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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think some dog owners are just bloody ignorant?

81 replies

DeepPurple · 14/08/2011 20:40

DH and I went to sell some junk unwanted items at a car boot sale today. We took DD (21 months) with us for the first hour then my DF came to collect her.

The car boot was in a field and when we arrived it was already very busy with both sellers and buyers. Many people wandering around had dogs with them on leads.

I bought DD a sausage sandwich and popped it on the table near her pushchair to cool down and gave her some of the bread to munch on.

A pig ignorant woman walked past my stall with her large dog off it's lead. The dog ran around to the sandwich and bit it, scaring poor DD senseless in the process.

DD was screaming like mad. I got in between the dog and DD and shouted at it to get away. The woman was stood at the next stall laughing! I shouted to her to put her dog on a lead and she just laughed again and walked off. No apology, didn't offer to replace the sandwich and didn't bother to check DD was ok. Sad

DD ended up eating my sandwich Envy as the queue was too long to wait for another again.

DD has been scared by a large dog before and I've been trying to gradually introduce her to dogs to get her over her fear. Now she's been set back again Sad

I've nothing against dogs or dog owners. Just a small percentage really annoy me with their attitude. If the sandwich had been in DDs hand the dog could have easily bitten her getting it off her Angry

And breathe. Rant over.

OP posts:
AKMD · 14/08/2011 20:46

YANBU some dog owners think that people like being jumped up at and snuffled. Just like some parents think that everyone must find their little darling's antics as amusing and adorable as they do never been guilt of that myself.

DogsBestFriend · 14/08/2011 20:47

YANBU - SOME dog owners are selfish, love all dogs as I do - but I'm sniggering too, the mental image is all a bit cartoon-ish IYSWIM. :o

The thing is some parents are bloody selfish too. As are some greengrocers. And some people with blonde hair. And some Irish people. And...

Do you see my point? :)

mummymeister · 14/08/2011 20:48

the car boot sale probably has rules about dogs on leads so it might be worth telling whoever organised it that you had a problem. go again next week and spit in the sandwich in the hope that the owner comes back and is as badly behaved as her dog and takes a sneaky munch. very bad form to let your dog do this. i am a dog lover but cannot understand why some owners seem to think there pet has the given right to go wherever it wants and do whatever it wants.

squeakytoy · 14/08/2011 20:49

YANBU at all. I would love to take my dog with me to car boots, but there is always some idiot with a dog off the lead, that is not under control and will charge towards my dog who is nervous of almost all other dogs.

ProfessionallyOffendedGoblin · 14/08/2011 20:50

DBF, you thought the image was funny? Confused

BimboNo5 · 14/08/2011 20:50

Im waiting for someone to tell you YABU for giving a 21month old a sausage sandwich...

AngelDelightIsFab · 14/08/2011 20:53

YANBU! How awful for your DD. I really hope she doesn't fear dogs in the future. I think it is a public nusiance and completly irresponsible that some dog owners are like this. Let's think of it this way....any mother with any sense wouldn't let their child go up, scare another child and steal their food! Yet here it happened. Huh?? I hope to own a dog someday and it is daunting a bit because I learning more and more what a responsibility it is. To me it is like having another 'child'. And yes, the owner is completly responsible for it's behaviour. Two word summary: How rude!

worraliberty · 14/08/2011 20:53

The dog owner was a twat. I think I would have gone after her and asked her to replace the sandwich.

Tommy · 14/08/2011 20:53

I think that some dog owners forget that when you are less than 1 meter high, any dog - and especially one that jumps up - is about as big as you are! I'm pretty sure that anyone woud be scared if a 5-6 foot dog jumped up at them and barked.
I get very Angry when careless dog owners say "Oh, he just wants to be friends, he's harmless" when my DS is shrieking with fear.

So, YANBU at all.

Original poster
DeepPurple · 14/08/2011 20:54

DBF I can assure you it wasn't funny. DD gets so scared of dogs when they come near her that she shakes uncontrollably. It would be nice if all dog owners realised that other people don't want their dogs to come near them. But of course, most dog lovers are considerate. As were the many others there today with their dogs on leads.

OP posts:
squeakytoy · 14/08/2011 20:54

the car boot sale probably has rules about dogs on leads so it might be worth telling whoever organised it that you had a problem

Rules make absolutely no difference to these types of people, they just ignore it, and say "but my dog is well behaved"... Hmm

I go to Richmond Park a lot and there are two lakes in the middle, both with a lot of wildfowl. Huge notices everywhere saying "dogs MUST be on a lead in this area".... everytime I go I see ignorant tossers laughing as their dogs chase the ducks, splashing around in the water... again, I would love to take my dog there, as he is always on a lead, but as I cant trust others to respect the rules, it is yet another place that we cannot go to. (And the people guilty in Richmond Park are not your stereotypical chavvy type of people either, they are usually the Hunter welly, Barbour wearing middle class types who probably complain to their local paper if a neighbours cat shits in their flowerbed).

