No dogs on school grounds

[leightx]

Sigh...

I understand the reasons, really, I do. But it still makes me sad. I took Moose (our choc. lab) up to school to pick up my daughter this afternoon. This is the first time he's gone with me since I'm usually pulling a wagon with my son in it, or it's just too stinkin hot so we drive. It's about a mile round trip mostly on trails; a great walk. Today the weather is crisp and beautiful, and Travis decided he wanted to walk and not ride in the wagon, so I figured I'd take the dog, who is feeling a bit frisky with the cooler weather (and driving me batty with his frisbee).

So we walked up to school. The asst. principal stopped me and said (nicely) that dogs weren't allowed on school grounds. I actually felt stupid for not even thinking about it. We waited in the grass for my daughter, and left. As we were leaving, a girl (probably 3rd grade) started screaming hysterically - we were at least 100 yards away at this point, but she was clearly terrified of the dog.

So...I get it. I know all dogs aren't friendly, many will bite, or at least jump on kids, or lick kids who don't want to be licked. Other kids are terrified by dogs because they've had a traumatic experience, or just because they haven't been around them. But it still makes me sad. :(

[beckms]

I also unserstand the reasons, and it makes me sad, too. It makes me sad that all dogs can't be wonderful and well-behaved around kids, and it makes me sad that grown-ups can't have the presence of mind to control their dogs, pick up their poop, and leave "bad" dogs at home. (I have one of those "bad" dogs, and I would never bring her to a school yard.)

Sigh. Everyone should be a dog person, IMO. :cool:

[Grace]

Yep. It's one of the things Europe has over us, IMO. Dogs can go to the shopping malls and restaurants even (I'll never forget the fist time I saw dogs in the mall in Germany - a man and his two GREAT DANES were coming down the escalator!)! I am always bummed that I can't take my dogs anywhere. You can barely even walk them in the neighborhood without a leash. Which is why I wait until 11:30 every night to take them - no one's out at that time. But it really is a shame that so many irresponsible people ruin it for the rest of us. :(

[AndreaU]

Wow, that is sad. I'm glad my school hasn't adopted that policy. I'd probably have to find a job somewhere else! :o

I bring my dogs in to meet my students every year. In 5 years of doing this, I've never had a kid NOT want to meet them. My principal actually loves when they visit- she's SUCH an animal person that she'd probably have a hard time instituting such a rule against doggie visit. (We also have a teacher who trains seeing-eye dogs. Well, she does the basic obedience part, but she brings in her dogs all the time too train them to avoid distractions. Not that there are any of those in a school... :rolleyes: )

[imloulou]

Originally posted by leightx
Sigh...

I understand the reasons, really, I do. But it still makes me sad. I took Moose (our choc. lab) up to school to pick up my daughter this afternoon...The asst. principal stopped me and said (nicely) that dogs weren't allowed on school grounds. I actually felt stupid for not even thinking about it. We waited in the grass for my daughter, and left. As we were leaving, a girl (probably 3rd grade) started screaming hysterically - we were at least 100 yards away at this point, but she was clearly terrified of the dog.


Are you sure you dont live here? There must have been a nation-wide dog alert or something because I was told the same thing on Friday. I walk my dog to and from school with the kids...I have been doing it off and on for 3 years! I was told we were not allowed to do it...oh well, it was nice while it lasted.

I do understand why also...I have never had an encounter with a child being afraid of the dog. But I also do not trust that all dog owners know their dog as well as I kmow mine and it sure would stink if one of my kids were bit by someone elses dog at school.

Sooooo...I get it but it does stink!

[BlueMoose]

That IS sad. :(

Last summer I was walking my dog past a garage sale and this lady came out with her 3 school age children...I believe they were refugees. The kids got a look at my dog and started screaming and running to get away from the dog like they were deathly afraid. I could have understood it if I had been walking my 90 lb lab, but I was walking my 7 lb Chihuaha.

[leightx]

I felt just awful for this little girl. Seriously - I mean you would have thought the dog was lunging at her throat. She must have been seriously traumatized by a dog to have had that kind of reaction.

