Put my foot out at dog running

[AlexForrestBunny]

I was out with my 3year old daughter this morning at the field/ children’s park which is a couple of minutes walk from my house, all normal and fairly quiet as the weather isn’t great.
It’s a large enclosed area so there is a mix of people walking their dogs and children playing, all fine - dogs are allowed off their leads and never seen or had issues before today.
My daughter was walking next to me and I had my baby in a carrier on my chest, I heard a man shouting ‘he’s fine, don’t panic’ so I turned to see and there was a large dog running towards us, I like dogs so not one to panic if they jump up or come over to say hello but this dog was pretty big ( husky sort) and was running straight towards my daughter. Now I wasn’t thinking ‘omg it’s a crazed dog going to bite’ it was more ‘shit, it’s going to knock her off her feet running into her to say hello’ , I had the baby on my chest so my reaction was to stand in front of her and as it got upto us I put my foot to the side to stop it jumping on my daughter.
I didn’t kick it, but the guy went crazy saying how dare I touch a friendly dog with my foot, he doesn’t bite and he loves children.
I told him he seems very friendly, he was trying to jump up on a small child so I was stopping my child from being hurt, maybe he should train him not to run at children.
He then started a rant about reporting me to the police for battering a dog and people like me should be on a poster?!
AIBU that my reaction was to put my foot out to a dog?

YANBU. As a dog owner I would never allow this to happen. My dog is on lead whenever around people but if kids come up to stroke her I ask them not to as she is not used to children, but more than happy for adults to make a fuss of her

I would have done what you did, and told him when he mentioned police to please call them so you can report him for not being in control of a dog

Ydnbu. As a grown woman who has dogs but has also been sent flying by 'friendly' dogs who have jumped up at me.

Did he even attempt to recall it? That would enrage me. I’ve been away from our usual park for a few weeks due to an injury the dog has, tried t9 do a gentle walk this morning but new people have colonised it, standing in the middle and letting their young excitable dogs run riot. Effectively, this means I can’t use the park as mine doesn’t like other dogs running up to him, he gets scared. Inconsiderate twats. Putting on his lead, shouting ‘Leave it’ and walking off quickly hasn’t made a blind bit of difference. Take a flipping hint!

Owners shouldn’t let dogs off the lead unless they have a solid recall and don’t pelt up to people/other dogs, I don’t care how friendly the dog is.

I work with animals, including some dog's that weigh in around 75 to 80 kg. They are beautiful, loving, friendly girls who are extremely well trained. If they are out in public they are leashed and muzzled, always.

Not because they are likely to be dangerous but because they are likely to scare the shit out of anyone that sees them and because they are animals who might just disregard their training if a kids sausage roll looks good to them.

I had to do this recently - I put my foot out to push away a dog that was pushing my toddler out of the way to stick its head under the buggy. The woman who came running up behind was screeching "do not kick my dog - he's friendly and you have no right to kick my dog".

I pointed out to her that I had no way of knowing which of the dogs on the field are friendly, and all the info I had to go on was that it was out of control and wouldn't return to her upon being called.

I wouldn't ever kick a dog, but I sure as hell will put my foot on one to push it away from my kids.

I currently hate dog owners though, thanks to having spent the morning cleaning shit off my toddlers wellies. They all claim they pick up their poo, but honestly the pavements are so thick with it I'm beginning to think they're all skanky shit-heads right now

@MsOgyny (great name btw)
The local Facebook groups here are blaming the proliferation of poo on people getting their tweens and teens to walk the dog. I've no way of knowing if that's true, but if it is, hopefully once schools are reopened then normal service of slightly less shitty pavements will be resumed.

I used to have a Husky myself - she has passed away now - but I'm very aware of how scary they can look to some people. She never would have run at a small child, but if she did, I would fully expect a parent to do what you did. The guy is an idiot!

The fact that the guy is telling you "he's fine, don't panic" shows that he knows some people are not OK with big dogs running at them.

You were absolutely not doing anything wrong and he shouldn't be letting his dog run up to people like that, especially small kids.

I love dogs but can't stand it when people are so precious about their dog and can't understand that some people don't want dogs running up to them to "say hello" even if they are friendly. He was inconsiderate.

YANBU , I’m a dog owner and his behaviour was completely unacceptable.

He was 100% in the wrong! What the hell is wrong with him?! You had no way of knowing the dog would stop, he should be apologizing to you, not saying you're a dog beater. It is HIS fault that his dog wasn't under control. A well-trained dog does not run up to children or any person, he needs to find himself a dog trainer.

YANBU.Let him report you, he was actually breaking the law. From government site:

Out of control
Your dog is considered dangerously out of control if it:

injures someone

makes someone worried that it might injure them

www.gov.uk/control-dog-public

I'm a dog owner. I think he was irresponsible, and I think you did right.

I wonder what exactly he expected you to do to block his dog from its 'friendly' careering into your toddler? Ask it politely? I don't think there was anything else you could have done, and if he doesn't want his dog clashing with parts of strangers' bodies, then he needs to keep his dog a suitable distance from strangers. Does he really not think that parents will protect their kids from large, hurtling dogs?

Ignore him.

I've been flattened by my Staffie when kneeling down. Never mind a small child, that soppy git could knock all 17 stone at the time of me clean off my feet in the middle of a game.

