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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To avoid man at park

26 replies

marriedwithhounds · 18/08/2019 18:53

I feel badly about this.

I spend a lot of time at my local park with my dog. There is an elderly man (70s) who lives next to the park and is always in there on his own, wanting to pet people's dogs. He lives with a woman - I'm assuming his wife - and still drives, so not completely isolated.

I used to chat to him sometimes and let him pet my dog, but a while back he fed my dog something and she kept dropping it on the floor. It turned out to be a crab stick still in its plastic wrapping. I asked him politely not to feed my dog. He persisted in doing so the next few times I saw him, so I now avoid him. He also told me a story about a dog he once had who died from being over weight and was laughing about it. I also once came home to find our front door step covered in a tin of cat food (it had been emptied out straight onto the step 😐) - don't know for sure that it was him, but can't think who else would have done this?! He knows which house is ours as you can see it from the park.

My DH thinks I'm being a Scrooge and that this man is harmless, possibly wants a dog but can't commit to one, etc. I do totally get this but I don't want to spend any time around him so end up being borderline rude (like turning away when he approaches)

AIBU??

OP posts:
Deelish75 · 19/08/2019 16:16

YANBU. We had an older man in our local park last summer who a lot of people thought he was a bit strange but harmless, at first he was chatty with parents (nothing sinister just asking random weird questions) he then moved on to the teenagers from the local high school, offering them cigarettes and alcohol and following them around. It was really creepy to watch, whenever an adult went over to these teenagers he’d walk off sharpish. A few of us complained to the police and a PCSO did speak to him. We saw him around after that but he kept away from people.

What I’m getting at is with our older man a lot of people thought he was harmless, but he wasn’t (what’s harmless about offering cigarettes and alcohol to kids you don’t know in the park?).
Trust your instincts and remember if he still doesn’t leave you and your dog alone (it’s harassment) it might be worth speaking to your local PSCO. Btw the cat food on the doorstep -WEIRD!!

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