Dog snatched babies sandwich

[IsithormonesoramIamadcow]

AIBU to think that it's not unreasonable to ask someone to put their dog on a lead....

When it's just come over to a family sitting on a bench having a picnic and chomped the sandwich out of a 17month olds hand - the whole of DS arm was inside the dogs mouth although the dog didn't actually 'bite' him.

I jumped up, shouted at the dog and asked the owner to put him on a lead. Explained he had just taken my DS hand as well as the sandwich. Dog owner paid no attention until DH lost his shit and threatened to deal with the dog himself... by which time our lovely relaxing afternoon had evaporated. Am I supposed to just be glad that DS still has all his fingers?

I am fed up with people saying their badly behaved off lead dogs are 'really friendly'. How am I supposed to know which ones are and which ones aren't.

I don't think anyone has defined a dog attack as a dog walking past them. I think what lots of us are trying to explain is that when a dog bounds up to your tiny child, tramples your picnic or grabs your food people don't necessarily wait to see if it's going to attack before they react.

This is all unpleasant, and it should not happen but it's not an attack.

I can honestly say who I'm out we're not out to attack, steal, grab or trample.

We're out minding our own business and most of the time it's me who has to pick up random children hanging from by boys backs. And it scares me because I don't know if the parents are watching them.

And as for people telling you "It's OK, he friendly" well, they are only trying their best to reassure you. Until I joined MN I had no idea people hated it.

But here is an idea, next time you hear it why don't you explain to the dog owner why you are irritated by what they say?

I'm not the enemy, and my dogs aren't. Just because people hate something or are scared of it doesn't make us the Devil Incarnate.

I'm scared of some dogs and their owners myself, my dogs are scared of those dogs.

You tar everybody with the same brush. There's no need for that.

I didn't say trampling a picnic etc was an attack - I'm saying if you're on the receiving end you don't know what it is.

I don't understand why you think all dog owners are being tarred with the same brush - I certainly don't do that - I know lots of lovely ones. But I think there is a considerable proportion of dog owners who do not control their dogs properly in public and think it's just dogs being dogs when they trample picnics and run at small children.

The "it's ok he's friendly" comment is highly annoying in the context of a dog who has just jumped at you or has stuck its nose into your buggy when what the person should actually be saying is "I'm so sorry" and stopping the dog from doing it. And yes I have and would say "well I don't like it, can you make him stop"

Embarrassingly my dog once took a finger of Kit Kat from a toddlers hand on the school run

Your dog clearly has more sense than the toddlers mum.....

Simply bad doggy owner manners. You wouldn't tolerate your child snatching/stealing from another child and your dog shouldnt be allowed or given the opportunity to do this either just through basic obedience. I would be mortified if my dog did this and profusely apologise, however if the parents were arsy that would get my back up if I had done my best to apologise.

I'm done here.

When Dd1 was only a few months old a neighbours dog came running into our house from nowhere after I opened the door to the postman. Luckily I had her in my arms at the time as I picked her up from her play mat when the door bell rang but the dog chased after the cat who was happily sleeping on the floor. The man just stood there until I screamed at him to get the dog who was helping himself to the cat food. This was inside my own home. I felt so angry that the baby could have been injured if I had left her there playing.

Some dog owners will tie themselves in knots to justify this sort of thing.

When ds was 2 my friend's spaniel jumped up at him and sent him flying backwards onto a slate floor. She said "Oh, he's not used to two legged puppies- he didn't realize that they are so unstable"

Some people are daft with dogs and babies

I'll never forget on my way home from Cornwall with my nan.

Stopped at the service station and let the dogs out for a wee. I need the toilet so my nan sat outside with the dogs whilst I nipped in.

When I came out she was furious.

A man had walked up to her with his little toddler, no older than 18 months, plonked the toddler down in front of her dog and walked away. The toddler then proceeded to climb over her little dog (yorkie cross shih toy). Luckily, that dog was soft as butter.

She called the man a bloody idiot when he finally came back and his answer? "What? He likes dogs" picked up his toddler and walked off.

Just glad he didn't get a chance to do it to my dog. My dog is soft too but he was a lot older and suffered from the odd pain and twinge. He would have likely to snap if the toddler had grabbed him in the wrong spot. Understandably so.

Some dog owners will tie themselves in knots to justify this sort of thing.

Oh yes.

Soubriquet wow unfortunately i'm not shocked.
Why exactly did he leave his child with you??

