Dog Park and Toddlers

[siamesecat2965]

Oh no no no. Absolutely not. As everyone else has pointed out, a dog park if for that, dogs, a place for them ot run off leash, and play and interact with other DOGS. Toddlers do not belong there. Or any children.  Pour me some wine too, please. Toddlers and dogs can be very unpredictable. You never know how a normally well-behaved dog will react to something they aren't familar with. And some dogs just don't care for, or react well to toddlers.

And I also speak from experience, not at a dog park but my own family pet.  Not all dogs are good with kids. Mine was not. And when i put my face right in his, he reacted and nearly bit my eyelid off. Resulting in 100+ stitches and an overnight stay in the hospital.

[LadyClaire]

Toddlers do not belong in dog parks. Actually, anyone who has an issue with dogs does not belong in a dog park.

A friend of my sister's was at an off-leash dog park with his chocolate lab. The lab was chasing her tennis ball, and the ball bounced near where a woman was jogging. The dog ran to get the ball and then did that kind of happy-lab-dance around the woman, who pulled out a can of pepper spray and sprayed the dog full in the face. Her excuse? She's "afraid of dogs and thought the dog was going to attack her".

She was jogging in a DOG PARK. A place full of dogs. Luckily the poor dog was OK, after having her eyes flushed several times.

[lowspark]

The dog park we go to is a large fenced in area. There are tunnels and hydrants, and things for them to play on and in.
 
My dog does not love toddlers. It’s something we have been working with him on and training. He’s not necessarily aggressive towards them, but I think because they are his size, he is more curious with them. He’s generally a very sweet dog, and great with people.
The last two times we have taken him, we have had an issue with toddlers being there. He has jumped on them, in an attempt to play, and knocked them over.
He usually stays pretty close to us as we walk around the park, but on Saturday, for some reason, he was running around like a crazy man. We were on the complete opposite end of the entrance, and he ran over there. We saw a couple come in with a baby and a toddler. As soon as we saw them, we started to run over there, and yelled out to our dog, but it was too late. Our dog jumped on the kid and knocked him down. The parents were not happy. We were very apologetic, but honestly, I was ticked. They are running around and yelling in a place with 30 dogs.

I have to say that I would probably not have apologized. Ok, maybe I would have. But it would have been a qualified apology. I probably would have admonished the parents with something like, "Oh so sorry, but you do realize that this is a dog park where dogs are supposed to be able to run around without a leash. Might not be the best place for the tots."

[NutellaNut]

Dalek, I'm annoyed for your sake, and LadyClaire, I'm positively mad about your story!  That poor dog.

This is like a figure skater trying to skate through his long program in the middle of a hockey game, and getting mad that the hockey players keep getting in his way.

[Docslady21]

The dog park we go to is a large fenced in area. There are tunnels and hydrants, and things for them to play on and in.
 
My dog does not love toddlers. It’s something we have been working with him on and training. He’s not necessarily aggressive towards them, but I think because they are his size, he is more curious with them. He’s generally a very sweet dog, and great with people.
The last two times we have taken him, we have had an issue with toddlers being there. He has jumped on them, in an attempt to play, and knocked them over.
He usually stays pretty close to us as we walk around the park, but on Saturday, for some reason, he was running around like a crazy man. We were on the complete opposite end of the entrance, and he ran over there. We saw a couple come in with a baby and a toddler. As soon as we saw them, we started to run over there, and yelled out to our dog, but it was too late. Our dog jumped on the kid and knocked him down. The parents were not happy. We were very apologetic, but honestly, I was ticked. They are running around and yelling in a place with 30 dogs.

I would not have apologized. Period. It's like getting angry if a drunk person in a nightclub steps on your kid--why is your kid in the nightclub? Kids are small, easily toppled, and face level to an animal that has teeth that can kill them. Why people do this, I will never understand. I have had my own black lab for 9 years. I adore her and she is my family. My kids adore her. I actually trust her to never bite--but I also never put her in a position to be tested. She's a dog. I don't allow kids to crawl on her or corner her or pull her ears and I really, really resent when I take precautions (say, going to the dog park for leashless play) and then someone intrudes into it with a potential minefield of trouble. What if a toddler wandered into a minor dog scuffle and got bit? Or got knocked over and hit his or her head?

I wonder if it would have been rude to say: "I'm sorry your child got hurt. Dogs have priority in this area. You may want to take your kids somewhere that is geared to humans." Retrieve dog, walk away.

[mbbored]

Children should not be unrestrained in a dog park just like dogs should not be unrestrained in every other kind of park.

That being said, who would let their child run free in a dog park? Every dog park I've been in has constant eau de dog, since a big part of a lot of dogs playing and exploring is marking their territory, in more than one way. I'm not a germaphobe, but I won't touch anything afterwards until I coat my hands in hand sanitizer.

[TootsNYC]

There has got to be a punchline to this situation....

....Where is this becoming a trend? The Dalek world?

yeah, I'm agreeing. I just can't see this as a huge trend happening in very many places.

