To have REALLY shouted at this woman

[BMW6]

Was walking home along busy main road with my dog (on lead).
See another dog approaching (staffie) 30 odd feet away, on a lead BUT lead is in the hand of a small child (5/6 yo). Mother of child walking behind about 15 feet.

I knew what was going to happen and I bet you do too.

Yep, the other dog clocked mine and belted towards us, pulled child over and lead out of childs hand, of course.

I had to stop her dog attacking mine whilst the stupid bitch ran over to grab her dog. Child crying (fell onto grass so hope more scared than hurt)

I cannot recall exactly what I said to her, but was along the lines of what kind of fool is she to let a small child "control" a dog - esp a staffie.

Sorry to staffie lovers, but I have seen too many staffie attacks and am terrified of them attacking my westie cross, he's been attacked 3 times.

Sorry for the typos, on my phone and typing too fast!

What MrsDeVere said. Ive lived in E17 for 15 years and can't let the dc walk to the park coz so many neighbours using their dogs as weapons.

I have a (majorly soppy stupid old) staffie.

My dc - eldest 6- are always asking if they can hold his lead. I always say no.
He is too strong & could pull me over if he caught me off guard.

Ime small dog eg jack Russells are more bitey and aggressive but Staffs have a bad rep so I put him on the lead when I see other dogs/children & warn any new friends parents the kids want to bring home to play.

He is very gentle but a lot of people have the wrong idea about staffs & over react. Sad but true.

You were bang out of order.

Ignore the doggy politics for second and think of the child. (I think the mother isn't fit to own a dog or parent if she's daft enough to let a 5 year old hold the lead on a busy road tbh).

That kid was probably a little in shock and maybe feeling sore from being pulled over. Did either adult present check the poor kid bruises and scrapes?

Dogs going nutty - a dog fight is terrifying to most kids. Your dog & your precious feelings are less important than that child's emotional welfare.

How was you screaming at the Mum helping the child in any way shape or form?

Sometimes when kids are present we should button it for the child's sake, no matter what we feel about the adults involved in a situation.

I say that as a Mum and a dog owner.

Do your dogs only eat naice ham mrsDeV?

but its serve on a silver platter

bochead- it doesn't sound like there was time for the OP to check on the dog owner's child and she says that the dog owner was already checking on the child as OP tried to protect her dog.

I sometimes think a little anger is worth expressing and if you wrap kids in cotton wool and never say anything then you enable the wrongdoers. As long as you don't swear in front of them of course.

bochead- apologies, yes it would seem that the dog owner did in fact try to get her dog before she picked up her child. However, you shouldn't blame the OP for that. It sounds like it all happened in the heat of the moment.

I have worked in A&E and Staffies are not even in the top 20 highest instances of attacks/bites. I think border collies, daschunds and jack Russell's are the top 3. There are loads of stats on the internet!! I think Staffies are somewhere near the bottom....... I have jack Russells though and they are as soft as anything so it does depend how you train & care for them to some extent.

You were not being unreasonable for shouting at her though. What an idiot!!

We had a Dachshund who , albeit accidentally, bit me be on the nose and it swelled up. She also would have bit the hysterical postman if he hadn't been doing a low kicking Can Can dance at her. I picked her up and my thumb got kicked by the postman. That was in 1988, thumb joint swelled up and is still swollen with arthritis now.
Surprised about Collies, unless you mean the Border Collies, as the Rough/long haired ones here are lovely natured.

I was surprised about collies too, I know lots of lovely ones. Like a lot of people are saying, it's how you treat them. Some people get Staffies to look 'hard' and train them to be aggressive because it just adds to their intimidating image. My parents have rescued Staffies who have been treated poorly and all have been timid and so so grateful for a quiet loving family to snuggle up with.

The original poster probably didn't think they would start a Staffie war lol. The stupid woman should not have let her child hold ANY dog. Not even a pup so she was quite right to scream her lungs out at her!!

