Dogs at play at an Arlington, Virginia Dog Park (photo courtesy of Kevin H.)
The Arlington County Parks Department is considering banning small children from its dog parks. Children under the age of 8 would no longer be allowed in any of Arlington Virginia’s eight dog parks under the current proposal. Children between 8 to 14 would have to be supervised by an adult at all times. The rule change is needed to protect the children. We don’t want to wait until a child is seriously injured to do this said officials. Some dogs weigh more than small children and have knocked them over in the past while playing because adults cannot react quickly enough when a dogs runs by and instead of chasing after another dog decides it wants to play with a child.
Even if your child is used to having dogs at home and playing with them some dogs might have very little other exposure to children and not know they have to play gently with them. The proposed rule is to err on the side of safety. Some parents and dog owners rejected the proposal as unnecessary. Some people think that personal accountability should be enough to prevent a serious incident but what happens if a child comes between two dogs that are playing rough. Dogs use their mouths when they play and a child could easily be injured by accident in a matter of seconds.
Officials are trying to balance the need to maintain the dog parks as a community gathering place while also addressing the safety needs dog park sponsors are requesting, said Caroline Temmermend, chief of Arlington’s parks and natural resources division. There is no deadline for the parks department to decide on the new rule, but before it’s official, there will be a chance for the public to comment.
What do you think of this proposed rule? Do you think more cities should consider it?
Well, I have to say that I can see where they’re coming from. I have seen kids in our dog part running around, screaming and waving their arms. I’ve seen them trying to play with toys and screaming and running when one of the dogs wanted the toy. I’ve seen kids doing many dangerous and dumb things in a dog park and their parents doing nothing about it.
I’ve also seen that trying to educate people about rules and what things are a bad idea to do is of very little use.
So while banning kids from dog parks isn’t really the best solution, it is one that has the best chance to work.
Having lived in NYC and frequented the dog parks occasionally, I would see parents release their kids into the dog runs as if they were petting zoos. Then, when a dog jumps on their kid and scratches them, they suddenly want to lawyer up. I say this is a GREAT idea!
What about a park within a park? Our local spot has a large dog park with a small area designated for children with swings, a slide and a jungle gym. Best of both worlds! The little ones get to play while the pups get to romp. Since the kids area if fully fenced, the kids are protected and you can easily keep an eye on both. I definitely agree that while parents SHOULD be teaching their kids to behave appropriately at a dog park, too many parents *aren’t* and they will be the first to cry foul when something inevitably goes wrong.
Let’s face it if something goes bad in the dog park between a kid and a dog not matter what even if it is the parents who made a bad choice and didn’t do their job it is the dog !!! and the dog owner !!!! who is going to pay. I have seen too many people wheel their small children in a stroller into the dog park and start handing the kid food or better yet turn their toddler loose with a chicken nugget in their hand (all things I have seen my self). Or allow their 3 Y-old to run up to a strange dog and grab it or try to pick it up or People without dogs sending their children into the do park to play with the dogs while they stand out side the fence and too many other things to list.
My initial reaction is that this is a great idea. It seems silly that a ban would be needed, but so many people don’t teach their children how to act around dogs and how to greet new dogs…
I think Danielle is right too – if something happens to one of these children at the dog park, it’s the dog and dog owner who have the most to lose.
I wish we could ban kids from our dog park. Drives me crazy. I have had kids run after my Daisy, even after I have told them to stop. She’s terrified of kids, so when kids are at the dog park it frustrates me. I wouldn’t mind as much if parents would be much more conscious about what their kids are doing at the dog park and why some of the things they do can be dangerous for both dogs and kids.
I mentioned the birthday part to you on Twitter earlier. The party was made up of about 7 moms, their kids and a few of their dogs. The birthday party was for one of the dogs. The moms brought candy in for the kids and frozen paws for all the dogs, including ones they did not know. I was shocked, appalled and then angry. We do not allow food in our park at all. What if one of the dogs had food aggression issues and bit a kid or another dog? What if the dogs all started trying to jump up and get the ice ream and hurt a child?
Most of the children were between 4 and 10 and they were running around and throwing sticks and screaming. All I could do was glare at them and shake my head. SOme of the others actually said something to them.
I’m sorry, but they call them DOG PARKS for a reason. If they were for kids it would say so.
However, I will say that the idea of a play area for kids that is not inside the dog park is a much better solution.
Thanks for letting me vent. This is a hot-button issue for me as you can see. 🙂