Dog-Owning Couple demand toddler restrictions after “horrifying” park ordeal

A dog-owning couple have called for tighter restrictions on toddlers after what they describe as a ‘frightening’ ordeal on Peckham Rye Park, South London.

Tom and Karen Rafferty, a South London couple who respectively describe themselves as a martial arts instructor and a “freelance artist” were taking their 2-year-old XL-bully on an unleashed walk around Peckham Rye Park yesterday morning. 

“Our little doggy-doggy-doo-doo was absolutely traumatised,” said Karen. “There was shrieking, laughing, unpredictable movement — all coming from a designated children’s play area. Frankly, it was hostile.”

Sobbing, her husband continued:

“Poor little Belmarsh had to launch a pre-emptive attack. The screaming of the kids just made it so much worse”

Two children, Elizabeth Jones,3, and Andrew Hall, 2, were confirmed dead by paramedics at the scene.

The parents of the kids antagonised the issue, using threatening language such as “please go away if that’s not too much of a problem”. One parent even shouted at him to “get off my two-year-old daughter, you jolly rotter”, giving an instruction to a pet which does not belong to him. Belmarsh found this very unsettling.

Helen went on to criticise what she called the “entitlement epidemic” among toddlers.

“Several times I told the children to stop screaming and running away from Belmarsh, who of course assumed this was a chase” she said. “Their parents should have raised them to stay completely still when a XL-bully charges them. These people beggar belief”.

The father of Elizabeth Jones, Peter, a Doctor living in a £750,000 house in Dulwich, was arrested at the scene by Police for looking at the dog owning couple in a ‘funny way’, whilst a passerby who had tried to intervene and sustained life-changing injuries as a result has also been arrested for “restraining a dog in a public area”.

Mr Jones confessed he had “looked at the owners in a manner that could reasonably be interpreted as judgemental” but said he was mildly perturbed by the brutal dismemberment of his daughter.

Both the Police and the Council have apologised to the Rafferty’s for the distress experienced. Southwark Councillor Idiotana Dogooder spoke on behalf of the council:

“As a dog-lover, I sympathise with the stress suffered by the Rafferty’s. it is wrong that innocent dog-owners cannot walk throughout public parks without being disturbed by unruly toddlers’.

“As a nation of dog-lovers, its vital that the needs, the casual desires or even the passing whims of dog-owners are acquiesced to literally all the fucking time”.

“Toddler owners must be aware that we are a nation of dog-lovers and should consider having a leash on their toddlers, particularly when visiting public places such as children’s play areas.”

I would support a review into the licensing of toddlers, and how to make children’s play areas dog-friendly for dog-lovers. Have I mentioned we are a nation of dog-lovers yet”?

For the Rafferty’s, this is not sufficient, however. Helen, who is also known by the name Karen – “I’m not a complainer by nature, but I would like an apology from the Council for allowing this to happen. Also the NHS for the noise their sirens make which my little doggy doggy doo-doo found distressing and forced him to bite the arm of one of the paramedics who did make such a ridiculous fuss. I’d be writing to my MP, the Home Secretary and maybe Gary Lineker or somebody”.

Belmarsh has now being taken on a two-week dog spa break in the Cotswolds to recover from his ordeal, funded by a go-fund me campaign to support his mental health. 

The Rafferty’s plan to sue the parents of the toddler’s involved, Southwark council, the Home Office, Michael Palin, the Labour Party and the United Nations.

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