To be cross with this dog owner and to have told her she is a stupid cow

[Vagaceratops]

To get home DS2 and I have to walk across a large playing field which is also the local dog walking spot.

DS2 has SN and is not confident around dogs (I wouldnt say he was afraid but he cowers when he sees them). Today dog passes us coming down the hill as we are going up, about 2 metres in front of his owner. Dog stops to give DS a sniff. It was only a small dog but DS was still hiding behind me. Dog owner tells him not to be silly, that the dog wont hurt him. I say that he doesnt like dogs. She gives me a face and picks up the dog to bring it nearer to DS, saying there is nothing to be afraid of. DS squeals in fright so I bend down to pick him up. She brings the dog higher, telling DS again there is nothing to be scared of, the dog is friendly. DS starts to cry.

I walked off quickly carrying DS and over my shoulder I said 'stupid cow'. I know I lost the moral high ground at that point but I was so cross and DS was so upset. Its taken a good half hour to calm him down.

Another good site v informative

Yanbu

I will never understand why dog owners become so personally offended be ause others simply do not like dogs.

Odd.

yanbu. If you had someone afraid of spiders, no-one would shove a tarantula in their face and insist on how lovely they are.

Newsflash, doglovers, we don't have to adore your hounds.

Stand straight with their feet together. Make fists with their hands and place them under their chin.
I understand the standing still. Anyone explain the rest?

YANBU I would have said it to her face. Waiting at the school gates once, a woman was talking and not watching her dog who was sniffing and jumping on DD. She was terrified and screaming, I shouted asked the woman to pull her dog away. She refused and and said it was friendly and my DD was "being stupid and attention seeking". She got called worse than a stupid cow.

Not showing their face, ie being submissive. Also you'd be protecting your face and neck from potential injury.

Yanbu btw, I know that the only people who love LittleDog as much as me, are the DDs. I don't expect anyone else to love him, or even like him I lie.

Yanbu. I'd have told her to piss off!

If you stare at a dog some of them can take it as a threat, basically in pack leader training circles, there's some crap about staring at a dog and if he looks away first, you win. A child is on the same level as a dog. I was always told never to allow a child to be lower than the dog, ie, lying on the floor?
All i know is, i have had 2 rotties in the past both of which i would trust 100% with my own children.

Now i have a rescue dane who i trust but not 100% .. he was physically abused in his last home, has never shown aggression towards the kids, at all, but hates men, and i mean if one touches him, he would bite them. He grumbles at them, and recently i haven't been able to allow him off lead at all because he actually approaches men (which he never used to do, just avoid them) and aggressively bodges at their hands or the back of their legs with his nose :(

If i can't trust him he will stay on the lead and if he gets worse, it will be muzzled and following that for his own safety and that of everyone else i would have him pts.

Its a shame but there is no place for aggressive dogs outside of police and security.

You were not being unreasonable at all. A few years ago I picked up my DD from primary school and a child minder was walking home the same way as us with her charges and asked if they could stroke the dog. I made her sit and 2 of the children made a fuss of her but the other one didn't want to. The childminder tried toi force the little boy I was horrified and told him it didn't matter if he didn't like dogs and he shouldn't be forced to stroke one. We carried on walking and he told me he had been bitten the previous week. I told him that it was no wonder he was scared and so would I have been. If I had known who his parents were I think I would have told them what she had done. Poor little thing was terrified and i felt it was really cruel of her

I am a dog owner, but I can't understand why she did that. Totally insensitive twat

I hope your DS is ok.

will freely admit that I don't see the point of dogs & I'd rather not have them pester me, but I have to share the planet (& the park!) with dog lovers, so I will teach my dc not to be unnecessarily scared of them, but to be sensible & respectful & keep a safe distance unless a dog owner invites them to approach.

^^ exactly this. We are now at the point where my dd will take a step towards a dog and reach out to stroke it, albeit still changing her mind before she actually touches it. But of course this can only happen with a friendly owner who is happy to hold their dog and let dd decide what she wants to do. I can't see how shoving a dog in her face would help anything, or how anyone can think that it would.

