Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Dog snatched babies sandwich

342 replies

IsithormonesoramIamadcow · 02/04/2017 20:40

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.

OP posts:
watchoutformybutt · 02/04/2017 21:22

It shouldn't happen. If you can't control your dog, keep it on a lead. This makes me really cross. I would never allow my dog off the lead to run around and grab food from children. Totally bizarre.

Bobbins43 · 02/04/2017 21:24

YANBU. We lost most of a picnic this way. Dog kept coming over and snaffling the food and owners did nothing. We were not best pleased at the time.

onthettcbus · 02/04/2017 21:24

Obviously it was wrong of the dog to steal and the owner should have been paying more attention but are you sure you are not exaggerating slightly, the whole of his arm in the dogs mouth, seriously? Is he your pfb by any chance!

ChardonnayKnickertonSmythe · 02/04/2017 21:24

I don't allow it.

That's why I put the smiley in my post.

But do feel free to get offended.

wildpoppiesanddaisies · 02/04/2017 21:26

I must admit I am smiling at these greedy dogs and bewildered children.

My dog famously gate crashed a well known MPs party by squeezing under the gate. Everyone there assumed she belonged to somebody else. She had a great time being fed tidbits and playing football with the children!

diddl · 02/04/2017 21:27

What was your husband proposing to do to the dog??

MustBookADentistAppointment · 02/04/2017 21:27

My parent's old dog once (while I was walking her) snaffled a sandwich and some cheese AND some crisps from some picnicking children. Obviously I was very apologetic, and very embarrassed. But, in my defence we were in dog walkers territory and these people were picnicking on the path. And they were in a dip, so I didn't see them until it was WAY too late. Otherwise I'd have put her on the lead much earlier. Such an embarrassing incident! The kids thought it was funny. The adults, less so...

RandomMess · 02/04/2017 21:27

Mine just has this look and people feed her Blush

Campfiresmoke · 02/04/2017 21:28

One of the reasons my kids are scared of dogs is because when they were toddlers we were having a picnic on a rug in the park and a big dog came running up right through our picnic and ate the food out of their hands. (Another reason they are afraid of dogs is they were bowled over like skittles on 2 separate occasions by dogs running up, barking and jumping up at them). These incidents can leave a lifelong fear in a small child.

AbernathysFringe · 02/04/2017 21:30

You're right to be angry and owner should have profusely apologised, however agree that dogs aren't robots and however well trained they are food is irresistable to some, the owner may not have seen in time that you were picnic-ing. Your DH sounds a bit scary threatening the dog though, it escalates it from an embarrassing mistake where fortunately no harm was done to a potentially violent confrontation. Wouldn't his reaction have freaked your child out more than the incident itself?
Sitting on a bench once as a child, my Airedale very gently took a ham sandwich out of a man's bag next to us. Only had a marmalade one to give him in apology. He was very good natured and ended up doing some work for us.

ChardonnayKnickertonSmythe · 02/04/2017 21:31

My boy almost got in some trouble once.

A woman was eating something and holding it in her hand. So, takes bite, hand swings back, my dog is right behind her and tried to take a bite when the food is behind her back, he tries to take a bite, she swings her hand forwards and the food disappears. Dog utterly bemused. She has no idea piranha dog is behind her. And repeat.

Great fun.

PUGaLUGS · 02/04/2017 21:32

Ddog is partial to any picnic hamper/coolbag/shopping bag Blush .

Doesn't help that all the olds in our village especially the women that carry shopping bags feed her treats, so when she sees a bag she automatically thinks it's for her.

nothruroad · 02/04/2017 21:33

It's not just dogs that are the problem. Have you seen this?!

Judydreamsofhorses · 02/04/2017 21:37

My last dog was not only a total thief, but could hear a bag of crisps being opened a hundred miles away. He was very rarely allowed off lead.

We have loads of seagulls round my work, and at least once a week I see someone's lunch get snatched out of their hand. (The gulls seem especially fond of Greggs.)

RubbishMantra · 02/04/2017 21:45

I had a squirrel run up my bare leg once, to get at the pecan pie I was eating. Ouch!

OCSockOrphanage · 02/04/2017 21:46

Dogs like food and people, especially friendly well socialised dogs and humans. The ones who don't see the funny side are neither friendly nor well socialised. They are often sour faced grim-a-trons who are too scared for their own health and well being. Lighten up, it's a sandwich or ice cream. Note... I am not referring to aggressive animals, pack more sarnies and share the with dogs and ducks.

underneaththeash · 02/04/2017 21:46

You just kick them, I always keep a foot free if a dog comes near DD.
If owners are incapable of controlling their animals then they should just keep them on a lead.