It does chap my hide that there are dog owners that are so irresponsible that rules like this have to be made. I've walked Moose up to school in the mornings on many occasions (I don't bring my son then b/c DH is still at home), but I guess there aren't administrators outside then, or at least none that were willing to say anything to me. I know the school is afraid of being sued. But it seems like such a waste of a perfectly good walk to not share it with a dog! :)

Speaking of poop - I have a stupid question. I have had the good fortune to not have to clean up poops in this neighborhood. They usually go in our backyard before our walks, so it's not an issue. In our old neighborhood, we had to walk them (fenced in yard was TINY), and I always carried bags. But we lived in an area where there was always a trash nearby. So you may have to walk a block, tops, before you threw it away. In this neighborhood in the middle of suburbia, there are no trashcans, unless it's trashday of course. What do you DO with the poop after you pick it up, if you're walking through a neighborhood?? Do you just cut your trip short and walk home? Or continue as usual with the bag-o-poop? Or am I missing some other obvious solution to this???

[ourthreegirls]

Originally posted by BlueMoose
That IS sad. :(

Last summer I was walking my dog past a garage sale and this lady came out with her 3 school age children...I believe they were refugees. The kids got a look at my dog and started screaming and running to get away from the dog like they were deathly afraid. I could have understood it if I had been walking my 90 lb lab, but I was walking my 7 lb Chihuaha.

I know it's hard to understand...I don't really get it myself...but my twins are the same way as those children Chrisi (they're 4). They are getting a little better, but essentially they are both PETRIFIED of animals. They like looking at them through a cage or window, but if it's right in front of them and starts sniffing, licking, pawing, barking, etc. - they both start shaking and cry. I really think it stems from my sister in law's dog...although he is really a nice dog, he tends to get excitable around children and has knocked them on their butts several times in the past.
Anyway, I just wanted to chime in here - I myself love dogs (especially a big lovable lab!), but it's too stressful on all of us when a dog is around where we don't expect it and the terror ensues.

Jennifer

[Canice]

I agree with everything that's been said here - there are so many angles. But to add just one more, I get really steamed when parents train their children to be terrified of dogs. Not mindful but terrified. Little kids would want to pet our sweet and mellow Wheaton and some parents would just SHRIEK, "Don't touch that dog!!"
I was always so gratified when a child would ask, "May I pet your dog?" and then I would make the dog sit politely while she was petted. I thought it was wonderful the way the parents taught their children not to be afraid but also not to be reckless (for, on the other hands, some kids would run up to the dog and just throw their arms around her, which is a pretty bad idea too!).

[leightx]

Jennifer,

One of my good friends has a daughter that is like that, and they actually have 2 dogs! I've posted on here about them before - the dogs are mostly outside - when they come inside they go straight into their kennels (it's kind of sad really). But the daughter has a FIT when they are inside - tries to climb up her moms legs, cries and screams, the works. Nothing has ever happened to her at all, and they have no idea why she's like this. Her oldest is fine around dogs - tries to ride mine like horses when she comes over! :rolleyes: I've had some luck holding the one who's scared in my lap while Tanner (my older mellow dog) sits at my feet, and letting her just barely touch him. She is less afraid of the dogs with me, but when her mom shows up it's right back to total freak out. And her mom loves dogs! We can't figure it out. It is getting better now (she's almost 4). So yes, some kids are just born like that I guess!

[jellyben]

Definitely not an issue at DS's school. One woman in the office(must be the principal?) often brings her yellow lab to school, and a few teachers will bring in their dogs a few times throughout the year. Just the other day I was up at the school on a Sunday doing some stuff, and I was mauled(lovingly!!) by somebody's boxer. I'm a dog person, but I do understand how it might not be appropriate in a school setting. And I imagine if their was just one objection there would be no more dogs at DS's school.

[lindrusso]

Originally posted by BlueMoose
I could have understood it if I had been walking my 90 lb lab, but I was walking my 7 lb Chihuaha.

:D :D Sorry, but that's just too funny.

It's got to be a liability issue as well. They are responsible for the kids while the kids are on school grounds. Can you imagine the uproar and repercussions if someone's dog were to bite one of the children? :eek: Just too risky since not everyone is a responsible pet owner and truthfully, even well-behaved dogs have been known to lash out uncharacteristically and I can see this happening to an otherwise good dog who is being rapidly approached by a bunch of loud, over-anxious kids.

It is too bad. Our school has not officially adopted this policy, and will allow dogs to visit the classroom, but they are wary of people with dogs at dismissal time.

