woman letting her dogs walk all over my picnic blanket and children has a go at me for 'making my children afraid of dogs.'

[fiveisanawfullybignumber]

Had a lovely picnic on Friday with DH and 4 of the DC's. DH and DS's were playing football, DD2 & 3 were still sat on our picnic blanket as I was tidying our food leftovers away. We were right next to the playpark so ready for the swings.
Lady walks over with 3 dogs all off their leads. Not big dogs and one was very old, but they came over to investigate. I gently used DD's fold up changing mat to guide dogs away from the 2 little ones (just turned 1 & nearly 3). Another dog then sticks it's nose into our picnic bag whilst owner rather ineffectualy calls dogs back. They're more intrested in us than going back.
Again I shoo it away, then DS2 (9), says, mum is that dog peeing up our buggy? I go to check, it isn't but owner then has a go at me, saying 'You're going to make your children afraid of dogs, my dogs are gentle, my children have brought up with them!'
AIBU to think that if I don't want someone else's dog all over my picnic blanket and children I should have that right?
I'm afraid my response to her was along the lines of, 'I don't give a s*#t how you're children were brought up, i don't want your dogs sniffing around my children!'
She honestly ruined the afternoon for me as I felt drained by an unwanted conflict. I'm having a hard enough timeanyway as DD3 (1) has severe reflux and has been in lots of pain and not sleeping well at all untill her meds were adjusted a few days ago.

Her picnic had no effect on the dog walker's day and wasn't in any way an annoyance. The dog did have an effect on the picnic. Therefore the dog owner was being more unreasonable, especially as she told the OP off first!

Milly, why say my 9yr old WBU? He though it was peeing on the buggy, it wasn't, he didn't make a fuss. Next time I shall let some old smelly dog lick my baby who's intollerant to many food items, let's hope it's food isn't wheat/gluten based!

YANBU

The dogs should have been on leads.

I think there is an awfully big leap between stopping your child being licked at swearing at people in a park. I'm glad I didn't have my kids out near any of you, be you dog owners or picnic eaters. You all sound antisocial.

BumWiper, your poor doggy.
I like dogs, not scared of them, just didn't want them all over my children, picnic blanket. I didn't scoop DD's up and run away, just shooed her dogs away. Luckily we'd finished eating and I was just finishing packing away all our rubbish.

MillyR would you appreciate The Toddler dribbling all over your food,poking fingers into your sandwich,and nosying in your lunch box?

It's not just a dog, ffs, it's an unreasonable piece of unwanted, counterproductive and ill-advised parenting advice. Very aggravating! It think swearing here is perfectly natural.

Milly, I'll admit, i shouldn't have sworn, but she had a go at me for shooing her dogs. I said if she she couldn't control them they should be on a lead, she went off on one about her children, then I swore. Wrong i know, but I have been under immense stresswith a high maintenance irritable baby who won't sleep past 3am due to reflux pain for a year. So for that reason alone I'm going to cut myself some slack.

This woman said she was a HV as well at the end so knew I was making my children afraid. Luckily I'm not vindictive and can't be bothered to complain to her local pct about her behaviour and stating her professional capicity at me.

As a dog owner of 2 dogs and a gorgeous DD, I can see all problems with this,you as a mother want to protect your kids,she as a dog owner is protecting her dogs.
If I am in the park only the labrador is off the lead as shes so docile,the jack is snappy so he stays on the lead. She should know her dogs,yes my lab wonders over but only for a stroke and she loves kids,not all dogs will attack your DC,try not to make your DC afraid of dogs.
I do hate dog owners who don't give a fuck,we know are jack is snappy with everyone else apart from DD so hes stays muzzled. He usually only attacks other dogs but I am not taking any chances plus hes protective of DD

He was fine after getting two stitches in a puncture wound.

Oh for goodness sake Milly off you go again.

Families have a right to picnic in peace without germ infested(possiby dangerous,one only has an owners say so re safety) dogs sniffing into food and young children.

The same obsessive dog lovers who just can't see any dog or it's owner can do any wrong are just trilling out the same tripe. Said dog could have chewed the child's leg off and Milly et al would somehow think the parent was being unreasonable and the child a wuss if they objected.

Op you are not being unreasonable,you politely nudged away(did it myself to no avail this weekend),what exactly were you supposed to do?Your 9 year old sounds like a helpful boy. I won't retell my dog woes but if you check out the other dog thread you'll see it's all on there and many people would agree with you.

