the kids may have been taught not to approach strange dogs by their parents?

we dont really know?

but do kids always do what they are taught if their parents arent present?

im not so sure myself.....i think we need to take into account nature, be it 2 legs or 4 legs.

I'm very lucky in that Henry adores kiddies so he wouldn't have been affected by the child touching him...it would probably be more like me dragging him away from the child.

However, I am a firm believer that adults should teach their children to respect dogs and always ask if they are allowed to stroke/touch a dog before doing so. What an earth would have happened had Oscar been the type of dog that turned on the child in fear?

Also, if you are on a walk and need to go a certain route to get there or home, it isn't always possible to deviate from that route just to avoid confrontation from something you aren't necessarily expecting to happen. Rips stated that Oscar gets comfort from her holding his collar, so she knew that he wouldn't instigate any trouble, it was unfortunate that the child, however well meaning, didn't ask if he was ok to stroke before she laid her hands on him.

I think that Rips probably swore as a knee jerk reaction.

I hope Oscar will be ok Em xx

i think you are right, twas the shock of it all that prob made rips swear.
like i said, i think you need to consider the whole picture from what's natural under the circumstances.
and you cant change that observation according to the person, so rips deserves some understanding as well....so i dont see the need to reproach her about the swearing

but with the nature of things, you usually expect boisterous kids to be in a park, so regarding the probs with routes out of the park, if you consider it is a park with likelihood of kids and you have a nervous dog, it just comes down to planning.....

.....we dont know those kids havent been taught about strange dogs.....

That's true..if the child is anything like I was at that age, seeing a dog was like a magnet, I was always getting bitten because I would approach strange dogs, despite what my parents told me

KW - I always did as I was told even when my parents weren't there... except I always had to talk to a stranger that had a dog - but I asked first

And Em - I've sworn at children before - not cos they touched Sadie without asking...no not cos of that at all - but because they've goaded other, younger children, to throw rocks at "that dog" as we walked up the street minding our own business

We can't win, if a child gets bitten by a dog - whether baited or not - the dog is deemed dangerous, or should be on a lead, or should be muzzled or even put down - that's what's wrong with society - kids can do no wrong

I hope Oscar gets over it soon and hope your fingers are OK.

surely in this day & age, even ifthey arent taught DOGSENSE then they should be taught never to approach strangers.

i just keep mine away as much as possible, in the summer they often want to watch me train, inwhich case i make them sit down, IF they are good i might ask them to decoy a scent cloth..maybe, if im having a good day

too true

another reason why its best to expect or assume kids will do what they do and pre plan accordingly.
its a senecan philosophy that is well advised applying to all facets of life.

Do you have any concept of what time it is and what your big words are doing to my google dictionary?

I guess it's down to parenting at the end of the day. Oscar was under control - maybe it's children we should be leashing and muzzling...

I think it`s best to assume that any child is a potential disaster waiting to happen and prepare for trouble.
BTW anyone who thinks children aren`t used to being sworn at (by their mums) hasn`t been in Iceland lately.

OMG so true - I was in there the other day and this woman called her own daughter a brat!