An open letter to parents about dog etiquette

Dear parents,
I have two concerns. Please teach your children proper dog etiquette, not only for the safety of your children, but also for the welfare of my dog. I live in an apartment complex and frequently encounter children while walking my dog. The children whose parents have taught them about dogs ask me if the dog bites and when I tell them no, they ask if they can pet her. While I'm not completely comfortable with this, the kids who ask are almost always more gentle with my dog and therefore less likely to cause any problems. My major concern with this scenario, however, is that it's not safe for kids to do that, unfortunately. While I, myself, am not going to abduct and harm a child, there are lots of people who will. It's dangerous for a child to approach an adult to play with a dog. If you've taught your kids about dog manners take a few minutes and teach them not to talk to strangers. My next problem is with kids who don't ask if they can pet my dog, just run up to her, get in her face, and try to hang all over her. My dog is the most gentle dog in the world, but she's still a dog. Even though she has no history of snapping or biting that doesn't mean that she will never do it. Every dog who bit someone had to do it for the first time sometime. I love my dog and don't want her to do something that will get her in trouble, or God forbid, put down, because your child doesn't know how to behave around dogs. Teach your child that he/she must ask before touching someone else's dog.
I love my dog. You love your kid. Let's make sure nothing happens to either of them.
A