To think this dog owner should have offered to pay?

[CherryChasingDotMuncher]

Or am I being precious-by-proxy (first world problem alert)?

At the park enjoying the weather with a friend, we bought our kids (3 and 4) an ice cream each that were in tubs. They put them on a wall and stood to eat them

A massive dog comes bounding up, the kids get a fright and run off and in one fell swoop sticks it's mouth in my friend's daughter's ice cream tub and scoffs the whole thing we shoo it away and the 3yo, in typical 3yo fashion, is heartbroken and cries.

The owner comes round the corner, and notices my friend shoo-ing the dog away and me comforting her DD (said shoo-ing was taking place as I really don't like dogs especially large bounding ones). The owner asks if the dog frightened her and I said no she's crying because he ate her ice cream she said "oh....sorry" then walked off

AIBU to think she could have offered to pay for a new ice cream? I mean it's not a huge deal it's only £2 but we had no cash left and the stall didn't take cards. Or are we being precious? Luckily my DD offered to share her ice cream so the tears soon stopped!

It states on signs BTW that dogs need to be kept on leads! Hardly any were though 🙄

The Dog Owner was an arse for failing to have their dog under control and not offering to pay for a new ice cream. If they didn't have the money on them, they should have offered to get it to you if you are all local. THEY inconvenienced you and cost you money through their failure to control their dog; the burden should have been on them to offer to make the situation right.

Maybe if you'd asked him to get a new ice cream - some people are just really thoughtless and it might not have occurred to him. He should have had the dog on a lead though, as a fellow dog owner it really annoys me that some people think they don't need to keep their dogs on leads - what would they do if their dog got wind of a rabbit or squirrel and ran in front of a car?

Yes he should. This happened to us, when dd was 2. We were in the children's park, when a big dog came bounding up, off a leash, and sank its teeth into dd new ball. She was absolutely distraught. The owner just breezily called back the dog, when I told her what had happened. I just go an oh sorry, and just left.

I would be so upset if my dog had done something like that but I never carry money on a dog walk. TBH I wouldn't have my dog off near people eating in the first place. A similar thing happens to my toddler and the silly dog owner just said 'he always does that' so I know how annoyed you must be!

A chocolate icecream is not going to poison a large dog.

But that isn't the point.
Of course they should have apologised and offered to pay.
Unless they misunderstood and thought you meant the dog had nothing to do with the dropped icecream?
I don't have money on me either but I would have at at least apologised.

But my dogs are never off the lead

I don't always have money with me when walking the dog but I would still have apologised profusely and tried to offer some sort of recompense, even if it meant going home and coming back.

Wow what a twat.

I would have been mortified if that had been my dog and I would have bought you all new ice creams!

Dogs should be under control.
The owner should have been mortified.

As a side note please teach your children not to run away from dogs. Look up the tree or X factor pose. Stand stock still. Look down. Cross hands over chest. Stay quiet. Running could encourage the dog to run or jump at them. (Not that it would be an issue if the owner kept the dog under control!!)

YANBU, and I shall now try and make sure I have a couple of quid on me when dog-walking in case my 2 twats dogs ever do the same.

Worse things happen. Can't believe you have been so upset by this to post on mumsnet! Slow day? Sheltered life? Talk about people today having a lack of resilience- how on earth do you react when something actually important happens?!

I am forever having to warn small kids in the park to keep their ice creams out of reach of my dog. She is always on a lead but she looks adorable and kids are always coming to ask if they can pat her. They wouldn't find her so adorable if she swiped their cones! Thankfully no-one has yet lost their ice creams but i do keep a £10 note in the back of my phone case for any such emergency purchases.

If it were my dog, I'd WANT to replace the ice cream, but when walking the dogs I don't ever have my purse on me!

Many years ago, my dad was on a hill walking excursion with his colleagues. He took the dog we had at the time, and when they stopped for their lunch at the top of the hill, the dog scarfed the depute head's entire baguette straight out her hand. Dad apologised, offered to share his sandwiches, and it was the start of a career long friendship!

