Dog attacking child - not stopping to help

Everyone is different.

Personally, if I see a dog attacking a child, I would help. If that means grabbing a stick or some sharp object to attack the dog I will. Any dog which attacks a child should be kept away from public, or have a muzzle on it.

Don't be an idiot. You were walking a dog. However trained you think your dog is. You don't know how your dog will react in the moment. Don't be an arrogant muppet.

You recall the dog walker mauled to death. All dogs were sectioned. How much did even the poodle/cockapoo participate in mauling the dog walker to death? Or how distressed did they become. Dogs are dogs. The call of the pack is usually stronger than an owner - especially in unforseen circumstances.

But how much would you then trust the dog that had been involved in the fatal mauling? How traumatised was that dog?

Everyone wants their pet kept safe. But seriously love to know the outcomes of that pack of dogs, being dog-walked, when dog walker was mauled to death.

But assuming, all peace is restored.

How much help do you think your dog is jumping excitedly around after the event?

If an animal is causing a problem. And you have an animal. Probably best to remove your animal from the site. (Just in case it escalates and your animal is put down.)

You were quite right to move on, adding yourself and your dogs to the situation could have made it worse. The parents should have been more aware of their dog's behaviour and teach their kid not to grab a dog's neck from behind.

I’ve read the full thread thank you. What makes you think there was an attack from a dog??

Collies are the most intelligent dogs and easily trained (because of their intelligence). I have a few. What about you? There is absolutely no need for a collie to be leashed - unless they are owned by a useless idiot!

If the cap fits wear it.

so nonchalant 😂

Not only does a collie need to be on a lead, it needs to be a short lead and also muzzled!

Have you not RTFT!!

No collie should be kept on a lead. Again it’s the pathetic owner having no idea of their dogs basic need to run.

In this scenario the beach was free of people and other dogs (except for OP and her very well trained dogs). Why on earth was the collie on a lead? Forget it. You, obviously, have no idea. I just hope you don’t have a dog. Please don’t say you have a collie that you keep on a lead 🙏

Fair enough. The thread title says attack though so that's where I got attack from.

100% NOT unreasonable, if you had trued to help, the other dog would have either attacked you or your dog. Shame on anyone who tries to make you feel bad, about protecting yourself and your own dog!!!

A collie on a lead on a secluded beach! Poor dog 🥲

yeah, because it would have been SO much better to have a reactive dog running free 🤦🏻‍♀️

A collie on a lead on a secluded beach! Poor dog 🥲 The other owners are a disgrace. I’m not sure if they shouted at you because you didn’t help during the attack (which tbh doesn’t sound like an attack) or if you allowed your dogs too close to their reactive dog (which shouldn’t have been allowed to run a full length of a long line with other dogs approaching anyway).

My dogs are well trained. I come across friendly, off leash out of control dogs every day. “He just wants to play”. Yeah well mine don’t. Call them please (but they can’t because they have never taught a solid recall 😏) I won’t allow my dogs anywhere near a reactive dog who is obviously on high alert. I probably would have offered assistance if a child had been involved in a dog attack but this doesn’t sound as if it was an attack. I’m confused by this thread tbh

The people familiar with and responsible for the dog and child are both present and although it's just gone for the child the dog is not rampaging around out of control, so with some common sense they should be able to deal with it.

Introducing yourself and your dogs into that situation could turn it into a bloodbath.

@Ifhappylittlebluebirdsfly222

vicious attack. You have made this up.

it jumped up at the child it lives with, whose parents were both there, the dog was on a lead. The kid shouted out once (got a fright)

the ridiculous parents shouted abuse at the OP, for upsetting their dog (which she'd already made walk in the water!) they didn't wind the long lead in, they didn't stop their child from approaching their dog from behind...

the child needs saving, but from its parents not the dog.

@Catsmere

Exactly.

I think if I was physically closest to the child I'd want to intervene, giving the child the best chance of being saved from a vicious attack before any other adult could get there. But I do understand it's more complicated if you have your own dogs with you who might make the situation worse.
It probably just didn't look great if a child was being attacked next to you and you just casually walked past.

You definitely did the only sensible thing @Idioticparents. The dog reacted to your dogs. It is ridiculous for anyone to suggest that you should have hung around accompanied by the very thing that triggered the dog's initial reaction. The dog could have attacked your dogs, or attacked you. Those parents need to sort their own shit.

how can you be so sure nothing will come of it?

@Idioticparents yes that's exactly what you did, and you asked on the Internet if you were being unreasonable.
The concensus is that you weren't so you can go ahead and sleep easy.

Well said, OP.

I'm beginning to think @Cantgetausername87 is just on a wind-up.

@Idioticparents

He thinks that the dogs are trained enough that if I put them in a sit/wait they would wait. They probably would have waited. But, I wasn't willing to risk it - they're still dogs at the end of the day. Even the most placid dogs will come to their owners aide if something happens to them (PPs have noted examples of this). I didn't want to risk them or myself. But he still thinks that they would have been fine (and continues to hold that line).

That's what HE would do. You, actually whilst this was happening, did what YOU thought is right for you, your dogs and the other family. And that's OK too. 🌹

@Idioticparents

'FUCKING STUPID BITCH', 'FUCKING COME BACK HERE' 'HER FUCKING DOGS STARTED IT' (whilst the charming parents yelled at each other over who was at fault...).

What's that phrase? "Can't argue without the stupid"? Add to that negligent and abusive..

You did the right thing by yourself, your dogs and the child and his family, whatever they think. Calling the police to report the incidence once you and your dog were safely in your car was the right thing to do. 🌹

@Catsmere should've checked the child was OK?
Who walks away from something like that completely unphased. You're all rushing to defend this behaviour but think about it.
She just left and didn't even cast a gaze backwards to see the child was OK.
Who does that?

BOTH the boy's parents were there. What was OP supposed to do, not least since they launched straight into screaming abuse at her?