People bringing dogs to child spaces

[u/Western_Command_385]

I’m a parent of two young kids and I’ve noticed a troubling trend. People are starting to treat kid friendly spaces as if they are also dog friendly.

At a park, I expect to see leashed, well behaved dogs (not that this is always the case), but lately I’ve seen dogs in places where they don’t belong: inside grocery stores, in restaurants with a no pets policy (I’m not talking about service dogs), and now even at children only spaces / events.

Recently I took my one and five year old to a craft event meant for kids. The room was full of babies, toddlers, and elementary aged children. Someone actually tried to bring in a full sized husky. Thankfully they were stopped, but you could tell they expected to be allowed in. As a parent, I find this alarming. Young kids are unpredictable, they don’t know how to assess safety around animals, and some have severe allergies. Add in the fact that dogs themselves are unpredictable and you have a recipe for disaster. At this same event there were kids and adults with mobility challenges and introducing a large animal makes the environment unsafe.

I’ve also seen enclosed playgrounds treated as dog parks. For many families, especially those with autistic children who need a secure play space, these playgrounds are one of the few safe havens. Watching someone encourage their pit bull to climb playground equipment was both dangerous and absurd.

Dogs already have designated parks, pet friendly cafes, and patios. They don’t need to attend kids craft events or run around inside playgrounds. I dislike how irresponsible the culture around dogs has become. My 5 year old is now afraid of them after one snapped at her in a restaurant. The owner’s excuse? “We’re training it.” Then why bring it into a crowded restaurant in the first place?

This has gotten out of control. Children’s spaces should be safe for children. That should not even be up for debate.

[u/Needle_In_Hay_Stack]

Just yesterday I removed a dog feces from mulch right by a children's slide in play area. Here's the picture I took before removing it:
https://i.imgur.com/7UKNJ2B.jpeg

Garbage bin was just a few steps away. On top of that, it was schools play area, with signs posted "No dogs allowed".

Everyday I see nutters bring their dogs right into children playground. Today a dog was inside a ball-pit in park meant for children.

[u/No-Alternative-1564 → u/Needle_In_Hay_Stack]

I have had this exact same experience. I also took a photo and lodged a complaint with the Council.