely to be assulted by another child or parent than their dog.
I accept that some people have phobias - whether or not I understand them then apparently they exist and so be it. But common curtesy and sense surely should apply? If no-one has said anything to this lady, if no-one else has shown any discomfort, or if the children infact come out and pet this dog everyday then simply making clear that you're scared and so is your child (and I DO think dog phobia is primarily a parent induced phobia) would she mind standing a little further back from the gate should surely suffice? If she reacts badly then by all means make a complaint but judging her and her dog before she's even been asked... it's like saying "you should be punished because you MIGHT one day do something punishable"...

As for John Pauls family... I hope they jail the owner of the dog - I don't care if that is the childs grandmother or father or joe bloggs down the street...

geordiebird1970

:rotfl:

kaya wrote: »

Dogs have as much right to walk this earth as any other animal (human beings included), just because you wear clothes and pay taxes doesn't give you any more rights over this planet or make you a better animal! So long as the animal is under control (children and stray dog chasing silly men included) the only problems you are experiencing are your own self perpetuating paranoia, its not my pet's fault that you have issues

I agree with you 100%

MileySmiley_2

I'm a mum with half hour until the school run....I always take my lab and wait away from the gate, most parents with dogs do.
Last year the school sent a very polite letter to all parents with dogs to wait away from the gate (quite rightly) as some children are afraid of dogs...
I understand both sides of this debate and the most sensible thing to do would be to ask yr school to to send a letter and hopefully dog owners will be more sensitive and not stand right next to the school exit.
A bit of common sense is needed without extreme measure like banning dog's on the school run!!:rolleyes:

mikey72

kaya wrote: »

Dogs have as much right to walk this earth as any other animal (human beings included), just because you wear clothes and pay taxes doesn't give you any more rights over this planet or make you a better animal! So long as the animal is under control (children and stray dog chasing silly men included) the only problems you are experiencing are your own self perpetuating paranoia, its not my pet's fault that you have issues

Do you kill spiders?

PrincessPlaty

I honestly thought someone was on a wind up when i got to the school this morning and saw a rottie by the school gates :rotfl:

candygirl

PrincessPlaty wrote: »

I honestly thought someone was on a wind up when i got to the school this morning and saw a rottie by the school gates :rotfl:

I saw a "thick looking" bloke with a rottie today, and nearly asked if he was the husband of the woman who likes standing by the school gates:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: