I don’t care if your dog is ‘friendly’

Perhaps we need licensing for all dog owners

September 11, 2023 6:00 am(Updated 6:01 am)

I was walking on the beach in the last week of the summer holidays with my children, when a dog came bounding up to us. Dogs aren’t allowed on this beach, but a dog came bounding up nevertheless. It jumped up at my five-year-old, putting its paws on her arms and yapping excitedly into her face. She shrieked, I pushed it away, and she hid behind me, shaking with fear.

From 30 feet away a man, strolling nonchalantly towards us, called, “It’s ok, he’s friendly.” The dog was bouncing around us, sniffing my two-year-old who kept trying to back away from it while I tried to fend it off. The man called the dog. It ignored him. He called it again. The third time, the dog ran to him and they carried on their way. My daughter was sobbing.

This happens weekly. On the beach, in parks, in woods, dogs jump at the kids. The owners, from far away, call, “It’s ok, (s)he’s friendly.”

But, it’s not ok.

My daughter now has a phobia of dogs. If a dog comes remotely near, she screams and hides behind me. She won’t move until the dog is gone. She refuses to visit friends or family who have dogs. I try to be constantly vigilant to get between her and any approaching dogs, but sometimes, as on the beach, they take me by surprise.

“They’re just being friendly,” I’m always told by the owner if I protest. But when you’re less than four feet tall, most dogs on their hind legs are bigger than you. A jumping dog can easily knock you down. Its barking mouth, full of big teeth, is in your face. It’s terrifying.

Dog owners seem deeply resistant to the idea that they should prevent this. When I ask people to stop their dogs jumping at my children, they get angry with me.

One woman told me I shouldn’t take my daughter to the park if she doesn’t like dogs. I asked if she genuinely believed a small child shouldn’t be allowed to visit the playground inside her local park because people won’t train their dogs properly, and she walked away.

I don’t think people would appreciate my children running up and jumping all over them. It’s my responsibility to teach my children to behave respectfully towards other people. If you have a dog, it’s your responsibility to teach them the same. And to clean up after them.

Dog ownership surged in lockdown, and many people admit they didn’t understand what they were getting into. Animal shelters are now full to capacity with dogs needing new homes. One dog was rescued recently after the owner tried to have him euthanised because he occasionally barked. No effort had been made to train him.

As a society, we need to take animal ownership more seriously. Animals are not accessories. They are living beings, deserving proper care. Untrained dogs can also be dangerous. In 2022, 10 people in the UK were killed by dogs. Before we get our hands on anything else potentially dangerous, like a car, we need training and a licence. Perhaps we need licensing for all dog owners.

Before you are permitted to acquire a dog, you must pass a course on caring for and training one. It would stop impulse purchases of dogs destined for rescue centres, and give owners the skills needed to live harmoniously with a dog. If you genuinely love your pet, why wouldn’t you want to be the best owner you can be?

Caring for dogs is not unlike raising children. They’re hard work, they keep you up at night, they need firm boundaries alongside abundant love, and you need to clean up a lot of poo. Dog owners and parents alike would benefit from more practical guidance and support in the early years.

So I’ll stop my kids from licking your face, if you’ll stop your dog from licking theirs.

Allegra Chapman is a diversity and inclusion consultant