Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think this dog should have been on a lead

248 replies

Doginthepark · 26/12/2014 17:39

Took DS to the park today and we were kicking his new Frozen ball around. A dog came charging up and grabbed the ball and popped it. DS cried. Aibu to think the dog should have been on a lead?

OP posts:
ChippingInLovesChristmasLights · 27/12/2014 00:10

It's a shame, but it's a ball. I'm sure DS got other presents and I'm sure it's easily replaced. A little perspective would be good.

The owner apologised and offered to replace it. If you were each the other side of the hill then he wouldn't have known you were there playing with a ball.

For the hard of thinking people, playing with a ball and mauling a child are two completely different things Hmm

Backtobedlam · 27/12/2014 01:24

It's a real shame for your DS but one of those things-life isn't always fair. The owner apologised and offered you money, and if they never let the dog off the lead it won't learn to come back, could be a young dog and still learning, or normally does come back but didn't today. Give the poor dog and it's owner a break.

Silverdaisy · 27/12/2014 01:39

The owner apologised, there was no danger to the child. No need to worry.

Tiptops · 27/12/2014 01:43

The owner apologised and offered to replace the ball, what more do you want OP? Hmm

Yes it is unfortunate but accidents happen. I've had balls broken/ taken by dogs in the park, really cannot get worked up about it.

dustarr73 · 27/12/2014 02:12

To be fair the child would have been scared to see the dog bounding up.He didnt know the dog wasnt going to bite him.Dogs are big in size too toddlers.
And if its a park the dog should be on a lead.Dogs are dogs they are not children.Children have more of a right to run free in the park than any dog.

SorchaN · 27/12/2014 02:36

I don't think you're being unreasonable. All dog owners should be aware that small children play with balls in parks. If their dog can't behave properly around small children, it should be on a lead.

Actually, I think all parks should have a dog-free zone where kids can play safely. One of my local parks has a dog-free zone and it's brilliant! There's plenty of space for kids to play in a dog-free environment - and there's plenty of space on the other side of the park for dogs to play. Surely this could work in most parks?

ilovesooty · 27/12/2014 06:47

The dog should have been under better control but you got an apology and money for a replacement. You're talking as though the fog sabotaged your child's ball and spoiled his Christmas deliberately

ilovesooty · 27/12/2014 06:47

Dog not for obviously.

ilovesooty · 27/12/2014 06:47

Bloody phone. Sorry.

cathpip · 27/12/2014 07:03

Owner apologised and offered to replace the ball, however IMO if your dog doesn't recall (under any circumstance) it should not be allowed off lead..

Gingerfudge · 27/12/2014 07:17

If you can't control your dog then they shouldn't be off lead.

Too many dog owners in our local park have really shit control over their dogs, apologies for poor recall mean very little. Train you dog or keep it in a lead!

cherrymix · 27/12/2014 07:22

I had dogs as a child and love dogs but unfortunately do not love quite a lot of dog owners I have met who assumed that everyone loves their dogs too.

I hate going out for walks only to be accosted by strange dogs jumping up at me with their muddy paws, running after my DS when he is doing running training, eating our picnic or particularly unpleasant licking my DCs face as he bent over to do up his shoes.

I have doggy relatives who are completely oblivious to the annoyance that their dog is causing - one particularly annoying walk involved my relatives taking us to a bird reserve and letting their dogs off the lead despite the fact that there were lots of signs saying don't do this on the basis that there "aren't many birds around" - mmm I wonder why that could be then Sad

judydoes · 27/12/2014 07:25

Property got damaged. It was an accident. Perpetrator apologised and paid for the damage (or offered to).

No problem. Accidents occur.

alex that is a ridiculous comment. Dogs who like to play with balls and dogs who like to attack humans are two very different things.

Purplepixiedust · 27/12/2014 07:37

It was an accident and the owner appologised and offered to replace the ball. Fair enough, and they probably feel bad about it, I would.

While the owner should have had dog on a leaf if they saw you playing and knew the dog has a ball thing, similarly you could have looked for a doggy free area for your kick about. If you were both each side if the hill with no time to do much about it, it is just one of those things. Presumably both dogs and choldren have a right to be there. Sorry your son was upset though.