Original poster
DeepPurple · 14/08/2011 20:55

IABU for giving DD a sausage sandwich Grin. A fruitshoot alone wouldn't be enough for breakfast Wink

OP posts:
Original poster
DeepPurple · 14/08/2011 20:57

I would have gone after her but sorting DD out was more important.

Did I mention my sandwich was sausage and bacon? DD loved it. Grin

OP posts:
Takitezee · 14/08/2011 21:01

YANBU and the owner was irresponsible to have the dog off the lead and rude not to apologise and offer to replace the sandwich.

DBF was laughing at the cartoon image of a dog stealing a sausage sandwich not the idea of the op's dd being scared, I must admit that the same image came into my head and made me smile.

squeakytoy · 14/08/2011 21:04

I remember taking the mutt to a car boot a few years ago, before he became a wuss... he was happily noseying at the stuff under the stalls, and it was a hot day, and quite a few stalls had bowls of water for their own dogs and he had been happily slurping from them as we went along... he put his head into one bucket, and was nearly jumped out of his skin when the huge koi carp that were in it came up to his nose!!

Tsil · 14/08/2011 21:09

We have 2 dogs and our 3 year old niece isn't keen as she hasn't been around dogs, but as our collie is the same height as her it's understandable. If I saw a 5'9 dog walking towards me it would scare the shit out of me too. I hope your DD is ok and isn't too traumatised.

Even as a dog owner myself we come across other dog owners that are twats, my collie was attacked as a pup by another dog and hates them with a passion. Consequently both our dogs are nearly always on leads even when we walk them down country lanes. Yesterday we walked them down said country lane near home and a farmer was in his tractor cutting hedges as we passed the field he was in his 2 dogs came running barking and snarling towards me (DH has just handed me other dog to tie his shoelace), my dogs went mental and I very nearly kicked these unrestrained dogs as one was not backing off. Luckily he stopped before he got within biting distance of my dog and I managed to get my 2 further down the road. The guy in the tractor didn't even stop just carried on dispite seeing what was happening. Dick head dog owners are all over. I have no issue with unrestrained dgs when they are the type that are not bothered about anything and don't move at all.

God that is long, sorry for the hijack.

Ivortheengine8 · 14/08/2011 21:12

That would have really peed me off,not so much about the dog coming up close to us, but about the sandwich - she should have got your dd a new one or at least apologised - stupid woman.

coccyx · 14/08/2011 21:14

No more ignorant than non dog owners i would say.
I have dogs and it pisses me off when people have their dogs off a lead with no recall skills to speak of.

worraliberty · 14/08/2011 21:17

PMSL @ the koi carp Grin

Pudding2be · 14/08/2011 21:19

No yanbu. Whenever I see small children I always put Sammy on his lead. He wouldn't attack them it's just he is that boisterous (2yo Springer = nutty as a fruitcake Smile) I'm frightened he'd knock them over.

If that was me I would have been mortified; however I wouldn't have let him off his lead/taken him in the first place

I hope you dd is ok and doesn't develop a fear of dogs. Maybe if someone in your family/a friend has a nice well behaved dog she could get used to being around them.

If you do know any well behaved dogs can you send them my so my dog can stop being a little sod learn to behave Smile

BeerTricksPotter · 14/08/2011 21:20

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BeerTricksPotter · 14/08/2011 21:22

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ProfessionallyOffendedGoblin · 14/08/2011 21:24

'To extrapolate it to your DD being in danger is a bit OTT though.'

And if the toddler had been eating the sandwich at the time?
Would the dog have carefully nabbed it out of her fingers, or lunged for the entire thing?

BeerTricksPotter · 14/08/2011 21:29

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

timidviper · 14/08/2011 21:30

I'll probably get flamed for this but I HATE DOGS! I hate the smell, the slobber and everything about them.

Recently DH and I went to a lovely country pub for lunch. A group of 6 people with a large dog were already there but the dog was quietly lying down so no probs we thought. Part way through their meal it moved and tripped a waitress, she fell and was shaken and there was food on the floor, chairs and everywhere. Just after our food arrived this beast stood up and shook itself and It was one of those lovely sunny days when the sun streams in through the windows and you can see dust, etc IYSWIM. You should have seen the shit that flew off it, it was like an explosion in a fluff factory. No-one would have wanted to eat anything if they'd seen it. We and another couple politely declined to finish our meals. The pub manager was embarrassed.

None of this was the dog's fault, it was just being a dog but why anyone thinks it's acceptable or hygienic to take animals into any setting where people eat is totally beyond me.