Sorry this is long, but I’m honestly feeling traumatised. I don’t usually get this upset and I need some help with advice and whether I was BU.
We’ve been a bit stir-crazy this weekend due to having to stay in the house for various reasons, so I suggested a big family walk with the dog today, somewhere we haven’t been before (Nat Trust).
We’re about 15mins into the walk, having a nice time, dog on a lead (as he always is – no recall) and bumping along with other families and dogs. So far, so nice.
Our dog is a knee-size fluffy family pet. Walking down the path I see another similar size dog, continue walking past as normal, and the dog runs over to ours and I see it is on a lead, but one of those long retractable leads that hasn’t been pulled in, so essentially, it’s not under any kind of control. It bounds up to ours and then goes snarling straight for him – straight for his neck and no messing around. It’s a Staffie and I admit, I freeze because I’m terrified if I pull, I’ll injure my dog and DC are watching and I shout for my husband to get them apart and want to go and get the children away. But I’ve frozen.
Thank god our dog has ridiculously thick fur, and bless him he stood his ground as much as he could without getting into the fight, just trying to get away.
People were standing around watching and from the other family, the dad and my DH jumped in to separate them and untangle the leads. I thought my dog was a goner.
Ok – so here’s my bit. I’m horrified because I froze then completely snapped, lost my temper and shouted at the dog and then the man to ‘get your dog of my dog’ and then something utterly ridiculous like ‘how dare you let your dog attack my dog’ – I was so scared and panicking and felt so fecking helpless I was angrier than I’ve ever been before. I was volcanic.
I could hear him and my DH being reasonably calm once they had got the dogs apart, and he was saying ‘he’s never done this before’.
I said something like ‘you should keep your dog under control’ but then his wife said ‘ I told you to keep walking on’. I think it was the adrenaline, but I’m completely not usually like this, but I squared up to her as I thought this was completely rude – and shouted ‘how could I? Your dog had a hold of my dog’. She then made out it wouldn’t have happened if I moved on. I was fuming that she could even suggest it was my fault. I might have shouted something like ‘how dare you tell me what I should do – your dog attacked mine’.
My DH guided me away and told me the man had apologised, and then the other man then shouted at me ‘look, I’ve said twice I was sorry.’
I calmed down a bit and said a very angry thank you, but that was not what his wife was saying, but DH pulled me on and I knew it was better if I just walked on as I didn’t want the children to see all of this.
Thankfully my doggy is okay, and further down the track (I was in tears) the man shouted to ask if our dog was okay.
I powered on. But it was so horrible, and I was scared the DCs were about to be bitten or see their dog ripped to pieces, added to the fact people were staring at me crying, I feel totally and utterly traumatised. I’m also angry that DH made me walk on when I frankly wanted to read the riot act to the woman, I can’t get past feeling upset. I now feel completely traumatised and keep bursting into tears and getting angry. I can’t believe I turned shouty and angry – it’s not like me AT ALL.
How do I get past this? I feel like I never want to be around other dogs again. Has this happened to you and how did you deal with it? It scares me that if I was on my own I'd have struggled to act.
AIBU to have had an angry shouty reaction like this and what can I do now? I'm fine and then it all keeps making me get cross/cry.