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AIBU?

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Original poster

AIBU to be upset after a dog jumped at our baby?

945 replies

KellyK2026 · 15/09/2026 12:14

Okay, so myself, DH and baby were at a country park the other week. Baby was getting hungry so we sat ourselves down on a park bench and got some food out. A woman was walking with her family and dog and the dog must’ve smelt the food as it suddenly
comes bounding over and is jumping at baby (who is on DH knee) to get the food. We don’t know this dog and don’t know what it's capable of. I scream at the owner that we have a baby and to get her dog under control. At this point, she’s pretty far away and is taking her time to come over. My DH then kicks the dog to get it off them as it just will not stop. The woman wasn’t particularly apologetic and seemed shocked. Did we overreact?

OP posts:
Original poster
KellyK2026 · 15/09/2026 15:48

Melsy88 · 15/09/2026 15:47

You know you said this right?! I dont get why you're getting wound up by people saying Spaniel mix! 😆
"I wouldn’t like to say what breed it was as I’m not that familiar with dog breeds. I’d say it was slightly larger than a spaniel and had floppy ears like one, so possibly a spaniel mix."

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Yes, possibly but I don’t know. And now people are fixated on it being a spaniel.

OP posts:
HedgerowD · 15/09/2026 15:47

LondonLass2026 · 15/09/2026 15:40

A collie bit my beautiful dog when he was a small puppy. The owner just laughed. Later found out she's a Parish Councillor! Reported her but nothing happened.

People need to be very wary of collies.

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I think people should be wary of all dogs. Especially around children. This one was friendly but the damage they can do with their claws can be more substantial than you would expect.

Original poster
KellyK2026 · 15/09/2026 15:47

Vivi0 · 15/09/2026 15:45

Does it really matter?

The dog wasn’t aggressive, but your husband was.

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lol yeah, right.

OP posts:
Melsy88 · 15/09/2026 15:47

KellyK2026 · 15/09/2026 15:44

Wasn’t a spaniel…

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You know you said this right?! I dont get why you're getting wound up by people saying Spaniel mix! 😆
"I wouldn’t like to say what breed it was as I’m not that familiar with dog breeds. I’d say it was slightly larger than a spaniel and had floppy ears like one, so possibly a spaniel mix."

Original poster
KellyK2026 · 15/09/2026 15:46

JohnofWessex · 15/09/2026 15:41

You can use reasonable force to defend yourself against a dog.

Former neighbours of mine had to have it pointed out to them by the dog warden that they could have ended up with a dead dog

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This is really important because I think the people defending the owner don’t realise they are actually putting the dog in jeopardy. That dog could do that to someone else and end up dead if the person it happened to felt that that was necessary to defend themselves/family. And that’s legal.

OP posts:
Vivi0 · 15/09/2026 15:45

KellyK2026 · 15/09/2026 15:44

Wasn’t a spaniel…

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Does it really matter?

The dog wasn’t aggressive, but your husband was.

Vivi0 · 15/09/2026 15:44

KellyK2026 · 15/09/2026 15:41

It wasn’t a spaniel, so…

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You said it looked like a spaniel - so it is probably more likely to be a spaniel mix than an XL bully.

Original poster
KellyK2026 · 15/09/2026 15:44

Vivi0 · 15/09/2026 15:42

You can’t control other people. You can only control your reactions. Screaming and kicking a spaniel mix type dog is grim 😬

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Wasn’t a spaniel…

OP posts:
Original poster
KellyK2026 · 15/09/2026 15:43

Melsy88 · 15/09/2026 15:40

Ok by that logic, you clearly didnt think it was out of control as you didnt report it under the dangerous dog act!

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Eh? I didn’t report it because I didn’t feel like it needed escalating. The owner wasn’t that apologetic but muttered ‘sorry’ and put her dog on a lead after that. Nobody there thought my DH used unreasonable force and everyone was really shocked at the owner.

OP posts:
Ohdfod · 15/09/2026 15:43

KellyK2026 · 15/09/2026 14:32

Never heard of a horse coming over and biting a baby for some food.

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Like I said, dramatic! Your child did not get bitten. Or injured in anyway. No one did. Nothing you’ve said suggests this dog was trying to bite.

Vivi0 · 15/09/2026 15:42

KellyK2026 · 15/09/2026 15:40

What kind of an idiot would let an untrained dog off its lead in a public area? Why aren’t you asking that question?

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You can’t control other people. You can only control your reactions. Screaming and kicking a spaniel mix type dog is grim 😬

JohnofWessex · 15/09/2026 15:41

Cammyy · 15/09/2026 13:19

Yanbu for being furious at the owner, but oh man, reading that your DH kicked the dog really breaks my heart as a massive dog lover.

Don't get me wrong, the owner is an absolute idiot and 100% in the wrong here. If your dog doesn't have bulletproof recall, it belongs on a lead, especially around a busy park where people are eating! Dogs are natural scavengers; if they smell a sandwich, their brain just goes "food!" and they investigate. It is entirely the owner's responsibility to manage that. Taking her sweet time to stroll over while her dog is bothering a baby is just infuriating and gives good dog owners a bad name. She completely set her poor dog up to fail.

I do totally get the primal instinct to protect your baby. When panic sets in and a strange animal is in your kid's face, you just react. But the poor pup was literally just being a dog and following its nose, it wasn't trying to attack anyone. Usually standing up quickly, turning your back, or just blocking them with a knee is enough to bounce a food-motivated dog away without having to actually kick them.

