Maybe it's a time-of-day thing (the couple of hours after schools kick out) because I also seemed to spend half of last summer worrying about uncontrolled dogs in areas of the Horniman gardens where dogs are not allowed. On one occasion my 2 year old was flattened by one of the terrier breeds which was after my son's ball. The owner had so little control over the dog and the ball was returned quite some time later after a minor savaging. My son thought it was hilarious. I didn't.

I was also charged by a terrier-cross in Dulwich Park last week, while I slowly cycled through. Then again, uncontrolled Dulwich Park toddlers nearly knock me down on a daily basis on my commute home through the park.