rottweiler at school gates - opinions?

ceebeeby

stormbreaker wrote: »

Would you have said something to someone with a toy dog like a yorkie or a jack russell? Would you expect them to be muzzled?

Yes a larger dog can cause more damage but personally I find smaller dogs more aggresive and certainly yippy! They make my blood run cold much more than a quiet large dog.

Yes!

I saw two lovely small dogs being walked today through a play park, all wrapped up in their coats. Both had muzzles on. But really same rule applies.

Just outside a school gate where kids / buggies have too nervously pass imho isn't the right place for a dog (or a chainsaw :eek:). Kids shouldn't have to feel uncomfortable leaving school.

mrcow

Raise it as a query at the next school council meetng and fnd out what the school's stance on this is.

faded_flowers

My mum brought the dog to meet us several times a week from primary school... never realised the terror we were inflicting :rolleyes: I work in a pet shop and the most vicious dogs we come across 99% of the time are small breeds. It was a Lhasa Apso biting feet today!

Maybe it's good for children to see a well-behaved dog with its family, especially when horror stories are all over the papers? She wasn't even on school property.

shellsuit

Anyone with an ounce of common sense, would keep any dog away from school gates at morning or afternoon times.

Nice doggy, nosey kids, kids want to stroke, dog nips or bites.....why risk it?!

And please, nobody say "My dog is friendly/daft as a brush and doesn't bite".

They might not have bitten..........yet!

If someone must take their dog to drop off or collect children from school, then it would be wise to stay well away from the entrance/exit.

DevilsAdvocate1

I wouldn't be happy about this. When my eldest was a toddler there were 3 occasions where a big dog (bigger than my toddler) came bounding over to lick his face. On each occasion my son was terrified, and now at 11 is still a bit nervous. Each time the owner would tell my son not to be so silly as her dog was soft and just being friendly.

Now imagine it from my toddlers point of view - a dog, bigger than him, licking his face with massive teeth. Of course he was terrified.

You might know your dog, you might believe 100% that he would never hurt anyone. But how is a stranger meant to know that? And your dog might be fine, its not going to stop a child being scared.

The other problem we have at our school is the dogs fouling just outside the school gate and the owners leaving it there. There was dog poo on the top step into the yard the other day. One of the reception children stood in it and it wasn't noticed until she was sitting on the carpet (they do this first thing). The children sit on this carpet at several points during the day and there was dog poo all over it. Not nice.

D.

mark55man

DevilsAdvocate1 wrote: »

..snip..
Now imagine it from my toddlers point of view - a dog, bigger than him, licking his face with massive teeth. Of course he was terrified.

You might know your dog, you might believe 100% that he would never hurt anyone. But how is a stranger meant to know that? And your dog might be fine, its not going to stop a child being scared.

..snip..

That's what I was trying to say. & That's what the dog owners will deny. - even though the odds favour them being right - except now and again

OK that's me out of this - if I've learned one thing on this forum its that people will never change their mind on anything and I think I've said my piece enough

katglasgow

Thanks for all your replies, it is good to get a good mix of views. Last year the council issued a letter asking parents not to bring their dogs onto school property, main reason being because some children were frightened but also to avoid dog mess in the playground. So perhaps a subtle step might be to reissue this letter again this year reminding everyone. Hopefully, it would be enough to make this person think.
Also I will take the advice and raise issue at parent council and then let others talk it through, good advice!
Ta

Molly41

:mad: How sad is this thread.
It was the best part of my 4 kids school day to run out of the gates and fuss their two furry friends waiting impatiently for them to come out. Then we would all set off for home through the park. In the mornings my doggies would stand dejected as they went off for another day through the school gates.
I second other people's comments...just because the dog is big does not mean its aggressive. One of my dogs is muzzled because he has a habit of nipping but he is only a small dog. Instead of assuming that this woman is "not clever" (how judgemental is that) why not pluck up some courage and talk to her. Ask her about her dog...any loving dog owner will wax lyrical about their beloved dogs. Perhaps then you can get a handle on her attitude and the temperament of the dog. You could break down some barriers, readjust your negative stereotypes, maybe start up a friendship? If you still have concerns then raise it but I dont think you have a leg to stand on. You think that you are going to stop all dogwalkers who inadvertantly find themselves walking on the public pavement outside school at 8.50 and 3.20? Those are the dogs you need to be worried about as they will be more easily spooked. Dogs who are in regular contact with kids are used to the hussle and bustle and cope with it

SammyD_2

I'm with you Molly. Dogs are part of life. What happens when you take your kids to the park? Unless the dog is showing signs of aggression, I see nothing wrong with it. Much better in my view to teach kids how to deal with strange dogs than pretend they don't exist.

bonty44

I agree entirely; some children are scared of dogs and would have felt very daunted walking past / near a rottweiler - some sensitivity on the part of the owner needs to be exercised here. In fact, one of the Heads of a local school has written to parents about that very thing recently.