To instinctively protect my child

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I was in the children's enclosure a couple of weeks ago with my wife, 9mo dd along with 4 nephews and nieces having a family play day out. A number of the children (including my nephews and nieces) were playing with a dog that one of the other parents had brought in.

My wife and I were distracted for a moment talking about her end of mat leave and dd wanders over to the other children. The next moment my wife screams and I hear dd crying and trying to run/waddle back towards us as fast as her little legs can carry her because the dog was chasing her and nipping at her clothes. I react by jumping up, shouting and chasing the dog out of the enclosure.

The dog owner has now been going around telling everyone that'll listen that her £5000 'harmless' dog needs to see a doggy psychiatrist and her son was traumatised. Apparently she'll be recovering the costs from us in due course.

I used to have a fun fax they were the shit. On another note you should have been watching your amazing 9 month old she could have easily been killed ffs.

Why have Filofaxes had a revival when you can do the same thing on a smartphone??

I have a filofax. I don't use a smartphone. I'm not sure what baby stuff you would put in a filofax and how you would use it at a playground though, unless you were recording baby Sprint Times. One of you should have been scooping up the baby, but I agree that the owner shouldn't be using other people's children as guinea pigs.

My dinosaur DH still uses a Filofax.

I've met quite a few early walkers - very cute, but shocked me the first time one, who looked like a little non moving Buddha baby, just stood up and walked across the room to me

All the children were playing happily with the dog, remember - it's how normal folk used to behave - your reaction was totally over the top, all you needed to do was pick your DD up and let the others carry on. Yes a dog can be scary when it's the same size or bigger than you, but it doesn't mean the dog did anything wrong checking out your DD - he didn't eat her whole fgs.

Irrespective of whether it was a playground or not, the dog wasn't causing a problem & the other children were having a good time with the dog, until you let your 9 month old baby approach it.

Of course she's batshit talking about charging you for dog therapy, but that's no more than an eye roll comment.

What a crock.

How long before someone nominates this for Classics?

recording baby Sprint Times

The dog should not have been in the enclosure.

You should not have allowed your nieces and nephews to interact with an unknown dog unsupervised.

You should not have let your 9mo approach an unknown dog unsupervised.

The dog owner's claims are bonkers. Having said that there was no need to scream and chase the dog, you could have just picked up your DD.

Your reaction was OTT, why didn't you just pick baby up and talk to owner? If there was a dog in there then you shouldn't have stopped watching.

Filofaxes are a thing again. I use similar, cause I hate keeping dates etc on my phone abd find it way easier to keep organised with a pen and paper. Not sure why you would need one for baby stuff though, what does that entail?

My nephew was running by 9 months. He was short and chubby, so it was the oddest thing ever.

What kind of idiot whacks at the dog with a Filofax (?!) instead of picking the baby up?

In the park on my road in the small child fenced off bit, there is a strict 'no dog policy'. This is apparently to stop kids playing in dog shit/piss left by irresponsible owners and because if they are running about/falling off slides etc. they can startle dogs causing them to snap. I am not a dog owner but this seems reasonable to me (interested to hear what you all think). Is it worth contacting however owns the park (presumably local council) and suggesting the same?

off topic

Based on the description (and cost), it was probably an Alaskan Klee Kai: www.dogbreedinfo.com/alaskankleekai.htm

Slack, completely reasonable (said as a dog owner).

There is an enclosed playground within a larger park near me. Despite no signs banning dogs, I've never seen a dog inside that area. It's common sense (or should be).

The overlords are coming..............

I think that to be honest you were a bit unreasonable in your reaction, but you were not unreasonable in your instinct to get your daughter away from danger.

Your wife screaming and you running at the dog to be honest would have heightened it's stress levels and made it more likely to snap at your daughter.

I know it's easy for a stranger to say this online when your instinct is to run to your daughter and protect her but I think you could have made the situation worse in your reaction.

My dad was a dog trainer and he always taught me if dogs are fighting or a dog is attacking screaming and getting hysterical will just make the dog go into fight mode and make it worse.

I think maybe you should have just quickly and quietly gone to grab your daughter without the running, Filofax bashing and screaming but as I say it's easy to say when your not in that situation.

I remember my puppy getting attacked by a dog and I was all hysterical until my dad came over told me to stfu and separated then calmly when I hadn't been able to (I sometimes think Caesar Milan is his secret love child )

I would also like to add I was walking at 9monthd old I didn't crawl at all I just stood up and walked. My mum thought that meant I was a freakin genius she was wrong haha I was just an impatient little fucker and still am but it's not unheard of

Hitting a dog is more likely to make them snap tbh.