AIBU-I don't know! Dog owner rude to my child

[Mitzicoco]

I went for a walk yesterday with DD and a big barky dog came up to her and jumped up on her. She was very scared and screamed so I had to pick her up. I told her not to worry and that the dog was just saying hello. But she said to me,' Mummy I don't like that dog.' The dog owner looked my daughter in the eye and said,' well I don't like children,'
Should I have said something? I just kept waling but am seething now.

Birdrib she’s only a kid..

I’m sure she’ll get over a stranger using a sentence she probably didn’t fully understand and will forget about 10 seconds later when something shiny catches her eye.

My DS (6) is terrified of dogs in the open.

It's so bizarre to me as everyone in our family has dogs (including us) . But he knows them.

My instinct when out on walks is to make the biggest fuss of any dog willing to be fussed, but because DS is so scared I tend to leave it.

I'd be fuming if a grown person made such a pathetic comment to a frightened little child.

Unfortunately the time has passed so take a deep breath and put the idiot out of your mind.

But YANBU. at all.

Birdrib yeah you’re right, kids are distracted easily and don’t remember things so it’s perfectly fine to be rude and mean to them eh? Fuck the little brats!

Rude cow.

I second saying 'you need a muzzle!'

'And so does your dog.'

Happened to me once a few years ago too... Had two toddlers in tow in the park when a yappy little Jack Russell came bounding over. I quickly grabbed both toddlers but one of my DD’s started crying and said something like ‘I don’t like dogs!’ whilst screaming. Dog owner piped up with ‘well I don’t like children either!’... Completely unnecessary and stumped me, I had no idea what to say.

Some people are twats.

drinkswineoutofamug

My dog has done this. I nearly cried. I could apologise enough. Since then whenever I see a small child , if off lead dog gets called back and put back on lead. She's very temperamental so I warn everyone not to just walk up to her thinking that they can stroke her.

Is great what your doing already but probably a muzzle whilst your out would be a good safeguard

My reply might have been I presume you have had a vasectomy/hysterectomy then because you really should not reproduce.

TwinklyMummaLuvsHerBubba89
"My instinct when out on walks is to make the biggest fuss of any dog willing to be fussed"

I think a lot of people do that - and I believe that it tends to encourage and condition the dogs to approach people. The dogs can't tell the difference between people who want contact and people who don't, so they go bounding up to everyone.

I think the best thing to do is to completely ignore other people's dogs when out walking.

“You don’t have to like kids but this one wasn’t jumping up at you and screaming in your face, was she?”

Alongside the sensible, responsible , lovely dog owners, do others become arseholes once they get a dog? Or were they always like it?

You WNBU. I have a 12 week old puppy, he loves people but I know not everyone loves dogs so I keep him close by me on a short lead when we see people approaching. We are training him but he doesn’t have enough impulse control yet.

We've had similar - dogs bounding up on our kids, kids end up screaming and crying and the owners tut at me like I should have told my children it's ok, the dogs aren't going to hurt you. When they have been literally knocked off their feet by dogs and bumped themselves badly. I don't know why we don't insist all dogs must be on a leash when out in public. Surely children come first?

The owner was rude and the dog out of control. Any responsible owner would have called the dog off and apologised. My greyhound is usually leashed and doesn’t tend to approach people when off leash but I still shorten the leash or call her back if near people because I don’t assume that everyone loves dogs as much as I do!

I used to walk my dog with a neighbour, but stopped when he let his large and scary-looking dog run up to a small child and then was surprised, though absolutely not rude, when the parent wasn't happy.
The dog didn't jump up but my neighbour couldn't see how frightening it would be to have a dog run up to you and your child like that.

Lots of people lack common sense. Some are arrogant. Many are ignorant about how to behave with their dogs in a public place.

Difference is your child didn’t run up and jump all over that woman! Eugh I hate entitled dog owners- next time definitely say something back

Oh, and I second (and third etc) the comments to report to police/dog warden/council - I have done this - doesn't get anywhere if it's just me, but if enough of us do it when we do have problems with dogs and their owners, they may just take action, like either more dog wardens, CCTV, fines.

Wow...what a dick. I'd be mortified if mine did that. Poor kid. What people don't realise is that to a little kid, your dog is huge! You know he's daft as a brush but they don't. Anyone would be scared if an unknown animal as big as they are, leapt on them.

Our dog warden would certainly have a word with this owner if they were identified, but I know not every area has them.

Thank you or all your responses. I feel a bit better about it now. FWIW I love animals and would love to have a cat or a dog but can't as, a) can't have cat as live on main road and b) can't have dog as I have various problems which would stop me from being able to walk them for long enough.

Still can't believe an adult would look a child in the eye and say that though. It's just nasty.

It is extremely nasty. I hope your DD is feeling better now. These sorts of comments can stay with kids and play on their minds. I'm the same that I get completely stumped when people are so openly horrible and only think of comebacks after!

"And I don't like stupid twats who can't control their dogs properly," would have done it.

I wish I had the guts to say something like that! But I was so shocked I didn't know what to say. I can think of all manner of comebacks now of course!

Rude of her not to apologise. And you definitely did the right thing by telling your DD that the dog was just saying hello and not over-reacting in front of her and creating a fear of dogs.

Just make sure DD knows the dog owner was out of line and most people aren't like that, and put it to bed :)