Some children just do not take a telling!!!

I'm sorry if I go off on a bit of a rant here... but here goes...

Whilst walking Holly yesterday I met a man with a little Jack Russell. So off Holly went, happy to see another small dog. They were just being dogs really... pouncing about, playing, rolling in mud etc, when a boy on his scooter came over.... dropped his scooter loudly on the pavement (which startled both dogs) and proceeded to run over to Holly and the JRT Suzie. Both were rather scared and were trying to run away from him. I shouted at the boy and told him to stop scaring the dogs, but he would not take a telling... both Holly and Suzie ran back to me and the other owner. The boy STILL then came over to pat Holly. Now in my family we have a rule.. the kids do not play with the dog... they have to ignore the dog unless she comes to them for a 'quick' pet, and only if I am present. This works for us, and means I am not stressed!
The boy was actually reaching round me to get to Holly since she was now on lead. I was fuming. Both myself and the other man repeatedly told the boy not to touch the dogs, and I even told him that Holly doesnt like children and if she got annoyed with him she would bite (anything with teeth bites!). So the he started chasing this wee Jack Russell terrier who was doing circles on the end of her lead. Eventually I went over, scooped up both dogs and told him I was going to call the police as these dogs were "our property", not his! (Sounds silly, but what else could I say).

Had Holly or the wee JRT bit him... it would have been our fault and the dog could have been PTS. I am always sensible when out with Holly, and all other children I have came across are happy to leave Holly alone if I say "oh she's quite shy, so if she doesnt come to you then just leave her"... but what on earth can you do with those children who cannot take a telling.

I asked another child that was there for his name. He was about 7 years old... no parent or guardian with him.

After all this hoo-ha... he proceeded to FOLLOW me and this other man round the rest of our walk... during which time we could not let the dogs back down as EVERYTIME we did, he kept trying to touch them.
I could have booted his backside from here to Timbuktu!!!!

Sorry for the rant guys but you are the only people who will really understand. Sheesh Im stressed!

what on earth was a young child doing out on there own like that??

i have young kids but they know they DO NOT approach a dog, they ask the owner first if it is ok to pet their dog, and most of them say yes, and that they can tell that they have been brought up with pets!!

Thats what most of the children round here do! And even if another child goes to pet her without asking, once I say, "oh shes shy.. blah blah blah", they are fine with that and usually go "awww..." and dont bother her.
Thats why i was so shocked. And no parents either for such a young child!!!

Wauw! No borders ever drawn for that kid, eh?
I would also have been furious and scared! He really sounds like he knows no boundaries! I don't know what I would have done either, probably the same as you.

Some day he'll just pick the wrong dog to grab.....

Hey hang on folks -- grumpy hat going on here. I firmly agree this was a rude child but the problem is PARENTS who don't teach their kids how to act around dogs, not a young child supposed to intuit how to be around dogs. Just as rude dogs are rude because OWNERS didn't bother to train and expected their dog to know how to behave.

But has the world really gotten so ridiculous that a child cannot be out without constantly being under watch by an adult now? :sl*p: Especially when you actually go look at statistics and note that *there has been NO increase in crimes against children* in the past numerous decades.

To me an important part of being a child is being on your own, or out with friends, without mummy and daddy constantly telling you not to do this or that as it is dangerous. As a result of such control, so many kids today need constant structured entertainment and cannot take any pleasure in being on their own and don't even know how to be alone, compared to the kids I hung out with and later, babysat -- surely a skill that is important for real life. And how are kids to get any exercise when they can't go off on a bike or scooter or on foot on their own? The fact that they are all so reined in is believed to be one major contributing factor to childhood obesity which is lining us up for a major epidemic of diabetes and lifelong poor health for the adult population.

Not a well behaved child, but sheesh, let the kid be on his own without condemning him!

i wonder if maybe the child has a disability and maybe did not understand? no telling. sorry he was giving you such a hard time.

Well im sorry to disagree but in this day and age i have a 5 year old nearly 6 and an 8 year old nearly 9...And they are not out of my sight for one second only when at school. Things do happen to children and im not going to take the chance with mine anyway, whatever anyone else does. We have a good time together, going to parks etc and both of my children have one good friend that i know the mothers and fathers with years and they will go every month or so for a short visit and i will go for coffee. Sorry for whomever doesnt agree with me but a friend of mine has already had their 6 year old messed up by a 10 year old child. I think that 7 year old should not have been out on their own and i hate to think what the little pup will be like when it gets older!!!!!!!!! As my children get older they will get the freedom they need....not at 7 !! They havent the sence to mind themselves at that age....

Ruby2 i agree with you

Mark has ADHD and "face blindness" and did not qualify for the low rate mobility of DLA "as all 7 year olds should be supervised outdoors" thats government guidelines!

Mark is 8 and a half and is only allowed to go to his friends houses alone, as i feel at that age they are easy targets for dirty prey!
Melissa is alomst 12 and about to start comprehensive school and i have only just started letting her go to the cinema on her own with her friends, even though i drop her off and pick her up!!!

But has the world really gotten so ridiculous that a child cannot be out without constantly being under watch by an adult now

Click to expand...

Unfortunately it has!
Back in the 1970s rural Tipperary was a lovely place for a child to grow up in and we now joke about being sent off down the fields to "play with the bull by the river"
If I let my 8 year old out of sight nowadays, he'd have to walk through our idyllic rural village estate,past the house where they sell drugs to schoolkids,past the 8 yr old kid who feels it's ok to shoot toddlers with a pellet gun and of course the school windows.Our village has been featured no less than three times on one of Cork's radio shows.
Now I don't want to give the impression that I live in Beirut,not at all,but I remember during the Robert Houlihan death that happened close by the media reported no less than 48 known paedophiles in the next town to us.
Alas taking all things into consideration both dogs and children must be kept on a tight leash. Sad? Yes! Modern life? Unfortunately!
Sins

I think kids approach our dogs without checking with us because the cavs are so fluffy and adorable.

Marlon is so shy and he really doesn't like being interfered with, the same with Kevin.

Oh yes, my major issue was not that he was on his own to be honest. Im sure/hope a parent was maybe checking in every now and then at a window or something... it was just that he seemed to have no respect for me, and carried on annoying the dogs.
I dont have children and wont be having them in the future, which I am happy with... so im probably a bit less tolerant with them, and i will hold my hands up to that

In the moment though, as you can tell, was I rather peed off!
I want all experiences with children to be good ones for Holly.

That little lad doesn't sound right somehow wonder if he has a disability of some kind ,but l agree you can't let the bairns out to play like we used too it's just too dangerous,
Cody and Sophie both love children and will run up to greet them when we're out, Oscar getting on a bit now so he's not too bothered about fuss unless it's on his terms it all depends how he feels