Did anyone notice that the OP asked a simple question without any anti-dog references? You are always looking to start a fight.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dogs don't belong at a bus stop, unless it is a service animal. Bus stops are for people.

To those of you who can predict what dogs can do, you are wrong. A mom thought it was safe to bring her dog to the bus stop. These folks lived accross the street from the bus stop. No need whatsoever to bring the dog. Well, one day, several of the kids at the bus stop started taunting the dog while the clueless owner chatted away. When my daughter arrived at the bus stop, the dog was so riled up, he lunged at something dangling from her backpack and missed and bit her on the arm. She landed flat on her butt on the concrete sidewalk. I also had another child who was terrified of dogs. Rightfully so, she had been bitten by one as a toddler. I was so scared that if she saw this dog again, she would launch into panic mode and race out into the street and I let the owner know that. The owner promised that she would not bring the dog to the bus stop after that and promised to get obedience training. She did neither and her husband was a real you know what to me. I called animal control and that put an end to it. It is NOT cute to bring your dog to the bus stop. It is dangerous. Kids wear dangly things on their backpacks that can attract dogs and they shouldn't have to adjust for a dog owner.

The fact that you don't see this as the main problem speaks loud and clear about what type of person you are. Taunting an animal is abusive and wrong. I cannot believe none of you holier than thou parents (read: "clueless") at the bus stop didn't stop "chatting away" to correct your bratty kids. I bet it's because your kid NEVER does anything wrong, right? It's always the teacher's fault, the neighbor kid's fault, the cousin's fault, the dog's fault and anyone else who interacts with you and your type. God help the people who have to put up with you! You're a freaking nightmare!

As for dogs at the bus stop they're fine as long as they are well behaved. If it's a problem dog then talk to the owner in a reasonable and respectful manner. It's all about how you handle yourself, people. Proper and respectful social interaction is not rocket science! Ask politely and normal people will respond politely. Calling Animal Control right away is the pathetic and reactionary response that is done by only the socially incompetent.

This coddling of kids is pathetic. No wonder recent generations can't handle themselves. Mommy and Daddy always took care of it all...kids need to get a few skinned knees to grow. No wonder colleges have to develop programs to get parents away from their kids! (Before you DCUM nut jobs flame me....I'm obviously talking about reasonably behaved dogs. Dogs who are on a leash and behaving themselves. Not out of control dogs...)

Seriously? I really don't like dogs, but of course they're fine at a bus stop. Some of you are nuts.

This is a DCUM specific thing. I've never seen people act like this in real life. Yesterday kids were SO excited to see my dog that we walked up to them. I'm always afraid of bringing my good dog near people because of the DCUM crazies, but I haven't seen it play out in real life.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another invented problem.

Not OP, and not an invented problem. Yesterday, at our ES bus stop, there were FOUR dogs and one running around off leash. We have 22 children at the bus stop and it gets crowded, if you are standing off to the side with your leashed dog who can sit, fine. Not okay when all the dogs are barking, jumping, on very long extended leashes, generally causing a nuisance.

Same happens when we walk to school...dog walkers take up entire sidewalks and allow their dogs to be on a very long leash, which means the dog is sniffing every kid, jumping up, making kids move out of the way.

The problem is dogs off-leash and owners who don't properly control their dogs. I would have zero problems with someone bringing their dog with them to the bus stop if the dog was appropriately restrained and well-behaved. And my kid went through a bad dog-phobic stage (which we worked through over time).

"It's a public space."

Our school bus stop is on a busy street with no curbs. For safety reasons I want my child 10+ feet up the driveway rather than right at the street so I don't need to worry about cars swerving into her. This effectively means the bus stop is not a public space and so I don't bring our dog even though it would be much more convenient for me.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another invented problem.

Not OP, and not an invented problem. Yesterday, at our ES bus stop, there were FOUR dogs and one running around off leash. We have 22 children at the bus stop and it gets crowded, if you are standing off to the side with your leashed dog who can sit, fine. Not okay when all the dogs are barking, jumping, on very long extended leashes, generally causing a nuisance.

Same happens when we walk to school...dog walkers take up entire sidewalks and allow their dogs to be on a very long leash, which means the dog is sniffing every kid, jumping up, making kids move out of the way.

I always try to place myself between the dog and my child. Also, I never move over for sidewalk hogs, especially dogwalkers. If a dog is on a long leash and maneuvering all over the sidewalk, I just stop in place and stand there while they pass. Most of the time, the dogwalker gets the message and gains control of the dog.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another invented problem.

Not OP, and not an invented problem. Yesterday, at our ES bus stop, there were FOUR dogs and one running around off leash. We have 22 children at the bus stop and it gets crowded, if you are standing off to the side with your leashed dog who can sit, fine. Not okay when all the dogs are barking, jumping, on very long extended leashes, generally causing a nuisance.

Same happens when we walk to school...dog walkers take up entire sidewalks and allow their dogs to be on a very long leash, which means the dog is sniffing every kid, jumping up, making kids move out of the way.

Alas, this is not a dog problem. It's a dog-owner problem. And I don't think you will have much success asking them to keep their dogs on a short leash.

Anonymous wrote:I get the impression that the people complaining about dogs know absolutely nothing about dogs. We have dogs at the bus stop as well as people walking by with their dogs who stop to chat. There has never been a problem or a complaint.