A single person, or a small cluster, does not a trend make.

Is it ever okay for toddlers to run around a dog park? Yay or nay?

I'm seeing a trend of parents letting their young children run around dog parks. Occasionally, a kid will get knocked down by an overly excited and curious dog. Parents feel dog owners should keep their dogs restrained within the dog park. Owners feel dogs should have a place to run and play without worrying about being stressed by kids.

Does this even happen? Where, so I don't go there. Why would someone even bring the toddler into the dog park when there is nothing for them to do? Why would they get mad about unleashed dogs in a no-leash zone? Although I could see the occasional special snowflake doing this, I have a really hard time wrapping my mind around this becoming a trend with tons of toddlers and dogs creating community mayhem. Even the crummier parents in the world usually try to avoid having their knee-high children in areas full of unleashed, unpredictable dogs. And most dog parks have an age restriction to prevent the parents with no common sense. Bummer for places where this happens.

Otherwise, I think it's a "snakes in a restaurant" trend. We can all enjoy expressing our outrage, but I have trouble seeing it as very common.

Maybe I'm wrong. I hope so.

I wonder if it would have been rude to say: "I'm sorry your child got hurt. Dogs have priority in this area. You may want to take your kids somewhere that is geared to humans." Retrieve dog, walk away.

I don't think so.

[Ms_Cellany]

I once saw people attempting to eat lunch in the dog park. They were succeeding as much as one can, holding a sandwich at arms' length above your head while surrounded by jumping dogs.

[sweetonsno]

That's super snowflakey, I think. I'm not sure if there are different regional terms for "dog park," but I'm assuming that in this case, we're talking about a smaller, probably fenced, area that is dedicated for off-leash running about. If that's the case, then it's mostly for dogs, and humans should stay on the sidelines to let the puppies frolic as they will.

However, I think it's important for any pet owner to have verbal control over their pooch, even in areas where the dog is allowed to be (or encouraged to be) off-leash. It's simply a matter of respect for other people and other dogs. A kid getting knocked over because he was tearing around and collided with a dog is mostly at fault (okay, his parents are). However, a kid standing off to the side watching isn't really to blame if a big dog jumps up to say howdy. Should people bring their toddlers into the dog park for the heck of it? No. But I'm not sure I think families with children should be banned from bringing their own dogs into the dog park if the kids know and respect the rules.

[magicdomino]

I'm wondering how many of those people (the toddler-in-the-dog-park people), when asked why they brought pwecious to the dog park, would reply 'because pwecious loves doggies!'

 

I've also heard the excuse that the dog park is fenced, so that the toddler can't run off.  Yes, that was a serious excuse.

If you don't mind, I'll skip the wine and go straight to the rum. 

[MrsJWine]

My kids love cars, but I don't think I'm allowed to let them play in the street.

[WillyNilly]

The dog park we go to is a large fenced in area. There are tunnels and hydrants, and things for them to play on and in.
 
My dog does not love toddlers. It’s something we have been working with him on and training. He’s not necessarily aggressive towards them, but I think because they are his size, he is more curious with them. He’s generally a very sweet dog, and great with people.
The last two times we have taken him, we have had an issue with toddlers being there. He has jumped on them, in an attempt to play, and knocked them over.
He usually stays pretty close to us as we walk around the park, but on Saturday, for some reason, he was running around like a crazy man. We were on the complete opposite end of the entrance, and he ran over there. We saw a couple come in with a baby and a toddler. As soon as we saw them, we started to run over there, and yelled out to our dog, but it was too late. Our dog jumped on the kid and knocked him down. The parents were not happy. We were very apologetic, but honestly, I was ticked. They are running around and yelling in a place with 30 dogs.

If the children weren't actually harmed, I don't think you should have apologized.  I think it would have been perfectly reasonable to say "yes well that's what happens in a dog park, you'll have to keep a better handle on your children here.  This area is specifically for unleashed dogs."

I mean I doubt they would apologize to you if your dog was running around barking in a playground and their kids approached your dog and scared him.  They'd most likely tell you you had to leash your dog and keep a better eye on him, a playground was not an appropriate place for a dog.

[Nikko-chan]

I'm wondering how many of those people (the toddler-in-the-dog-park people), when asked why they brought pwecious to the dog park, would reply 'because pwecious loves doggies!'

 

I've also heard the excuse that the dog park is fenced, so that the toddler can't run off.  Yes, that was a serious excuse.

If you don't mind, I'll skip the wine and go straight to the rum.

Would you like me to make you a hurricane? That has rum in it

Also chiming in to say that dog parks are for the dogs. Seriously.

[rose red]

Parents/people like this makes me so mad.  There are so many rules and laws for dogs and they are trying to take away the one public place where they can run free?  It's called a dog park for a reason.

[Nox]

Simply and unequivocally no. Children, particularly toddlers, do not belong in a dog park. Kids and dogs are too unpredictable and together make a volatile mix. There are plenty of places for kids to play. The dog park is not one of them.