Dogs are curious and playful as well as territorial and if they see another dog they very often want to go say hello and have a sniff, it only takes one of them to get narky and it's not always the biggest most scary looking one

I have a collie, a farm bred one, and I think I remember reading that they tend to snap? Like with their teeth? As in snapping at the heels of sheep etc. I know they can be pretty flighty and I think if you're not careful, quick moving children can trigger herding instincts.

Of course, that could be bull shit. I often chat bull shit

Why are people allowed to be frightened of any breed - and, if this thread is to be believed, SUPPOSED to be scared of Jack Russels - but not Staffys?

They are seen as status dogs by many people - no matter how many staffy owners are nice and love their dogs, you can't escape the fact that many are used as status dogs, and just like you can't assume they're all status dogs, you also can't assume they're all friendly and kind and won't hurt you/your kids/your dog.

Any dog is unsafe if brought up incorrectly - but Staffies are strong and powerful. Stands to reason that muscular, strong dogs will cause more damage when they bite than small ones - I've been bitten by a Jack Russell and it was sharp and nasty but not bad, whereas I've been bitten by a border collie twice. The first time was 15 years ago and I still have a dent in my arm that is sore to touch, the second time was a few years back and I nearly lost my finger. Bigger dogs tend to cause more damage (not always before the pedantic police jump down my throat).

Look at it this way - ferrets bite, but very few people are afraid of them, because they're small and thin and you can get them off. Bears also bite, but because they're big and muscular and you can't just swing it over a garden fence if it bites you, people are afraid of them. It's a rational reaction, and it's the same with the whole Jack Russel vs. Staffy argument.

FWIW, my cousin has a staffy and he's the loveliest ball of fluff you'll ever find. Absolutely nothing going on upstairs, but he's sweet and gentle. She has a 9 year old, a 2 year old and a 6 month old and he's allowed near all of them, because he's been treated correctly.

But when you're out in the street, and you see one coming towards you - especially when the owner is stupid enough to let a small child 'control' it - you can't be sure that it has been raised correctly, so the OP's response was justified.

OP, YANBU on all counts.

Hehe I'm picturing a collie herding children...without the biting obviously

YANBU and my family owned a part-Staffy, part pitbull growing up (more staffy than pitbull). He was generally a lovely dog but they can turn and you don't always know who they are going to be nasty to. Our lovely dog bit the leg of a man who let himself in through our back gate (instead of coming to the front door like a normal person). He never did that again.

The other day I was walking my then 6 year old son home from school and a pitbull dashed out the open front door /gate and went straight for him, snarling. The owner was able to call him back but imagine if she had not been able to. I was furious but too stunned to shout at her, just told my son we need to report it as a dangerous dog (we have a hotline number for that in Australia now).

Just following on from the mention of the wonder of dogs. The vet did say that staffers make great family dogs. He did say that more people are treated for Labrador bites than stuffy bites. However healsonwent on to say that when a Labrador bites it bites and releases so generally causes less damage. When a staffy bites and holds on so the damage caused is far more severe. It's also more likely to go for the head and neck area. This is why we hear about staffy attacks and not Labrador attacks because these are the attacks that cause people to be hospitalised with major injuries. That said, I like staffies. It's a crying shame that they end up with twats. Like any other dog its responsibility of the owner to know and understand their dog and act appropriately.

A staffie whose lead is being held by a small child is a pretty good sign of that animal having a fuckwit for an owner.

I have met some lovely staffs and I understand why (non-fuckwit) people own them. But given the shelters are full of the blighters, why on earth do people keep breeding them?

YANBU, anyway.

You do what you can then you do what you must. You shouted not because it was the right thing to do but because you were frightened and angry. That doesn't make it the right thing to do but it happened.

Nor was it the right thing to do to let a child manage a too-powerful dog. I doubt she will let it happen again, not because she got shouted at but because she actually doesn't want her child to be hurt. Time to move on.