1) Yes, if a dog is a biter the owner should get rid of it. 99% of domestic dogs have never bitten anyone and would never try to.
2) Dogs are not attracted to dangly things on backpacks. They are not fish.
3) Dog allergies are an indoor problem. Nobody is going to have an allergy problem from a dog walking by them on the sidewalk.
4) If the kid has a dog phobia, it's likely due to the parent's negative reaction to dogs. The bus stop is a great place to get to know dogs and lose the phobia.

Um, or the fact that the kid has been jumped on or bitten by a dog. If most dog owners were good at being dog owners, I'd have no problem with this. But 75% of people we encounter with dogs are inconsiderate and have poorly trained animals.

Anonymous wrote:Another invented problem.

Not OP, and not an invented problem. Yesterday, at our ES bus stop, there were FOUR dogs and one running around off leash. We have 22 children at the bus stop and it gets crowded, if you are standing off to the side with your leashed dog who can sit, fine. Not okay when all the dogs are barking, jumping, on very long extended leashes, generally causing a nuisance.

Same happens when we walk to school...dog walkers take up entire sidewalks and allow their dogs to be on a very long leash, which means the dog is sniffing every kid, jumping up, making kids move out of the way.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had my younger child strapped in her stroller at the bus stop waiting for her kindergarten brother's bus to arrive. One of the large dogs got right up in my younger child's face before I could block it. I said something and the owner was polite but that is just NOT COOL.

Dogs get excitable around kids. Then they jump and it can freak kids out. And of course the owner knows he's being playful and says "He's just playing!" but a kid who doesn't know your dog or isn't around dogs a lot (because they're allergic and can't own them or stay at houses with them), doesn't know that. It isn't fair to make kids deal with a dog they don't know when they're just trying to wait for the bus.

It's a public space. If kids are going to be in a public space, its completely fair to ask them to learn to deal with other people and animals and things and events that occur in public spaces. If they don't learn to handle themselves over something that small, they are going to be neurotic messes their entire lives. Stop coddling these kids. It's not good for them.

First quoted poster here. Are you kidding me last poster??? And what if my child, strapped in her stroller, had grabbed at the dog?!? How do you think that would have gone???? I very rarely curse but......you're a fucking idiot. As well as entitled.

NP here. Well, if it was my dog, she would have gotten licked pretty good. The dogs coming to the bus stop necessarily live with small children and toddlers, so they are used to unpredictable things like that.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had my younger child strapped in her stroller at the bus stop waiting for her kindergarten brother's bus to arrive. One of the large dogs got right up in my younger child's face before I could block it. I said something and the owner was polite but that is just NOT COOL.

Dogs get excitable around kids. Then they jump and it can freak kids out. And of course the owner knows he's being playful and says "He's just playing!" but a kid who doesn't know your dog or isn't around dogs a lot (because they're allergic and can't own them or stay at houses with them), doesn't know that. It isn't fair to make kids deal with a dog they don't know when they're just trying to wait for the bus.

It's a public space. If kids are going to be in a public space, its completely fair to ask them to learn to deal with other people and animals and things and events that occur in public spaces. If they don't learn to handle themselves over something that small, they are going to be neurotic messes their entire lives. Stop coddling these kids. It's not good for them.

Today on DCUM I learned that there are people in the world who think, "There are some people who don't want me to bring my dog to the school bus stop, but I'm going to bring my dog anyway, because they're wrong, plus I have a right to bring my dog." How about that!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had my younger child strapped in her stroller at the bus stop waiting for her kindergarten brother's bus to arrive. One of the large dogs got right up in my younger child's face before I could block it. I said something and the owner was polite but that is just NOT COOL.

Dogs get excitable around kids. Then they jump and it can freak kids out. And of course the owner knows he's being playful and says "He's just playing!" but a kid who doesn't know your dog or isn't around dogs a lot (because they're allergic and can't own them or stay at houses with them), doesn't know that. It isn't fair to make kids deal with a dog they don't know when they're just trying to wait for the bus.

It's a public space. If kids are going to be in a public space, its completely fair to ask them to learn to deal with other people and animals and things and events that occur in public spaces. If they don't learn to handle themselves over something that small, they are going to be neurotic messes their entire lives. Stop coddling these kids. It's not good for them.

First quoted poster here. Are you kidding me last poster??? And what if my child, strapped in her stroller, had grabbed at the dog?!? How do you think that would have gone???? I very rarely curse but......you're a fucking idiot. As well as entitled.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dogs don't belong at a bus stop, unless it is a service animal. Bus stops are for people.

To those of you who can predict what dogs can do, you are wrong. A mom thought it was safe to bring her dog to the bus stop. These folks lived accross the street from the bus stop. No need whatsoever to bring the dog. Well, one day, several of the kids at the bus stop started taunting the dog while the clueless owner chatted away. When my daughter arrived at the bus stop, the dog was so riled up, he lunged at something dangling from her backpack and missed and bit her on the arm. She landed flat on her butt on the concrete sidewalk. I also had another child who was terrified of dogs. Rightfully so, she had been bitten by one as a toddler. I was so scared that if she saw this dog again, she would launch into panic mode and race out into the street and I let the owner know that. The owner promised that she would not bring the dog to the bus stop after that and promised to get obedience training. She did neither and her husband was a real you know what to me. I called animal control and that put an end to it. It is NOT cute to bring your dog to the bus stop. It is dangerous. Kids wear dangly things on their backpacks that can attract dogs and they shouldn't have to adjust for a dog owner.

Sounds to me that it's children misbehaving, not the dogs. You shouldn't have called animal control, you should have contacted the parents.

As for you - go pound sand. A bus stop is a public place. I don't have a dog, but when I get one I'll make sure to bring one just to piss people like you off.