Dog ate my picnic

Yup. I noticed that. Interesting, isn't it? I wondered if I'd come across this poster before. It all seems remarkably similar to something on another thread a few months back.

Seriously, are you that unaware of people's fear of dogs

I know you're intentionally trying to gain attention with your ridiculous posts, but once again - the dog owner is at fault, not the OP.

You know nothing about dogs but yet were instantly able to recognise the breed?

@Imdunfer
But I was not quoting the OP. I was quoting a person who carries a bat, an umbrella and a whistle in case of attack by a "huge" dog, which I politely pointed out that a Shar-Pei is not. I felt that was a case of dog phobia.

I'm sorry that my post was triggering for you but that does not excuse you for overreacting and taking my words completely out of context. That is in fact triggering for me, as a person with severe social anxiety who relies on a therapy dog to enable me to actually leave my house.

Because she is a drama queen making a fuss over nothing

There's a thread called Dogs Everywhere where the OP is saying they're all over the place and the OP has got a kicking.

Hahahaha oh are you freaking bonkers! Dog owner should have reimbursed OP for her dogs actions, and any impact it has on her dog is completely and utterly down to the owner and her poor actions/terrible training of the dog. OP and her child were having a picnic in an area where dogs should only be allowed in if on a lead. If her dog is okay, hopefully she knows now to either train it better or not let it off the lead, but she sounds utterly selfish and irresponsible, so I doubt it.

I haven't made any comment about weapons, and I hadn't seen that the OP had. I don't know what weapon the OP was taking about and I don't want to trawl back to find out, but I think it's perfectly normal to carry a walking stick or pole as a weapon when you have no need of one to walk, so that you can fend off attention from unwanted dogs.

As a sight-damaged person your comment triggered me I'm afraid. I am absolutely sick of being told by owners of out of control dogs that if I can't see dogs running round my feet I should find another place to walk.

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My dogs have always had a mix of raw meat and good quality dog food. They didn't have any interest in grapes and chocolate!

I'm sure it was true at one point, perhaps it's changed with the the rise in popularity of dangerous dog breeds. Or maybe what I read was specific to rural areas where there are a lot of cows and dogs tend to be highly trained working dogs. I just remember reading an article about someone being trampled by cows and I'm sure it said something along those lines. Regardless, my point was that people do get killed by cows.

OP

You have had a shock.

The important thing is you kept your self and your child safe.

Dog owners often walk their dog in the same place and at the same time if you want to get move photos / film of the selfish bitch (and I don't mean the dog).

Your child must have been so proud making that picnic, it sounds like a lovely thing to do that was spoiled.

I'm not a big fan of sad face pics in the local paper but on this occasion I would consider it.

Sorry this happened to you. I’m not surprised as it’s happened to me too. When DD was a baby two dogs ran up to our picnic, one ate the food out of my DD hand (her whole fist was in the dogs mouth) and the other dog ran off with her teether.

Dogs can be really fast runners and there is not much time to react, hence why dogs with poor recall should be on leads.

The owner gave a half hearted apology and muttered something about them being family dogs that love children. I stopped doing ground level picnics after that for a couple of years. (This was during the post pandemic untrained dog peak)

I also used to find that dogs that were on leads would be walked up to us (on different occasions) to sniff us which I find totally bizarre. Some dog owners are lacking in any idea of personal space.

I’m never quite sure how the grapes get in the punnet or bag (machine, by hand?) but I always wash them in case someone picked their nose or scratched their bum then put the grapes in the punnet. Even if that doesn’t happen there’s always a ‘what if’ in my head.

Was it wise to have a picnic in an area where dog walking is common, if you are scared of dogs?

The OP was in an on-leash area.

Dogs running over to pinch picnic food in parks or on beaches has been a problem for as long as I can remember, which results in me scooping food up in the air, telling the dog no, or blocking the dog's access.
It's bloody annoying and some owners are too far away to intervene, or their verbal instructions are ignored. I don't think we've ever lost any food though.

Was it wise to have a picnic in an area where dog walking is common, if you are scared of dogs? It's teaching your son to be scared of and to run away from dogs.

I know we should be able to picnic wherever we like, but it seems that dogs are taken off the lead as soon as they're away from a road.

Right, so you think it is perfectly normal to carry weapons just in case you are attacked by a dog? To me it seems a little extreme.

I do also state that my dog is never off the lead in a public space and that I distrust off lead dogs myself. Please take my post in context rather than accusing me of making outrageous statements.

Too bad so sad.

If dog owners are worried about their animals eating chocolate (or anything else) then it is their job to control their pets and stop them from accessing chocolate. It is nobody else's job to mitigate that risk for them. So many irresponsible animal owners around.

Ha, hopefully that’s what it was. Hard to tell without an indicative emoji (eg 🙄, 😏, 🤔)

It's still an outrageous thing to suggest that anyone should seek help for their fear of loose dogs. Loose dogs are a threat whatever their size. The fear is rational and actual, not a phobia for most people, and not something to require treatment for.

Could you read my full post and the post that I was responding to please. Thank you.

If you'd read the OPs posts you would see she had posted it. The dog ate a large number of grapes that the owner didn't know about because she was too busy being arsey after she let her dog run wild.

And yes it probably would make you feel better because that owner plus others might start being more responsible. The owner not being able to control her animal has potentially led to said animal becoming severely ill or even dying.

That's an outrageous statement. Nobody needs to "seek help for their phobia" if dog owners abide by the law and have their dogs under control in a public space.

Should a blind person to whom a loose dog at their feet is a life threatening trip hazard "seek help for their sight issues"?

I don't think this is true. From what Ive looked up, it's one to two people a year by cows, average over 3 a year by dogs in the last 10 years.

I suspect the diffence in survivable injuries is a lot higher than that, too.
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You have every right to be pissed off
What to do about it depends on just how much stink you want to raise
You could go back to the park, see if she's there again, and give her a bill for the food eaten by her dog
You could follow her to her car or home, note her number plate or address, then go to the police and make a formal complaint
You could check the park rules and see if dogs must be kept on leads, and if so, make a complaint to the park owner
You could post the photo along with a warning about her dog everywhere online
But would any of those things make you feel better?