So I completely validate you screaming at the woman. She's a terrible owner and I'd have had a few choice words for her myself. But I just can't help feeling so sorry for the dog who ended up getting kicked just because its human is totally irresponsible!

You can use reasonable force to defend yourself against a dog.

Former neighbours of mine had to have it pointed out to them by the dog warden that they could have ended up with a dead dog

Original poster
KellyK2026 · 15/09/2026 15:41

Vivi0 · 15/09/2026 15:40

Personally, I’d die of shame if my husband kicked a spaniel mix type dog. Not that he would, he isn’t aggressive like that. He’d have just stood up with our baby and walked away.

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It wasn’t a spaniel, so…

OP posts:
OonaStubbs · 15/09/2026 15:41

Any dog that jumps up should be PTS. It is clearly not under control of the owner. Unless the owner told it to jump up.

Jan24680 · 15/09/2026 15:41

How horrible. Some people shouldn't own dogs. I am glad your baby is ok. I am not sure why so many people care more about the aggressive dog than your baby, but you can now see why you encounter these people and their dogs.

I do know someone personally who was nearly killed by a dog. She jumped in a river to get away from it. It then went after a small child and only prevented from hurting this child by a passer by. The dog is still alive and owner fighting its sentence after being heavily fined etc.

I look forward to all these weirdos telling me why my friend and that small child deserved to die.

HazelCritic · 15/09/2026 15:41

Not unreasonable at all. Last summer I was having a picnic in the park, next to the playground, with my young children and some friends. Without warning a dog came charging through the children, across the picnic mat and starting eating all the food. The owner's response was 'well if you will have food in the park...'

Another time a dog pissed over my kid's bike which was propped up against the goal posts while he was playing with his friends. Owner again blamed us.

It boggles my mind. Absolutely selfish behaviour.

Original poster
KellyK2026 · 15/09/2026 15:40

Vivi0 · 15/09/2026 15:36

What kind of idiot would kick a pit bull?

I would have been away from the bench in a shot, and left it to eat all of my sandwiches as it pleased.

If I were to see a pit bull off the lead, I would leave the area.

I bet the OP’s husband wouldn’t have kicked a pit bull either.

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What kind of an idiot would let an untrained dog off its lead in a public area? Why aren’t you asking that question?

OP posts:
Deadleaves77 · 15/09/2026 15:40

Melsy88 · 15/09/2026 15:35

Shouting is a normal reaction. Kicking isnt.

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Im a facial surgeon and have managed lots of dog bites, from a whole range of breeds on babies and young children. Generally bigger dogs cause worse bites but on a small baby a spaniels bite can still be pretty nasty.

Dogs bite. A strange dog jumping up at your baby could bite, and is not an uncommon scenario. Its absolutely not unreasonable to be worried about that and react accordingly. Everyone always says "oh hes never bitten begore" "oh it was unprovoked". You have absolutely no idea if that dog has a history of aggression or biting and given how shit the owner was chances are its not very well trained. Kicking an animal thats jumping up at your baby, that could significantly harm your baby is reasonable and natural and its the owners responsibility to prevent

Vivi0 · 15/09/2026 15:40

KellyK2026 · 15/09/2026 15:34

Aw he’s absolutely amazing. Loves me and his babies and would do anything to protect us. We are extremely lucky.

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Personally, I’d die of shame if my husband kicked a spaniel mix type dog. Not that he would, he isn’t aggressive like that. He’d have just stood up with our baby and walked away.

Melsy88 · 15/09/2026 15:40

KellyK2026 · 15/09/2026 15:39

That’s your opinion and you weren’t there. The owner and her family didn’t report it so clearly they didn’t have the same mindset as you. In fact the owner’s family looked embarrassed for her.

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Ok by that logic, you clearly didnt think it was out of control as you didnt report it under the dangerous dog act!

SleeplessRoads · 15/09/2026 15:40

Thinkofnewthings · 15/09/2026 13:29

No-one in their right mind is going to calmly hold a strange, out of control dog by the collar or crouch down close to it. Unless they’re a dog whisperer.

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Tbf I do this on most dog walks when a dog looks like it’s approaching my unfriendly dog and it’s owners don’t care.

If you’re used to being around dogs (and OP isn’t so I understand why she didn’t) you can tell whether they’re approaching with aggression or curiosity or excitement, and whether that’s directed to the humans or dogs. No dog bites yet, but there may well have been if I hadn’t intervened

LondonLass2026 · 15/09/2026 15:40

HedgerowD · 15/09/2026 15:35

I love dogs but I would kick one if I thought it may attack or injure my child. I had a collie jump up at me a few years ago and it stratched my arm badly and ruined my jumper. I know it was being friendly but I have a scar.

A collie bit my beautiful dog when he was a small puppy. The owner just laughed. Later found out she's a Parish Councillor! Reported her but nothing happened.

People need to be very wary of collies.

Original poster
KellyK2026 · 15/09/2026 15:39

EmeraldShamrock000 · 15/09/2026 15:38

Yes right.

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Well that’s a fact.

OP posts:
Original poster
KellyK2026 · 15/09/2026 15:39

Melsy88 · 15/09/2026 15:37

Its not reasonable force

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That’s your opinion and you weren’t there. The owner and her family didn’t report it so clearly they didn’t have the same mindset as you. In fact the owner’s family looked embarrassed for her.

OP posts:
EmeraldShamrock000 · 15/09/2026 15:38

KellyK2026 · 15/09/2026 15:37

Of course he would’ve. As said, the woman had her family with her which included several large men who looked positively ashamed. I noticed they walked away without saying anything to the owner as I think they were absolutely embarrassed.

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Yes right.

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