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Dear Ed,

I have to know the circumstances better before making a relevant comment. I mean, was the child teasing the dog for instance.

I mention this because I left my dog tied up outside the fish and chip shop one Friday evening; he was in sight of me because he preferred it that way. Paying then left me out of sight for just a few moments and he coped with that.

This particular evening, a motor cyclist drove up to within inches of the dog, parked his cycle, dismounted then proceeded to "blip" the accelerator with the exhaust pipes pointed directly at the dog and very close to him.

I went outside to mention this, whereupon, the cyclist, still wearing helment and leathers bent down to pat the dog! I managed to stop him and I suspect, save him from being bitten.

I tried to explain this to the cyclist - still refusing to remove helmet, who seemed to be totally unaware of any fault on his part. I gave up in the end.

Lazarus

I have always taught my child that she should not approach unattended dogs and she should always ask the owners permission before petting any dog, that to me is common sense. Surely as a childminder this should be foremost in your mind!. I own two very friendly dogs which I often leave outside the shops, when I am not there I do not know how they will react if they feel threatened, and who can tell what in any given situation will make a dog feel threatened. The best course of action therefore, is always to leave and not approach an unattended dog to wait for its mum/dad to return, surely that goes without saying.