Purplepixiedust · 27/12/2014 07:37

Children! Argh.

VivaLeBeaver · 27/12/2014 07:49

Maybe the dog normally has better recall? Maybe if the owner had seen you earlier with a ball he'd have put the dog on a lead? Hopefully he'll have learnt from this and have the dog on a lead around balls before.

Sometimes with dogs its a learning curve. The recall has been great for months and you think you can trust them and then suddenly you're in a situation where they ignore you.

Thankfully both my dogs have always come back to me every time I've called them. But its quite possible one time they might not I guess. So I do try and be alert to situations which might be too exciting and put them on a lead before there's an issue.

KatieKaye · 27/12/2014 07:50

Agree that dogs in General should be on lead if they are likely to be tempted by balls. In this instance you were on the other side of the hill so unseen and therefore there was nothing the owner could have done to prevent it. Sounds like the owner was very reasonable indeed.

Now you have given the full story, I think YABU for posting it here. Things happen. Nobody got hurt.

caravanista13 · 27/12/2014 08:13

Completely baffled by the entitled attitudes of some dog lovers! I love dogs and regularly walk my son's dog - she is immaculately trained, and I would never let her approach unknown children. If you can't rely on instant obedience then you shouldn't let the dog off the lead.

XmasEveDallas · 27/12/2014 08:34

The dog owner apologised and offered to pay for the ball. If your child is young enough to cry over a popped ball, then he is young enough to have got over it by now. Buy a new ball and forget about it.

It's a shame, but accidents happen. The owner needs to work on the dogs recall, but it's hard to do that without letting the dog off the lead in the first place. If there were lots of other dogs running around then that dog was probably over-excited. The fact he was out of sight originally has a lot to do with it. It's just one of those things unfortunately.

elephantspoo · 27/12/2014 08:37

That's exactly why people should boot freely roaming dogs.
Completely out of control. Kick the thing as hard as you can, and, 'oops, I was trying to kick the ball away. Your dog's head shouldn't have been there.'
People learn quick to control their pets if it makes them bleed less.
Those sorts of people couldn't give a fuck about other peoples' kids or their toys. That could have been your child's arm it popped. I'd rather someone else was taking home a dog bleeding from its ear, than a mother taking home a child with a bleeding arm.

KatieKaye · 27/12/2014 08:40

Brilliant attempt at shit-stirring there, elephant. Not.

Not going to rise to it.

Sparklingbrook · 27/12/2014 08:51

Bought the DS's a ££ football one Christmas, first time over the playing fields with it and the exact same thing happened as the OP. A dog dashed over and grabbed the ball from in front of DS1.

I guess the dog lovers would probably think we shouldn't have a ££ football. But they shouldn't let their dogs off the lead if they can't be trusted.

Original poster
Doginthepark · 27/12/2014 08:54

DS is 4.

It isn't the price of the ball even but DS wanted to play. I was carrying DS as he was tired and the ball was a bit ahead of us when dog charged up grabbed the ball and popped it.

OP posts:
Sparklingbrook · 27/12/2014 09:00

It's events like that that make DC scared of dogs. Unfortunately DS1 witnessed me getting bitten by a dog when he was a toddler. He's 15 now and really doesn't like dogs.

MehsMum · 27/12/2014 09:02

To be fair the child would have been scared to see the dog bounding up.He didnt know the dog wasnt going to bite him.Dogs are big in size too toddlers
a) Why would the child be scared and expect the dog to bite? Very few dogs bite children - a tiny minority.
b) Depends entirely on the size of the dog: a Yorkie is pretty titchy compared to a toddler

And re 'entitled' dog-lovers...Sure, there are some muppet dog owners, but most of us are well aware that Fido is way down at the bottom when it comes to 'entitlements' to space: they rank after children, picnics, ramblers, football games, cyclists, joggers, horse riders, livestock, crops, wildlife and game. That is why most of us pick up their shit, don't walk through fields of sheep, call them away from worried-looking children, anxious-looking parents, picnics, ball games... Entitled we ain't.