Alysha :)

[ourthreegirls]

Originally posted by BlueMoose
That IS sad. :(

Last summer I was walking my dog past a garage sale and this lady came out with her 3 school age children...I believe they were refugees. The kids got a look at my dog and started screaming and running to get away from the dog like they were deathly afraid. I could have understood it if I had been walking my 90 lb lab, but I was walking my 7 lb Chihuaha.

I know it's hard to understand...I don't really get it myself...but my twins are the same way as those children Chrisi (they're 4). They are getting a little better, but essentially they are both PETRIFIED of animals. They like looking at them through a cage or window, but if it's right in front of them and starts sniffing, licking, pawing, barking, etc. - they both start shaking and cry. I really think it stems from my sister in law's dog...although he is really a nice dog, he tends to get excitable around children and has knocked them on their butts several times in the past.
Anyway, I just wanted to chime in here - I myself love dogs (especially a big lovable lab!), but it's too stressful on all of us when a dog is around where we don't expect it and the terror ensues.

Jennifer

[JackieO]

Originally posted by leightx

Speaking of poop - I have a stupid question. I have had the good fortune to not have to clean up poops in this neighborhood. They usually go in our backyard before our walks, so it's not an issue. In our old neighborhood, we had to walk them (fenced in yard was TINY), and I always carried bags. But we lived in an area where there was always a trash nearby. So you may have to walk a block, tops, before you threw it away. In this neighborhood in the middle of suburbia, there are no trashcans, unless it's trashday of course. What do you DO with the poop after you pick it up, if you're walking through a neighborhood?? Do you just cut your trip short and walk home? Or continue as usual with the bag-o-poop? Or am I missing some other obvious solution to this???
This is NOT a stupid question! :p

Years ago, when I lived in an "urban" suburb (read: it was just an extension of the city, but the political boundary was drawn before the turn of the 20th Century), we had city trash cans located every few blocks, not to mention parks and green space with city waste receptacles here and there. When I walked our mutt there, not a problem.

Fast forward a few years and I now walk my recently adopted 7-y/o Shih Tzu in my subdivision (that was most likely a cornfield at the time the dog was born), and there's NOTHING to drop the waste in. :( Granted, I'm walking a dog that weighs less than 16 lbs and doesn't produce much, but I generally keep a couple of sandwich sized baggies in my pocket, pick up the droppings and put them inside a larger, grocery-style bag that I tie to the leash. In colder weather, I have been known to just tuck the filled baggies in my coat pocket and toss them in my home garbage dumpster. Lately, I've developed the habit of saving plastic grocery bags for recycling at a local store, so I just generally grab one of them along with the baggies. Fortunately, we have a big yard, a small dog and cold weather, which combines for a pretty efficient way to fertilize the yard. :p

[beckms]

Originally posted by leightx

Speaking of poop - I have a stupid question. I have had the good fortune to not have to clean up poops in this neighborhood. They usually go in our backyard before our walks, so it's not an issue. In our old neighborhood, we had to walk them (fenced in yard was TINY), and I always carried bags. But we lived in an area where there was always a trash nearby. So you may have to walk a block, tops, before you threw it away. In this neighborhood in the middle of suburbia, there are no trashcans, unless it's trashday of course. What do you DO with the poop after you pick it up, if you're walking through a neighborhood?? Do you just cut your trip short and walk home? Or continue as usual with the bag-o-poop? Or am I missing some other obvious solution to this???

Yup, you walk around proudly displaying your bag-o-poop. Or sometimes your several bags-o-poop, if it's a long walk (I don't know how my dogs produce that much poop on one walk, but they do). Then when we get back home we toss it in the outside trash can.

I like to think that holding my bag-o-poop signals to others in the neighborhood that I'm a responsible dog-owner and they shouldn't blame me for the anonymous poop on the lawn.

For added fun, you can take your dog running, which ALWAYS results in at least one poop-stop, and then you keep running with the bag bouncing off the leash. :rolleyes:

[leightx]

Originally posted by beckms


For added fun, you can take your dog running, which ALWAYS results in at least one poop-stop, and then you keep running with the bag bouncing off the leash. :rolleyes:

This vision had my LMAO!!! :D I went through a brief running phase a while ago, and distinctly remember having to do this once. That was the last time the dog went running with me! :p

I'd like to take up walking / running with Moose, but then I started thinking of the pooping issue. He's about 75+ lbs, and his poops are, well, BIG. Egads. That is a dilemna. If it was late, I could stash it in some secret location and circle back around to get it perhaps. With my luck I'd be caught doing the poop-and-run though. :o

