To think dog eating my picnic wasn’t my fault

[0lgaDaPolga]

I’m genuinely interesting to know if IABU.

I was in the park with my 13 month old and 5 friends and their similar aged toddlers. We were sat on picnic blankets and the toddlers were eating their lunches.

All of a sudden a dog comes lolloping over, running all around the toddlers, sniffing them, eating bits of sandwiches out of their hands and wagging its tail in their faces. I was a bit nervous for a few seconds and grabbed my son (who was delighted by the whole situation!) until I quickly realised from the dog’s body language and behaviour that he was friendly and not being threatening.

The dogs owner came running over with 2 other dogs. She was apologetic and we said ‘it’s ok, don’t worry about it’ but she then said ‘well, I don’t know what else you expect having food open in a park’ as if it was our fault the dog ran over. So I said ‘if you can’t call your dog back and he can’t control himself around food he should be on a lead’ and she got really shirty and said it’s not the dogs fault he can’t help it around food and he is friendly so doesn’t need to be on a lead, when walked off in a huff.

Is it unreasonable to expect a dog that you can’t recall to be on a lead or is it unreasonable to eat food in a park without expecting a dog to run up to you? For what it’s worth, no one in the group I was in was confrontational or visibly annoyed when the woman came over to get her dog but she seemed very defensive and seemed to thing we were in the wrong for bringing food to the park. There were plenty of other dogs around on and off leads and none of them came anywhere near.

The dog owner is a fucking moron and totally in the wrong. If she can't control or recall her animal she needs to keep it on a short lead around people.

I'd be absolutely fuming, a park is primarily for people to enjoy not for bloody dogs to run riot. You should look up the parks dog policy. No way would I take the blame, cheeky bugger. No it's not the dogs fault, it's hers for not keeping it under control. If she knows it runs after food and there are going to be people in the park with food then it should be on a lead. Hardly rocket science.

Ordinarily, she was BU. Was it a specific dog park though? Our local park is split into the main park, a dog park and a children’s play park, and a surprising number of people choose to picnic in the dog park!

Of course you weren't doing anything wrong having a picnic in the park. The dog owner was way out of line insinuating you were. I hate it when people let their dogs come pinching food and jumping up around other people. My dd is very scared of dogs after being knocked off her feet more than once by an out of control dogs that should have been on a lead. My ds also became nervous of dogs (after previously loving them)after having food stolen out of his hand by one. I can't stand the 'he's just friendly!'type of dog owner. Jumping up, pinching food, not re calling are not friendly actions, they are at best annoying and at worst threatening.

Next time tell the dog owner that the dog has eaten dark chocolate, a raisin fruitcake and some cheese and onion sarnies and that he should take his dog to a vet immediately.

As a dog owner i can tell you she was being an absolute dick.

I let my dogs off the lead in the park if it's not busy. However, if there is a hint of a picnic or a barbecue, I immediately put them on the lead as, while they have good recall, there is a chance they will wander over and loiter nearby looking wistfully at the food until I realise what they are doing. They would also accept any food offered to them, which I don't want happening.

Totally unreasonable of the dog owner. She should have her dog under control.

Owner was wrong.

I had something similar once where an (on lead) dog walked with his owner past me and dd having a picnic and cocked his leg and pissed all over the picnic. Apparantly that was my fault for having food at dog piss height!

She's being ridiculous.

Dunno why dog owner changed gender there 🙈

No, she's an idiot and you did nothing wrong.

As a pp said, unless it was a dog park, shes a loon.

The dog owner was at fault.

And I speak as someone with far too many dogs to my name.

Woof woof woof, woof woof woof woof...

Translated, thanks for the food.

Only joking, yanbu. Dog should be on a lead if it can’t be trusted around picnics.

I'm a dog owner and I agree with you. I've been having a picnic with my dog, toddler and a friend with her toddler and someone else's dog came over, growled at my dog, came near the food and promptly took a wee against my pram's wheels. They didn't understand why I was annoyed since I also have a dog 😬 If it can't behave it should be on a lead.

Oh, the excuses we've heard from dog owners in the past. Apparently I'm unreasonable for daring to take DC to a 'country park' if they don't like dogs being out of control. I mean, how dare we? And yes, have had food eaten by a dog whose owner caught up some minutes after and seemed to think it was everyone else's responsibility than theirs. Makes me hope they don't have kids at home too.

No, it wasn’t a dog park. It’s a recreational ground, so more of an open field surrounded by trees. It has no play area so no designated areas for kids.

I mean, in terms of they'd probably be the kids that behave badly as well, but due to bad parenting and lack of boundaries.

Yes the dog owner sounds defensive and is trying to shift the blame. We have an over friendly, perma-hungry dog with iffy recall so we only tend to let her off if there aren't too many opportunities to nick some food distractions around.

The owner should have just apologised and dealt with the shame. Hopefully they will have a think about ways to avoid dog related embarrassment in future.

Dog owner in wrong.

A few summers ago my DD (mid 20s) was sitting on the grass in a park with a friend when a dog ran over and pissed in her handbag! Naturally both girls reacted but when the dog's owner strolled over she was far from apologetic, making a sarcastic comment like, "fuss over now, girls?" I couldn't believe it when DD told me!

Are you really asking if you're being unreasonable, or did you just want to vent about the stupid woman?

Because the fact that she was unreasonable and you were not is probably one of the most obvious things I've ever read.

Oh, God, my dog took a sandwich out of some one's hand on a picnic once, I was so grateful they laughed about it I nearly cried. Since then, he was always on a lead in parks in the summer because the little shit went deaf if he saw food. Dog owner was COMPLETELY in the wrong and I cannot believe she said that to you after you were so nice!

I genuinely dislike dog owners who believe that the world turns around their dog's arse.
They are really bad pet owners who can't control their dogs and will forever try telling you that their dog can do everything and it's you who can't behave around animals.
She was a total moron.

Exactly the same thing happened to me, except I was on my own, quietly enjoying my sandwich on my lunch break. Dog came bolting over from the far corner of the park and tried to get my food. Owner follows over and says "well, you were eating a sandwich..." as if I were the unreasonable one for daring to eat my lunch in the park [anger] YANBU

She was an absolute flaming moron. A moron that needs to control her dog no less.