ChardonnayKnickerton, I agree we can't lump all dogs in one group. However the owner knows the disposition of the dog best. When dogs see food on the floor they probably think it's theirs.
However, the owner knows if the dog has a predisposition towards approaching small children and/or picnics. It is the owners responsibility to put their dog on a lead immediately. Not to wait and see. That way no one would have their picnic/food taken or have dogs approach them.
Personally, I must admit I'm dog phobic. I literally stop, stay still, holding my children or if alone, hold my hands over my face. I literally am terrified with good reason. I was attacked as a child in the Far East by three Alsatian dogs and I just about got into the boundary of our six foot high fenced houses and locked the gate. The dogs were snarling and foaming. It transpired that they had rabies and there was no cure then. I distinctly remember the men going out looking for these dogs with shotguns and hearing them being shot.
I know that we don't have rabies in the UK, but my fear of total fear of dogs remains. I simply can't change that or forget the incident. It's ingrained.
If I'd been having a picnic and a dog approached, I'd probably (seriously) wet myself with sheer fear. Hence we rarely have picnics, sadly.
No one knows another person's history regarding dogs. Dog owners just need to be vigilant around children and picnics. And me! It's fairly obvious when I see a dog and that I'm terrified from my body language. I just wish people wouldn't be so judgmental and think I should get over it or that their dog wouldn't bite. Tell that to several children who have been in the press because the owner thought their darling dog wouldn't bite!

So many people in the world are inconsiderate twats.

Sometimes, accidents happen - when they do, you apologise profusely, take steps to ensure it can't happen again and ideally offer to replace what the dog ate.

Which is why I found myself ordering a tray of sandwiches at a pub one day when my errant terrier hurtled through a family having a picnic in a secluded spot, swiped a tupperware box full of sandwiches and scoffed the lot in an inaccessible spot the other side of the stream.

Everyone fucks up sometimes, I am glad to say in the 16 years of his life that followed the errant terrier never did that again, but I still count myself lucky that the family in question were really understanding and kind about it, they were not to know he was JUST after their sandwiches.

The world is not a friendly place to out of control dogs, regardless of their intentions - my advice to clients is to teach a recall and whenever theres any doubt, use a long line and harness to keep their dog safe.

It does have to be remembered though, there are just as many twats in other walks of life, they are not soley the preserve of the dog owning world!

I admire your response, WiddinDiddling, in buying the family concerned a tray of sandwiches to replace the ones your dog devoured. I accept everyone fucks ups sometimes, but firstly you did your utmost to make amends with grace and also you never allowed your dog to do that again.

Like you also say, owners should carry the responsibility for training their dogs the recall command and if there's any doubt to use a long line and harness. That is something I could cope with because I would hope that the OP with the dog would have the sense to use it, seeing my reaction. Not just laugh it off and think it's funny. It isn't to me.

As regards the "twats" in life, have you actually looked up the actual meaning of it? I ask because it transpired only two of us in a secondary school staff room knew what it was! The other staff didn't, much to their total embarrassment when they did! 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Totally bonkers - I thought I knew the definition but checked just in case. I did know but now am giggling at Robert Browning's mistaken use of it in Pippa Passes!!

I am also giggling at Brownings error!

Totallybonkers - I was bloody lucky that the family were having a picnic in a country park that also had a pub!

Mortified was I - however, not ENTIRELY saintly... later that week, same dog cocked his leg up a post on a path.... and after he had done it I realised there was a coat hung over it and he had weed into the pocket.

There was no one in sight but the jacket had the council logo on it so I suspect the owner would be returning for it.... I did a bunk. For I was a wimpish teenager (And I'd already coughed up for sandwiches!)

In my defence, whilst my early days with dogs did indeed involve errors of judgement I pride myself on NEVER having made the SAME error twice!

My friend has a working cocker who is completely bonkers. When she was younger and friend was trying to train her she scarpered one day straight over to a family that were having a BBQ and scoffed a small child's burger straight from his hands. My friend nearly died!
But we still laugh so much the day my nearly 3yo and I went to visit and DC had the joy of a fat , pink doughnut all to himself. He sat down in the garden, doughnut in hand, went to bite it and the dog just gulped it down.
Didn't bite it or chew it, just swallowed it whole. She knew she had one chance only, ! Then she scarpered, it was so funny!
She was in the dog house after that one!