Dog snatched babies sandwich

[IsithormonesoramIamadcow]

AIBU to think that it's not unreasonable to ask someone to put their dog on a lead....

When it's just come over to a family sitting on a bench having a picnic and chomped the sandwich out of a 17month olds hand - the whole of DS arm was inside the dogs mouth although the dog didn't actually 'bite' him.

I jumped up, shouted at the dog and asked the owner to put him on a lead. Explained he had just taken my DS hand as well as the sandwich. Dog owner paid no attention until DH lost his shit and threatened to deal with the dog himself... by which time our lovely relaxing afternoon had evaporated. Am I supposed to just be glad that DS still has all his fingers?

I am fed up with people saying their badly behaved off lead dogs are 'really friendly'. How am I supposed to know which ones are and which ones aren't.

[TaliZorahVasNormandy]

Dog obviously isnt trained enough to be off a lead. Some people people are blind to their dogs behaviour as they are to their kids.

[Babyroobs]

Embarrassingly my dog once took a finger of Kit Kat from a toddlers hand on the school run. She was on a lead but it kind of got congested round the school gate and it happened so quickly. Of course I apologised profusely.
I have a work collegue whose dalmation snatched a whole Victoria sponge sandwich from a picnic. Fortunately the picnickers saw the funny side of it.

[MatildaTheCat]

YANBU and I am a dog owner of an exceptionally friendly yet greedy dog. Toddlers have a way of waving food about at nose level which he finds pretty irresistible. So it's my job to be alert to such situations and get him under control.

He has, once or twice stolen very gently and I was mortified but the parents were very relaxed. Picnics in busy parks are a hazard for sure.

[Wolfiefan]

It's completely irrelevant how friendly it is. Food is a dog magnet. Spot someone having a picnic? Dog goes on lead. And a dog doesn't have to be aggressive to hurt a child.
And yes. I'm a dog owner.

[ithakabythesea]

My friend was walking her dog through a train when it snaffled someone's sandwich. Sandwich was at dogs height & it just turned it head and took it. Person didn't even know it had happened. Friend kept walking....

[AnoiseAnnoysanOyster]

At a picnic with friends and two dogs came running over and tried to eat our food. The dog owner just pathetically called it from quite a distance away then eventually came over after her dogs ignored her and gave some even more pathetic excuse.

It is not ok for your dog to eat someone's food. Train your fucking dog.

[TessyFew]

Sounds like the issue is the dog owner! I'd be mortified if my dog ate food out of someone's hands let alone a child. He sounds like he couldn't care less! Always gives the rest of us good dog owners a bad name!

[ThursdayLastWeek]

YANBU obviously.

dogs are cheeky opportunists, but the right attitude from the owner would have smoothed the situation. And a lead. A lead would have helped even more!

[IsithormonesoramIamadcow]

It wasn't loosing the food that was the problem. DS was sitting far back between me and DH. The dog (very large Labrador) came straight for him and chomped. It wasn't gentle. I was very relieved when the dog let go and I had to check DS arm for damage. DS 'feeds' SIL's dogs from his high chair often and it is a completely different technique!

[BMW6]

Dog owner was being a dick, obviously.

[Babyroobs]

Labrador's are renowned for their greediness.

[NormaSmuff]

My dm of 80 had her sandwich stolen and her hand bitten by a greedy Labrador, whose owner didn't care less

[ligersaremyfavouriteanimal]

YANBU. I'm a dog lover but do hate it when dogs off leads approach DCs, especially when the owners trundle out the old "it's ok he's friendly" spiel

A dog took a sandwich from my DD's hand at the playground. The owner was totally unapologetic when DH pointed it out, apparently DD shouldn't have been stood eating in the playground DH soon set her straight.

[wheresthel1ght]

I am a dog owner and my dogs are as trained as rescues with issues can be - and for this reason one of my dogs is only ever off the lead with me and when there are no other people around. He is not vicious at all, he just has crappy recall and LOVES people so will circle them until they fuss him (he is a westie cross) but he also has a deformed jaw care of his original owners kicking him and breaking it when he was a pup - he has a snaggle tooth as a result and looks like he is growling.

YWNBU the dog owner was an idiot - I hope it doesn't make your little one too scared of dogs.

[Theweasleytwins]

A dog came up to us today and pissed on our crisps🙄

[CoffeeCoffeeAndLotsOfIt]

A cocky and greedy duck once waddled up to my toddler ds, who was sitting on a picnic blanket, and stole his sandwich right out of his hand. My ds was scared of ducks for a while after that!

My (obviously herbivore) greedy pony once took a bite of someone's chicken sandwich right out of their hands.

But, back to the dog. If that had been my dog I would have apologised profusely.

[dollarstodonuts]

Years ago we had a hound who was ninja-like in his ability to snaffle a whole ice cream cone but leave the cone. The first few times it happened I had no idea it was my dog. We walked past a toddler with an ice cream. Got a few paces forward and hear toddler start shouting his ice creams gone. Turn around to see baffled parent looking under park bench etc. Didn't really think anything of it until it happened a few times....at which point I became suspicious of DDog. The last time he did it he left cream on his nose and was outed as the criminal. I offered to buy another ice cream and of course apologised. It's not ideal but dogs aren't robots either. No dog is 100% well behaved. No human is either. Some tolerance and manners go a long way.

So while I agree no dog should have his whole mouth around your toddlers hand these things do happen. The only way to stop it would be leash laws or banning dogs from parks. The owner should have apologised.

[RandomMess]

Urgh idiot of an owner!!

My dog actively seek out children, I think that was her only food source prior to rescue - terrified of men, adores children, complete food opportunist as was completely starved when rescued

However I would have been yelling at her like a loon to come back, apologising profusely and actually I don't think she'd swipe it from someone she didn't know.

[Serialweightwatcher]

Think you are right to be angry - could have been far worse even if the dog meant no harm. I'm a dog owner and my dog knows not to take food which is left on the side table in the lounge by lazy ds or from worktops etc, but I wouldn't be sure he wouldn't take something in a different place, where he doesn't know it's wrong iyswim ... the owner should have been nearby and called it back before it got near your little one in any case

[wildpoppiesanddaisies]

I knew it would be a Lab

[ChardonnayKnickertonSmythe]

it happens.

[wildpoppiesanddaisies]

Lab, chardonnay?

[LuluJakey1]

One of our cats stole a sausage from a plate at next door's BBQ 🙂 and brought it home over the fence.

[ChardonnayKnickertonSmythe]

He's convinced he has a standing invitation for every single picnic he comes across.

Lovely dog, apart from that.

[Gideonsangel123]

I have two whippets who are both shameless thieves, I just wouldn't take them to a picnic area, it's not fair on the people who want to relax with their families, anyway they are both champion crappers, I always pick it up, not everyone does.