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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Aggressive dog in waiting room

111 replies

Wick55 · 14/12/2023 16:18

I went to the vet earlier and I had my 9 week old baby in the carrier and small/medium 12 year old dog on a lead. A man comes in through the door with a huge dog (Rottweiler? / no muzzle on) and instantly it was trying to get to my dog (and possibly the baby) I was TERRIFIED and so was my dog. It was snarling, barking and lunging and the guy only had it on a chain he could have easily let go or got dragged over. I hurried across the foyer (which is quite small anyway) and stood by the staff room door ready to lock myself in if the dog got loose. It was trying to get away from the man and attack us for at least 10 mins. To move towards the exit I would have had to get very close to them. The reception staff did nothing, and the man was trying to get it to sit and walking it around in circles, it continued to lunge at us barking etc whenever it got closer. I was shaking with fear and when we finally went into a side room the vet said we needed to walk past the dog to go to a consult room and I said I’m sorry but no. She didn’t hesitate and took me to the room behind us. My dog was so terrified her eyes were nearly popping out of her head. The barking sound was so loud the door barely masked it. I said to the vet ‘she’s not normally like this, I don’t think that dog is helping’ and she said ‘no I don’t think it is’. And then when we went to leave, she just ‘reassuringly’ said ‘don’t worry the dog has gone in now to see the vet’. I’m absolutely livid no one said anything to the owner, or noticed what a massive risk it was having the dog about 10 feet away from a tiny baby and little dog just stood there helpless. honestly I’ve never been so afraid in my life. I was shaking for like 20 mins after and just burst out crying in the car. AIBU to put in a complaint?

Genuinely I’ve never felt afraid of a dog before I feel to traumatised. It was so large and strong I wouldn’t have been able to protect my dog or my baby.

OP posts:

Aquamarine1029 · 14/12/2023 16:20

I wish you had raised holy hell then and there. Appalling lack of concern from the staff.

FreshWinterMorning · 14/12/2023 16:22

Of COURSE YANBU @Wick55 I am so sorry this happened ... Please make an official complaint to the Practice. Hope you're OK now - you and your DC, and your lovely doggo.

toomuchfaff · 14/12/2023 16:25

You're absolutely livid that no one said anything to the owner... did you? Did you say anything to the owner or to the staff in reception?

All this could have been addressed at the time if you'd said something, even a simple, "can you make sure you're in control of your dog, mine is very nervous"

loudbatperson · 14/12/2023 16:28

That's bloody awful!

Our vet has a policy that aggressively reactive dogs are kept outside till ready to go into the consulting room (about 10 steps from front door). Any dogs in the waiting room at that time are asked to be kept to one side or if also reactive they wait outside, away from door.

It is a very small waiting area at my vets (two chairs and a scale) but I would expect these types of precautions at most practices.

A lack of safeguarding would be enough for me to change vets. I would never feel comfortable leaving my dog at a vet that didn't have proper aggression risk reduction practices.

Jaxhog · 14/12/2023 16:29

Argh! I sympathize. I have a nervous cat who is terrified of even small dogs. Fortunately, my vet has quite a big foyer, so we can move away. Large and scary dogs are also made to wait outside until called.

JustOneMoreBaileys · 14/12/2023 16:31

Vet waiting rooms are a problem anyway, tbh.

Sick, afraid, in pain animals are forced to pass by stranger, children, other animals in close quarters and expected to behave as well as they do when they are fully healthy. Often at close quarters because they are often small rooms.

It's never going to happen and wherever possible, owners should be asked to wait with their animals in a car (if they came in one) to minimise how many people are in a waiting room at any one time.

Ayone who can wait in a car with their animal, should. (I always do).

IMO anyway.

All2Well · 14/12/2023 16:34

It does sound awful but I personally think vets waiting rooms are too risky a place to be taking a baby or small child due to the increased aggressive behaviour that results from animals being highly stressed.