Should definitely have offered to pay!

We used to have a bull terrier who was a real little Houdini - he cost me a fortune in replacement ice creams during the summer. I never thought twice about paying - I didn't offer, I just got new ices and apologised.

If you have a dog, you are responsible for what it does. You either stop the inappropriate behaviour (believe me - we tried. We put up a 6' fence, and he still got over it!) or accept that your hand will be in your pocket every time he does something he shouldn't.

YANBU I'm a dog owner, my dog cannot be trusted around food so I ALWAYS keep her on the lead in the park when there are picnickers and ice cream vans around. Yes she would prefer to roam free but you've got to be considerate to others.

This gives dog owners a bad name.

As a dog owner I'd have been mortified and apologised.
It's likely I'd only have my poo bags/phone on me so would have been unable to pay for a new one, but I'd have explained that as part of my apology so at least the sentiment was there?

My lab was very opportunistic. He liked to take things from my dds hands when she was little. Didn't get chance to do it at the park though. He'd have rampaged through picnics. Dog should definitely have been on a lead seeing as those are park rules.

Worse things happen. Can't believe you have been so upset by this to post on mumsnet! Slow day? Sheltered life? Talk about people today having a lack of resilience- how on earth do you react when something actually important happens?!

I agree. What a pointless thread and what a sad and quiet life the OP must lead. All the threads on this site tend to focus on ending world hunger and poverty. I've never seen a thread about attending a wedding or a dodgy MIL or a food shop or cleaning or washing bedsheets. None what-so-ever. The OP should apologise to you actually because whilst she was posting on MN with nothing better to do, you who have just got back from saving the world had to be presented with this! Poor you! Let's e-mail MN and ask them to ban the OP! You obviously have so many more important things to do than clicking on a thread and responding to it! I'm with you reikizen.

Dog owner is in the wrong. My Dalmatian stole a young guys kebab out of his hand once as we were walking past. I made him walk the 5-10mins back towards to the shop so I could replace it

I never have money with me on dog walks. Mind you I have a labrador and consequently never walk where small children might be sticky...or where anyone would picnic...or in the vicinity of an ice cream stall.

I took him to Bath Christmas Markets last year. Obviously he was on a lead but I spent half the time watching him like a hawk around children with churros and unconsidered shopping bags. Then the other half stopping him hoovering up God knows what off the pavement. He's staying home this year.

If my dog had done this (and I wouldn't put it past him I'm afraid), I would have been mortified, apologies profusely and bought your child another ice cream.

The owner was rude. I guess perhaps he didn't have any money on him possibly?

I would have offered to pay in that scenario, or if she had no money a better apology than that , definitely!
Chocolate is poisonous to dogs in theory but it's the cocoa content
Ice cream probably would have very little

No. YANBU. We were on a dog friendly beach the other day. A puppy came bounding on to it, over to us jumping up at me and my wife (luckily our 19 month daughter wasn't hassled). It scratched my wife and was biting at her hair and head.

'Just playing' was the half hearted excuse of the owner. I appreciate a puppy is playful, but maybe a lead would be useful?

When it came back later and aimed for our daughter it got a clip and a shove. The owner looked after it much better then.

I'm pleased it's not just me, I love that you'd all buy an ice cream replacement

However in response to this -

Worse things happen. Can't believe you have been so upset by this to post on mumsnet! Slow day? Sheltered life? Talk about people today having a lack of resilience- how on earth do you react when something actually important happens?!

Well seeing as you are the self appointed thread police, can I ask if we're only allowed to post about the worst thing that's happening in our lives at the moment? Would you prefer me to post about the funeral I'm planning for a family member? Or about the diary I'm keeping which I'm writing down memories of the abuse I survived as a child so I can present plenty of evidence to the police? Would you then be satisfied that I'm worthy of posting on MN?

And as Vladimir pointed in her fab post, out I hope you're going to regale us with stories of your own amazing life and efforts to save the world??