@AlexForrestBunny

Glad to hear the responses It was my gut reaction so didn’t even think about it so started questioning what I did. I 100% did not kick as my foot was already out before the dog got to us, it was more of a making myself bigger to stop him running past to my daughter. He was so angry and just didn’t see why he should put the dog on a lead because he kept saying ‘he’s a friendly dog, he would never bite’ I explained that dogs will hurt by knocking a kid over but he was having none of it. Luckily my daughter wasn’t upset by the man (she was playing with a stick in a puddle) but it’s made me not want to go back as I don’t want to bump into him again

Even if his dog is friendly and would never bite, it's not OK to let it run up close to people like that. Not everyone is comfortable having a big dog that close to them. It's an invasion of personal space if nothing else and is really inconsiderate.

Definitely NOT unreasonable!
The amount of incapable dog owners around is quite depressing.
A dog should be under control in a public place....and I have done the same, put out a leg to stop a large dog from getting close to a vulnerable smaller dog or child.

Often the incompetent does shriek and yell ...{Often male}
an awful lot of dogs don't get enough exercise or basic recall training.

He was a dickhead. DD loved dogs until she was knocked over by one when she was two. Six years on and she’s still wary of them.

YANBU.

The same once happened to me and a Rottweiler that bit my (very gentle) GSD. I pushed my leg in between them - probably stupid but like you I reacted in the moment - and the guy started having a go for me "kicking" his dog. I told him to F Off and put his dog on a lead.

Thankfully my GSD was OK, she was long haired and the Rottie didn't break the skin though it did give her a fear of other dogs for a couple of years. If she'd been a child she could have been seriously injured. If she'd been a Yorkie she'd have been dead.

You were most definitely not unreasonable. Hope your daughter is OK and not too scared.

I was ready to come on here and say if you used your foot to kick/push away my dog I would have been very very angry but thats not what you did at all and your actions were perfectly legitimate he needs better control over his dog. Big friendly dogs can hurt small children without meaning to just by their sheer size. I remember as a small child getting wacked in the nose by a lovely dogs very lovely wagging tail and even that hurt like hell. You were not being unreasonable.

YANBU - I’ve 2 dogs, one of them a big friendly dog, if he lunged at a child though he could hurt them. Friendly lunge or not. Ignore the owner. If it was me I’d of been mortified and so relieved you’d done something sensible to prevent an injury. If you’d stuck your hands in the way for example you could of easily been mouthed/nipped/bit.

Ugh I hate this! You did nothing wrong.

I spend a lot of time in the park with DD, 2, where 99% of dogs and their owners are lovely. DD gets excited and shouts woof woof when she sees one, sometimes the owner asks if she wants to come and say hello and it’s very sweet.

Sadly you do get the odd idiot ruining it for everyone - I hate it when dogs jump up at me and it makes my blood boil when they do it to DD. The owners should be mortified but they often just look on indulgently saying “ah she’s friendly don’t worry”. Not the fucking point is it.

Sadly my friend is one of those idiots. She’s had quite a few rows with people about being leapt upon by her huge dogs.

I have three dogs and you are in no way BU, his dog could be the friendliest dog in the world but if he sends your child flying they could end up being scared of dogs...

I agree op. People are such idiots.

I have had 3 lots of major abdominal surgery and am disabled. But I don’t look disabled, neither am I the age, where someone would think to stop their dog approaching me. I have dogs and walk a short way when well enough otherwise pay a dog walker.

A couple of weeks ago was the last time I walked as I’m not currently well enough. That day, I bumped into a young woman, who shouted at me her dogs are friendly as I cowered against a bush for protection, ice on the ground. I put my hands out and said “I’m doing this because I’m disabled”. She started having a go at me because the circa 40 kg dog that came up to me was her mum’s dog and her mum’s disabled and this is a dog park, you know. Great logic about her mother and the irony passed right over her.... She backed down after I had words and apologised / explained her mum is in a wheelchair. The experience of a child with a disabled parent is not the same as that of the disabled person and I can imagine a dog is perhaps less of a risk contained inside a house and where the person is seated.

I struggled to the car, almost collapsed on the way there and in tears. By the time I got there, I couldn’t lift my legs and had to wait for my arms to get the strength to lift them.

This isn’t the first time a fellow dog walker has had a go at me for being disabled. The last time he all but told me I shouldn’t be there. So I fed his words back to him and asked him if that’s what he meant. Of course he didn’t (yeh right) and stomped off offended - prick.

Another person said he would keep his dog away but didn’t. It took me asking his wife and asking her to let him know too. She obviously had words as the dog was kept away after that. It’s calmed down now so no issues anymore.

He sounds like an irresponsible idiot

I put my foot out to stop my dog doing stuff in my house ffs. They don't take offence to it

As a dog owner I believe you are totally justified and indeed you could report this man for not having his dog under control.

The legal requirements on a dog owner to have their dog under control are strict and state that
"Your dog is considered dangerously out of control if it:

• injures someone
• makes someone worried that it might injure them"

www.gov.uk/control-dog-public
So the owner is clearly at fault!

@Bunnybigears out of curiosity, if you'd be very angry at someone using their foot to push away your dog, what would you suggest as an alternative way of getting someone else's dog away from me or my child? Slab of poisoned meat thrown for the dog to chase?