The doggie door has helped a lot - they haven't pooped on a walk in a while. We don't go every day either, so they don't "save it up" like the used to. I swear - one of my old dogs used to run to the water bowl and tank up when he heard the leashes being jangled. And he'd hit every tree on the block. :rolleyes:

[Chefzhat]

Originally posted by leightx
So...I get it. I know all dogs aren't friendly, many will bite, or at least jump on kids, or lick kids who don't want to be licked. Other kids are terrified by dogs because they've had a traumatic experience, or just because they haven't been around them. But it still makes me sad. :(

Even friendly dogs bite. My son was bitten in the face (his beautiful face) by a neighbor's "friendly" dog.

I understand why the school does this, and I have to agree with them. More kids than you'd like to think have been bitten by a dog.

It's sad, though.

[Angelina]

I volunteer at an animal shelter in the middle of Queens, and when they poop, we have to bag it and bring it back! If there are any trash cans on the sidewalk, they belong to homeowners on the street and all they need is another excuse to complain about a little shelter. So...no dumping the poop anywhere. If it happens right after I take a dog out for his walk, I usually go back with the bag and then resume the walk.

I guess I won't be volunteering at a shelter again for a while though. Last time one of my volunteers and myself got bitten, and even though it was not a big deal, the volunteering has stopped for now. I am not afraid of dogs...well, except for the time that a loose pitbull started jumping on me on a deserted street. He was just playing and his owner came running out and I was furious. What if I was some old frail lady? It would have knocked me right down! And let's face it, it was scary. But I love animals. Except for mosquitoes and roaches.

Angela

[pmmahan]

Originally posted by leightx


This vision had my LMAO!!! :D I went through a brief running phase a while ago, and distinctly remember having to do this once. That was the last time the dog went running with me! :p

I'd like to take up walking / running with Moose, but then I started thinking of the pooping issue. He's about 75+ lbs, and his poops are, well, BIG. Egads. That is a dilemna. If it was late, I could stash it in some secret location and circle back around to get it perhaps. With my luck I'd be caught doing the poop-and-run though. :o

The doggie door has helped a lot - they haven't pooped on a walk in a while. We don't go every day either, so they don't "save it up" like the used to. I swear - one of my old dogs used to run to the water bowl and tank up when he heard the leashes being jangled. And he'd hit every tree on the block. :rolleyes:

I would love to run with my golden, too, but the poop issue has stopped me as well. At 68 pounds, he's got some big ones. Hanging onto that isn't gonna work. The other thing is that he runs faster than I do. :rolleyes:

[Jazzmatazz49]

We don't allow dogs at our school unless they're there for a classroom visit (We read Henry and Mudge and a friend has a mastiff just like the dog in the book). Liability issues and kids stepping in dog poop at recess are a problem. We do have a fox in the woods adjoining our playground who makes an appearance occasionally, as well as assorted deer!

[CompassRose]

I've been trying to run with Onyx, but on a regular lead he's like a tractor, and the Gentle Leader upsets him. He'll be fine for a while, running along, then stall, and try to "jump" through the GL. Which, while hilarious, really, really throws off a good stride!

We do take him up to the schoolyard up the street sometimes to run around off leash -- but at night or in the early morning, when it's deserted. And we always pick up the poop! In fact, the biggest problem we have with taking him up there is the kids leaving their trash around -- there's always who knows what kinds of snack-leavings about, and we never know what he's going to try to eat, and what we'll have to then try and pull out of his stubborn little jaws before he swallows it and it makes him squoggly. (The worst was the green, fuzzy former chicken fingers.)

Funnily enough, kids seem to particularly love this dog. (He is a British Staffordshire, which some people class as a "pitbull" type.) I have more than once been walking him and had children -- small ones -- run right up to him and hug him passionately before I could stop them. He loves it, but I always feel like a big spoilsport, saying to these strange kids "you should always ask first before you pet a new dog. What if he was a bad dog?" It's grownups who cross the street and walk on the other side "because he looks like a tiny pitbull".

I love our dog... I never thought I would really love a dog. I wish Ontario wasn't trying to pass this silly legislation. Now that I've heard about "therapy dogs" and all the other fun things you can do with a dog, I want to share Onyx with everyone -- and I might not be able to even walk him in public!