Personally I think more of us need to stand up to dog owners,their fecking dogs and the liberties they take exactly in the way you did. The reason being they don't follow rules,give a shit about small children and impose their dogs on the general public however politely people make it clear they don't wish to have their personal space invaded.

Bumwiper had the same happen to my lab, a staffy attacked her ,now my lab is big but she was being shook around and he pierced her neck,people just walked on by and did fuck all. I called DH from the park in total shock,luckily she was ok but needed stitching.

Sorry milly but as a dog owner I don't like being licked by them,if they lick DD shes as to wash straightaway
I love my dogs but do you see what they lick?

Op my son got bitten last week and ended up in hospital because I told him not to move or make a fuss if bothered by a dog.I wish I'd handled it your way,I've been far too polite.

The hv can go to hell as far as I'm concerned the only thing that has made my 3 terrified of dogs is seeing my son bitten and being continuously jumped at,sniffed,licked,chased and buffeted by dogs.She is being extremely unprofessional and I'd report her. Trying to make mums feel shite just so her dogs can jump over tiny children without being yelled at.It's totally unacceptable and not something I'd like my hv to be doing.

Did you get the other owner to pay vet bills katvond?It was an awful struggle to get the owner to pay mine.

I wouldn't let my dogs off a lead if someone was about, becuase I know mine would be far more interested in what's going on with your sandwiches :)

Mine are only let off at night when most people aren't about. So YANBU

I actually get very very cross with eejits that don't recall their dogs properly. I have one rescue dog who is great with kids but very very unreliable around strange dogs (due to way she was treated), so I mostly muzzle her .Then I get eejits that tell me "it's okay,he just wants to play.Er yeah but my dog doesn't,she wants to eat yours.Get the picture?

YANBU - she should have had her dogs under control.

If this had happened to us DD1 (4.8) would have been a screaming wreck. She is innately scared of dogs. I have worked very hard to negate this (introducing her in a calm manner to dogs of friends, pointing out dogs as we go about our daily lives, even prioritising stories with positive dogs in them) but an episode like this would have set her back months.

DD2 is rather too fond of dogs, I have my work cut out with her to stop her approaching & cuddling dogs without the owners permission iyswim so I don't think it can be my attitude that has affected DD1, just a natural wariness.

Anyway what I am trying to say is that this woman; by allowing her dogs to approach you, without permission; is the one potentially adding to a child's fear of dogs, not you shooing away unwanted picnic guests she sounds bonkers with a bee in her bonnet to boot. No wonder she sees lots of children who are nervous of dogs if her dogs are allowed to behave like this.

Its the stock excuse from a dog owner who cannot control their dog - make up some criticism about the person complaining. Its probably some kind of pycshological condition - transfer of blame, or suchlike. Actually training their dog rather than going around insulting people would be far harder. Lets hope she's not trained her children in the same way!

No I did not bumwiper, I stood there in shock and he walked off with his two dogs. To be honest I just wanted to get my dogs home plus he looked really scary with his staffy dogs,DH did start going in the park with me but I never saw him again.

I quite agree with you and YANNNNNBU.

When dd was quite small - 3ish - we were having a picnic in Richmond Park when a dog came sniffing around, grabbed a load of chicken, haivng slobbered over the rest, and ran off. We had been discouraging said dog from the moment it approached, but it's owner was completely uninterested, even though she was easily close enough to see exactly what her pet was up to. When I protested, she just grinned and wandered off after it.

Then it came back and slobbered over the rolls before running off with one.

Despite protesting to the owner, vociferously the second time, she just swore at us and told me to mind my own f***ing business!

I think that must be how the bloody woman fed herself tbh.

I don't mind dogs, and dd loves them, but sometimes I hate dog-owners.

MilaMae, your poor DS, is he healing ok, physically anyway. That makes me feel I'll continue doing the same in future if any dogs come to join our picnics.
Thanks for confirming what I thought. I know my sensibilities are a little fragile at the moment, so just to be sure I wasn't being a complete loon about it all.

See I thought I would be all clever and try and avoid this sort of scenario by picnicing at National Trust properties, no dogs allowed.

But the fucking ducks are a menace! Word of warning, if anyone ever goes to Baddesley Clinton and takes a picnic, keep away from the evil devil ducks they bite. Hard. and they are relentless.

YANBU.

She was a stupid woman for having a go at you. I hate it when dogs are off the lead and they run towards you. You never know what they are going to do.

Lol ABF. DD2 (almost 3) had her break pinched by a hungry goose later that day. She wasn't sharing though, DS was feeding geese, she was scoffing all hers, so he helped himself.

BREAD, not break!