I went to school with a girl who had half her face ripped off by her grandmother's supposedly safe dog.

Violetcharlotte · 02/04/2017 21:48

My dog had done this before, I was absolutely mortified! The owner was in the wrong not to have apologised and put the dog on the lead straight away.

saracrewe2 · 02/04/2017 21:50

We were having a BBQ on a dogs-on-lead beach and a boxer came bounding up to us, slobbered over food and then promptly ate a steak that was still cooking. We tried to shoo him away, owner came running over (us thinking he wanted to apologize) and went ballistic, saying his dog had the right to a good time Hmm

Violetcharlotte · 02/04/2017 21:51

Actually thinking about it, my dog had done this more than once. He had a piece of chicken off a BBQ on the beach as well Blush He'll be spending along more time on the lead this summer!

BadTasteFlump · 02/04/2017 21:52

YANBU.

We live near a few parks, all of which have signs saying dogs must be kept on leads. But every single time we go to one of them, for a run, or with the DC for a play, we get hassled by dogs running up to us off their leads. And the owners will always either completely ignore what's going on, or will come walking over five minutes later saying 'he's friendly, it's ok' or 'he's just saying hello'.

I get it - dog owners love their dogs. But I don't love their dogs and wish they would fuck off Smile

LightDrizzle · 02/04/2017 21:54

YANBU, I'm a dog owner and I live overlooking a river with a wonderful promenade at the bottom of my garden. My gentle, slow, dim bulldog is always on a lead there because there is a lot of human traffic, on foot, bikes and scooters.
As a (crap) runner, I am regularly chased by other people's off-lead dogs, I also suspect from what I've seen, that some owners let their dogs off lead so they "don't see" their dog curl one off and thus avoid picking their stinking shit up, - unless I'm there to helpfully point it out and offer a bag.
If you want your dog to enjoy running free, you need to ensure you have trained them to have reliable recall (I have succeeded in doing this with two out of three dogs but embarrassingly failed with my current lovely girl, in my defence she was 2 when I got her) and take them somewhere appropriate where they are not sharing limited space with toddlers, cyclists etc.
Even though I love dogs, the attitude of the "Don't worry, he's friendly!" brigade as their dog jumps up on you or shoves their muzzle into your groin incenses me. I'm friendly too so can I ladder your tights' wipe my runny nose on your trousers and leave footprints on your dry-clean-only jacket?
A minority of dog-owners let everybody down. I'd love to see compulsory licensing, stool sample collection and chipping, and a national DNA database to enable LAs to test dog turds and summarily fine owners £500, a bit like speed cameras. Dog ownership is a big responsibility and a financial commitment, if you can't afford say a £100 licensing fee, you can't afford to vaccinate and feed a dog.

Meekonsandwich · 02/04/2017 21:59

To be honest I would argue that a friendly well socialised dog would not do this!! Well socialised dogs know that directly approaching a human or another dog is rude and aggressive, they should have been taught to ignore people and walk past!

Direct eye contact, running over and stealing food is not friendly!!!

My dog will absolutely not approach anybody else unless I say she can. Occasionally if a dog approaches her and she doesn't just walk away, she'll loop around behind them to have a sniff but never ever will she go running straight up to another dog, it's so rude in the dog world. Shows no manners.

however at home, if you're not paying attention, she'll happily try and steal food off the sides xD she only once opened her gob to take the food off my fork as I was watching tv xD cheeky bugger! She got sent to the kitchen and she never did it again hahaha

MadMags · 02/04/2017 21:59

A dog once did this to us on the beach.

Poor ds got an awful fright and just kicked out, landing a right foot straight in the face of the poor dog.

It was dreadful. But the owner's fault. Ds who is a sensitive soul was distraught and I had no qualms telling him loudly that he was not to blame, the adult who couldn't control his bloody dog was!

MustBookADentistAppointment · 02/04/2017 22:00

Underneath, you kick them?! That is asking for trouble, and makes you a bit of an asshole. If you kicked a dog I was walking I'd be furious with you, whatever the situation. Clearly the dog shouldn't have stolen your food, but kicking them instantly puts you in the wrong. And, likely to get bitten!