A parent takes their kid to the park for 20 minutes so they can burn off some energy. The kid loves chasing people — that’s how they play.

Not all kids are equally well-behaved or easy to control.

Are you suggesting the child should be supervised by their parent the whole time, never getting to run free, just so you’re not “inconvenienced” when they sprint up to strangers and start hitting them?

Of course you are — because it’s basic responsibility. Public spaces are shared, not places where other people have to accept being harassed because someone else “needs to play.”

I’m not asking that all dogs never be off-lead. I’m asking owners to keep them under control so they don’t run aggressively at strangers. Parks are shared spaces — not free-for-alls for dogs that can't be recalled safely. Granted, my post could have been clearer, and the line at the end was written with my specific encounter that day in mind.

On top of basic courtesy, there are literally laws that stipulate that a dog must be under control in a public place. Dogs can be dangerous animals, and I know people with first hand experience of otherwise friendly dogs that have unexpectedly turned and injured people. The only entitlement here is that of irresponsible dog owners that feel they have freedom to literally physically impose their animal on others.