Comments

1
Oh, you just posted this to see how many clicks SLOG would get, didn't you?

*standing back*

This should be entertaining.
2
Fucking hippies.
3
Folklife happened?
4
The author is absolutely right on, but did s/he actually say anything to the parents to set them straight about what happened? Probably not.
5
Let the slog dog hating begin in 5, 4, 3, 2....
6
@4 Exactly. The day someone in Seattle actually has the stones to call out stupidity in public, we will know the apocalypse has arrived.
7
Damn straight. You still have no fucking business bringing your dog to a crowded public gathering, though.
8
As with weed, we just need to legalize and regulate the market for children. Once we establish sales and use taxes on weed buyers and kid buyers, Folklife, with its weed-smoking child owners, will be recognized as an annual gathering of our best public revenue stream.
9
It sounds like the dog, unlike the child was trained well and only responded with a push to protect itself. Since there are such large crowds at some venues maybe Folklife should restrict attendance. Either for dogs or kids.
10
So let me get this straight. Some kid is mauling your dog, your holding the leash, and you didn't do anything to protect it? Obviously if the dog was scared enough to bump the kid with it's nose you should have stepped in earlier to give it support. What a crappy dog owner!
11
You can tell that dog wasn't a pit bull. If it had been a pit bull it would've eviscerated the little girl and eaten her bloody soul.
12
Right on, Heather. I'm not much more of a fan of kids at crowded gatherings than I am of dogs.
13
"You still have no fucking business bringing your dog to a crowded public gathering, though."

Why not? It's a PUBLIC gathering. Are dogs not allowed in public anymore?
14
I think @10 is a little extreme, but, yeah. I pay attention when I take my dog in public because if some kid comes up and pokes him in the eyeballs, then there's a chance (albeit small, my dog is pretty tolerant) that the outcome is not going to be good for the kid or my dog (or me, since no matter what the kid did, the dog owner is still responsible...).
15
Regardless, it's always infuriating to see very small children wandering around unattended in public. If you don't feel like watching your fucking kid, don't take it out in public. Most parents seem to understand that, but there are always a few who act like little Johnny 3 Year-old has no need for close adult supervision at a crowded festival.
16
i was also sorta wondering why the dog owner didn't notice what was going on. clearly not paying that much attention either. double fault. blaming the dog owner was an asshole move if a leash was involved though.
i am also not a fan of dogs at big events. only cause they always look so miserable getting stepped on and tripped over. and on a hot day? dog abuse!
17
*Sigh*

In a perfect world all those inconsiderate jerk-wads would refrain from taking thier children/pets to crowded events. They're hard to see in crowds. I've stepped on and tripped over plenty of kids/dogs. Stepping on them is no big deal but when I trip over them...well, why the hell should I risk getting hurt? I'm not the one running around like a maniac or suddenly stopping in the middle of heavy foot traffic to sniff things.
18
@ 16, the anonymous author says the dog was on a leash. In light of that, I fail to see how the dog owner can have any blame at all. When you have your dog on a leash, or your child by the hand, you're allowed to focus your attention elsewhere, not just keep your eyes down at your pet or kid.
19
I really cant stand free-range kids. and I do indeed say something to the parents.
20
Free-range kids? Sounds delicious.
21
@18 - you are exactly wrong.

A leashed dog is still a potential hazard to anything that comes within range, therefore it is still the dog owner's responsibility to monitor.

Would you leave a live land-mine unattended - even if has a sign that says "Danger, land mine". You're not off the hook just because the dog is on a leash.

Parents should ideally train kids up on dogs and monitor kids. But people need to be responsible for their own hazards.

I am a dog owner and I love dogs. But I also accept that my dog is a possible hazard and that in general whatever my dog does, I am responsible.
22
I know most humans are self centered and entitled, but it's esp evident with people who do not own pets. Don't walk up to a dog or cat and expect them to love you/not bite you. Same goes for your kids.

It's incredible how shocked people get that all domestic animals are not trained to respond to their whim and entertainment.
23
@ 4 - Entirely correct, sir.

The Seattle Way is not to be confrontational, no matter what. Just save it for when you get home, and then you can anonymously email an alt weekly, fr'instance.

Yeah, that'll take care of it -- "it" being your uncomfortable feeling of guilt due to not speaking up at the time.
24
@18- i did agree that this case is more of a parenting issue. you only have yourself to blame if you let your kid wander up to strange dogs.
i just don't happen to think the presence of a leash absolves all responsibility of what your dog does. you really do need to be paying attention. i'm sure you can think of your own examples.
25
@20: But are they 100% Certified Organic?
26
I love this post. Watch your damn kids, people. The occasional dog or kid at Folklife doesn't bother me as much as people trying to push MONDOHUGE strollers through a elbow-to-elbow crowd. Kids running around unsupervised is pretty common anywhere I've ever lived, but it's common sense to watch them in a situation like that. Nice to know the dog was well-behaved, though.
27
I love how self centric liberals are always the first in line to limit what other people can do. Folklife is a public event. Kids and leashed dogs are allowed in public.

