Un-sensible parenting....

We were walking into the supermarket on Saturday, and there was a dog tied up outside.

The dog was calm, just sat there, not bothered by the huge amount of people walking around. I actually thought, "wow, wish my two would be that calm!"

As we were getting a trolley, I saw a parent and child walking up and heard the mum say "Aw, look at that nice doggy, go and give him a cuddle"

A little girl of about 3 or 4 ran up to the dog, and just threw her arms round it.

My other half said to me "Good job it's friendly, it could have taken her arm or face off!"

I can't believe that in the current climate towards dogs, a parent can send her child off to HUG a strange dog tied up outside a supermarket.

It's hardly teaching a child good manners towards dogs!

OMG!!!!!!!!

no wonder some dogs bite!!!

I HATE that!

I find with Dusty being small (and I have to say, very cute ) that parents do the same thing when I have her out and rather than cause an argument with the parents I will say to the child, "You should always ask before stroking a dog you don't know because you can never tell if it if friendly or not and that is how a lot of children get bitten, because they think a dog is friendly when it is not", or something along those lines depending on their age i'll say something that they can appreciate and understand. In my experience it's absolutely useless saying anything to the parent as 99.9% of the time they will go on the defensive and then the child has learnt nothing but if you speak to the child, they usually listen and sometimes the parents do too and you get a lot less confrontation.

Even though, I have to say, they are idiots for telling their child to do it in the first place. Some people just don't have 2 brain cells to rub together do they?

I have had someone do that to Bruno, I had left him outside the post office where i can see him through the full glass window.

I watched a child of about 3 or 4 go up to bruno - no parent in sight and she starts walloping bruno on the head - and I mean walloping - no patting involved.
So much so that Bruno was closing his eyes everytime she connected with him.

he didnt do anything just sat there - i came out of the queue and walked straight outside and grabbed the childs hand before she walloped him again. As i did this a woman comes out of a shop and starts shouting AT ME for grabbing her child........

I said to her well teach your child not to slap other peoples dogs. I said you are lucky that he is friendly but what if he had bitten her....
she turned round to me and said that if my dog was dangerous then he should be muzzled OMG... the mother wasnt even bright enough to realise that she was in the wrong and she was effing and blinding at me. At which point I grabbed bruno's lead and advised her that in future she should control her child as next time she might get her face ripped off - she shouted after me in terrible language ( in front of her 3 yr old child - that i was walking a dangerous dog)

some people are just incredibly thick and vile.

Parents seem to be either one extreme or the other! They're either picking up their kids and saying don't go near the vicious dog, or saying go and give that nice dog a hug, without asking if it's ok

Fully agree with you Sarah I have had parents steer there kids away from my two dopes or have them steering them to mine Mine are daft as a brush, but would still prefer if someone asks first... just incase. I always ask to make a fuss of anyone's dog and that is quite often

it would be an irresponsible dog owner that would tie up an aggressive dog outside the supermarket

Personally I feel that no dog should be left unattended outside shops etc, for their own safety as well as others.

Still, encouraging your child to hug a strange dog. When kids approach mine and ask, I tell them that they are very good for asking and chat to them about the dog. Kids that don't ask I always point out that it's a good idea to ask owners before petting incase the dog isn't friendly. Some take heed, others don't. We can but try!

WE once had a toddler stalk us around some aisles in Tescos when we were in there with a pup...no sign of the parents and this child was following us trying to grab the 40kg GSD X pups tail.....the dog was daft as a brush and adored children..but bouncy....honestly some people amaze me...

My sentiments entirely!

I always "have" to stroke dogs I see when I'm out, but not before asking the owner if it's ok.

Talk about poor parenting. If the dog had bitten the girl, we all know who would be crying now, don't we