YANBU at all. I don't care much about losing the coveted 'moral high ground', I'd have told her to fuck off in no uncertain terms.

I also experienced a 'friendly Alsatian' when I was younger, it went for my face but thanks to my grandma's quick reactions she just pushed me out the way and it got her arm instead.

Thank you everyone for making me feel a bit better. I did feel embarrassed by my name calling but in the heat of the moment I am quite glad that was all I said.

YANBU!!-my eldest is wary of dogs too. As we go to the local park a lot he has become more used to them and has even been brave enough to pat a couple of the ones he knows well. However there are some dog owners who just dont give a shit-yes I am talking about the ones who let their dogs run free in the childrens play area!!

You explained your ds is wary of dogs and she continued to try and push her dog in your ds face-thats not on!

Unfortunately I'm one of those dog owners who's a bit when people bring their dog fearing children into areas frequented by dogs. Especially when they try to demand that you walk your dog half a field away from their child (Has happened before and I've gone from to at the sheer cheek of the parent).... Not going to happen.

I would never force my dog into a scared child or adults face as that's just plain mean. I'm on your DC's behalf.

YANBU.
My ILs make snide comments about 'he won't hurt you' as their 6ft untrained german shepherd jumps up at me and I back off.
Grrrr. It's a bit like saying "calm down" to someone when they're annoyed.

I'm also at the woman just continually pushing her dog in your childs face. That's arrogance to the extreme.

I'd take my dog-fearing children into an area frequented by dogs, though, because I'd assume that a responsible dog owner had their animal on a lead or had it well trained to recall?

Obviously, you might be a responsible dog owner & one day your usually exemplary animal just thinks 'Sod you, today I'm a-going to roll screaming toddlers in mud, mwahahah!'.

Or you might be a dozy irresponsible wazzock who doesn't get that their dog shouldnt be running at/jumping up at strangers, so neither trains it or keeps it on a lead.

But generally I'd expect dogs being walked in a public place should be under their owners' control. Is that unreasonable of me?

YANBU she was a stupid cow. Who shoves a dog into someones face?

IMO i think all dogs should be always walked on leads.

Only read OP, so not sure if this has moved on but YANBU - the woman was insensitive & inconsiderate, no matter how well meaning. I HATE dogs running up to people. Lots of people don't like dogs for whatever reason.

I am a dog owner - I chose to have a dog. Other people using the playing fields are entitled to use it without being bothered by my pet. If they want to talk to/ stroke my dog then it's up to them to approach us but I would NEVER take her towards someone, especially someone who is clearly upset.

Raven - I think that is perfectly fair. I totally agree with you.

I'm a dog owner and YANBU. My dog is huge. He's gentle and very calm and non jumpy/licky but nonetheless, I imagine his size can be very, very intimidating for children. Whenever the DCs (4 and 5) have their friends round I always check if they are confident with dogs first.

How bloody awful for you all, including the dog. DS2 has a friend who's terrified of our dog and the mother insists on pushing her towards him and trying to make her stroke him while she's screaming. The dog's terrified, so's she, enough already.

She was a stupid cow. Hugs to you and your DS.

YANBU she couldn't accept that someone wouldn't like her dog otherwise why stand there and keep trying to put the dog in your dc face?

The woman was an insensitive person who was very thoughtless and unkind

No, you're not being unreasonable.

If someone was scared of snakes and had a viper shoved in their face to 'cure' them they'd be outcry.

She needs to learn some manners. I don't expect people to love and stroke my pets especially as some would be considered by most to be unlovable .

YABU to call her a 'stupid cow' though. When I have a few free moments I'll PM you some proper insults!

If someone put a spider near me they would get more than a @silly cow@ shouted at them that is for sure.

Maybe that's the answer to many idiotic and insensitive dog owners, carrying big spiders in jars to release when needed.
Yes, your dog is bouncing up and down and slobbering at me, have a big hairy wolf spider as a thank you.
In your hair, it just wants somewhere warm and snuggly to settle. Just being friendly. Why are you screaming and flapping? It won't hurt you.

Wofflingon, brilliant idea.