I would rather not run into whiny passive aggressive assholes who write in to anonymous columns, but they are a fact of life as well.

Also allowed in public: racists, concealed weapons, pit bulls, snakes, lesbians, Christians, people who have been convicted of sex offences, people who don't like hipsters, hipsters, Mormons, and all of your ex'es.

The real world is tough, but kids need to get out and learn how it is, so do dogs and you apparently.
28
@27:

Yes, they are allowed in public, but do any of these people hold themselves accountable for what they are doing or not doing. Why is it sooo hard to be a responsible pet/child/snake/lesbian/christian owner.

When I step on your child/dog because it ran out in front of me and the damn thing came out of nowhere, I'm not at fault.
29
@ 21, dogs = live land mines? That's rather hyperbolic, don't you think?

@ 24, I can get behind that. Still, kids are fast and hard to see in crowds, and I can visualize this happening in a split second - the kid just running up to the dog and bopping it in the face before anyone can blink. The dog owner might have been as attentive as is reasonable in that situation - again, when you go out to something like Folklife, you're going to be looking around and not just watching out for everything that can happen. Of course, it's possible that the dog owner wasn't paying even the least bit of peripheral attention to the dog either, and maybe there was enough open space to see the kid, and maybe she came over slowly. That seems a lot less likely, though.
30
it reminds me of those awful child leashes. i cringe ever time i see one, but apparently some parents need them...
31
It would've taken much less time to tell the kids' parents what happened than let them go off on the dog's owners and write this stupid letter. I, Anonymous does a major disservice to Seattle citizens by providing this insipid, passive aggressive outlet.
32
@27 When did anyone suggest limiting dogs or kids?
33
The parents aren't "neglectful assholes." They were, however, incorrect in their response. Instead of cursing dog owner, they should have told the child, "that's what happens when you mess around with unfamiliar dogs." A teachable moment was lost.

Parents please remember that your kid will get hurt. If no major damage was done, kids learn from mistakes. Teach them during small mistakes so they can learn to avoid real harm in the future.
34
I am solidly on the dog owner's side on this one and I typically think the majority of dog owners are fuck-heads.
35
@33 is absolutely right. That's what my mother always did with me if I was fool enough to whine about being bitten/scratched by a strange animal - "Well, you shouldn't have bothered it." Children don't automatically just KNOW not to stick their hands in strange dogs' faces, they have to be taught that. If they don't live around dogs, then here's a great chance to teach them that.
36
@29 - yes, it's hyperbole. But illustrative. Dog owners need to accept the potential that every dog has for violence, even if their dog is totally mellow. Almost any dog can be provoked to nip or bite.

If you have a dog, you need to keep it safe at all times. Even when it's on the leash.

Smart parents will also train kids about dogs.

But these are not mutually exclusive thing.

The funny thing about personal responsibility is that it lies with both parties in these situations.
37
@ 36, no, there are limits to when hyperbole is "illustrative" and when it's so far out there that it undermines your point. For example, live land mines are supposed to be left unattended and are supposed to be harmful.

Neither of us were there, so we have to rely on the anonymous author's version. And while s/he is unclear as to whether this happened as quickly as I describe it in my comment @ 29, or whether the dog owner had completely clear sight of the girl and was 100% ignoring everything, but her version seems to be closer to the former possibility. If so, the dog owner bears very little responsibility indeed, and it's not fair to suggest that he does.

I think that if your attitude toward your dog is going to be that it's a loaded weapon, as you seem to imply, then you should do what you would do with a loaded weapon at Folklife - leave it at home and don't bring it with you. I wouldn't take my dog to any crowded festival anyway, but not for that reason.
38
Right on. Some fucking parents need to watch their little crumbsnatchers. Having raised 3 children to adulthood, and having 2 grandchildren, there is NO substitute for a parent watching their precious little snots
39
@37 - in nature dogs are supposed to hunt and supposed to bite with their sharp teeth to defend themselves. domesticated dogs are not that far from their wild ancestors and when provoked will bite. doesn't matter if the annoying kid was not being careful.

here's another hypothetical. let's say this kid instead of running up to a dog and grabbing its face ran up to me and grabbed my face. say I pushed her away. what would you say to that? you'd probably accuse me of being an asshole or worse.

if a dog can't act toward a human the way an adult human would act toward a human, then it needs to be minded by its owner at all times so that it doesn't get into situations where it may do something dangerous - no matter who instigates.

anyway - we're splitting hairs here. the post clearly impies that if a dog is on a leash, then the owner is absolved of any further responsibility "this is all your fault", "this wouldn't have happened if you had been paying attention", "not all dogs were raised with kids". the implication is that all people in public have some responsibility to know how to deal with dogs. they do not. dog owners bear the entire onus of dog ownership. i am a dog owner and love my dog but i know that no matter how stupid kids are around her it's MY responsiblity to keep her out of situations that would make her snap.

i believe that in this case the dog didn't bite the kid. i just don't agree with the implications about responsiblity in the post.

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