Some people... Aaaaagggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

I took Dexter to our nearest park today. As we approached the park gates, I saw three small boys on tricycle thingies. They were literally right in front of the park entrance and their mother was nearby, by her car. No idea what she was doing but anyway...

As we get close to them, the kids see Dexter and become visibly excited, starting to squeal etc.

I can feel Dexter getting more excited too; he adores kids and the more they are squealing, the more skittish he's becoming.

Now the mother can clearly see that I am walking a big, very strong dog on a headcollar. She tells the boys to move away and let me pass - but of course they don't.

I walk Dexter into the park, keeping him on a short lead so he can't jump up at the kids. As we pass them, I hear one boy saying to his brother something along the lines of 'Let's follow them..'.

The mother is still out on the pavement, and now as Dex and I get inside the park, the three boys are on their cycle things, getting faster, and closer and closer right behind us as I walk Dex down the pathway into the main park. Dexter is nervous at the best of times when anyone walks right behind us!

I turn to look behind again and one of the boys is RIGHT behind us, I'm scared he's going to bash into Dex so I move Dex to my side a bit and the boy crashes right into my foot!

I yell out of both pain and anger and now suddenly here's the mother rushing in and yelling at me: "He didn't mean it!"

Then - I have not even spoken at this point! - she starts having a pop at ME because, wait for it, I 'glared' at her......

I pointed out that if I was 'glaring' it was because I was in pain!

And let's see...so if my dog had jumped up at her son and hurt him, that would be OK would it, because after all, he wouldn't have meant to...?

Sorry for the rant!! I know most parents are careful around large dogs but honestly - this woman didn't give a damn. She could see her kids were trying to provoke my dog and she just let them get on with it!

OK, rant over - thanks for 'listening'

How old were the kids?

At first I thought they were following you because they liked dogs - if I thought anyone was following us to wind up my dog I would tell them to bog off!

Yes so would I Azz. Nasty kids

This just makes me realise why I am not keen on children.....except mine, and my grandchild of course

I despair over the attitude of some mothers.

Hope your foot is okay, but I bet you are glad that it was not Dexter that they ran into.

You are allowed to talk to kids "Excuse me please guys" might have worked?

last one i was so polite to said hed get his 'half pit' to rip Tupacs throat out!

mind u i got my ownback and told his big brother a couple of weeks later..i relished as i watched him get his 'come uppence..i iz evil lol

i think u was very restrained tabitha!

See... it's good to talk...

me too, I am not a very tolerant person

Why thank you, TUPACS!






I had one hand carrying the lead and the other was clutching a big bag of steaming dog excrement, and I was hurrying for the nearest bin.

So given that the three little terrors were madly racing along behind me and interacting with them would just have made Dex even more excitable, I was kinda hoping their mother would step in and stop them....

Oh you are SO spot on!

I would have gone ballistic if they had hurt Dex; it was a very close thing and as he already has a bit of a problem with one back leg... Normally I love watching kids at the park interacting with Dex as he adores them and most of the kids there are adorable. It was just this one particular family - the mother didn't care and the kids made it clear they wanted to taunt my dog