Haydenn · 14/12/2023 16:36

Even dogs that are usually calm or kind can get aggressive or spooked waiting at the vets. You often see quite worried animals there and exhibiting behaviours that the owners don’t usually have to contend with. They really aren’t the best place to take young children

FreshWinterMorning · 14/12/2023 16:36

Luckily our lovely vet has a large waiting area, split into 2 sections. It has 2 ways in... (You go in the main door - into a little foyer - then turn left if you have cats, rabbits, or a pet that's a similar size to cats and rabbits, or smaller,) and turn right if you have a dog.

Many dogs are lovely, and are 95% well behaved when I am at my vet with my cat, but if any animal at the vets is going to lose it/get aggressive etc, it is going to be a dog. So having my cat in an area that is closed off from any dogs is much better.

CatamaranViper · 14/12/2023 16:36

In these circumstances you need to speak up. You moved near the staff room door, you should have knocked or shouted for someone to come help or shouted for the man to get his dog under control. Obviously don't over react but definitely react!

I would imagine that in a vets office, the sound of barking dogs is like background noise for them so either they didn't think the dog was acting aggressively or they know that dog and know it wasn't actually going to hurt you but did nothing to reassure you.

WonderLife · 14/12/2023 16:38

You were terrified and felt your baby was at risk but you just stood there doing nothing for 10 minutes?

That wasn't very sensible at all, you need to get yourself out of dangerous situations asap.

ILikeItWhatIsIt · 14/12/2023 16:53

Jfc, I am so tired of people making excuses for aggressive, dangerous dogs.
I'm sorry you had to go through that OP, it must have been terrifying.

Original poster

Wick55 · 14/12/2023 16:59

WonderLife · 14/12/2023 16:38

You were terrified and felt your baby was at risk but you just stood there doing nothing for 10 minutes?

That wasn't very sensible at all, you need to get yourself out of dangerous situations asap.

I was so close to tears and a panic attack I was just standing by the open door to the staff area and my plan was to jump in and shut the door behind me if I needed to. It was like I was glued to the spot. I knew if I started saying something the adrenaline would have caused me to have a full blown meltdown tears and all- I feel such regret for not being more assertive and afraid for what could have happened. My face felt boiling hot I don’t know if you know what I’m describing. Safe to say I won’t be taking the baby again which just made it 100 times worse.

OP posts:

JanuaryBug · 14/12/2023 17:01

toomuchfaff · 14/12/2023 16:25

You're absolutely livid that no one said anything to the owner... did you? Did you say anything to the owner or to the staff in reception?

All this could have been addressed at the time if you'd said something, even a simple, "can you make sure you're in control of your dog, mine is very nervous"

She shouldn't have had to!

My dog is reactive, she's big, she's scared of other dogs and reacts by barking and lunging. We have tried everything to stop this, training, behaviourists etc. She's a rescue and we don't know her history with other animals. We counter all this by having her on a short martingale lead, with a muzzle on and avoiding other dogs when we can. This means waiting in the car at the vet until we are called and asking others to give us a bit of distance when we pass through anywhere with another dog present.

The vets' receptionist should have asked this person to either hang around outside until they were called or brought it straight through to a room so it wasn't around another animal or person.

It shouldn't have been the OPs responsibility to speak up when they were scared and possibly deal with a person who, it seems like, didn't give a crap about their dogs behaviour.

Nosleepforthismum · 14/12/2023 17:12

Yeah, that’s not on. We have a reactive rescue and she absolutely would not cope in the vets waiting room so we ask the vet to come and treat her outside in the carpark (unless an emergency). It was hugely irresponsible and outrageous of the Rottweiler owner to keep their dog in the waiting room.

However, the vets is really, really not the place for babies or young children. Animals are generally unpredictable around kids they don’t know and a million times worse if they are sick.

DewHopper · 14/12/2023 17:19

That's quite an extreme reaction from you OP.

In future tell the reception staff that you will be waiting in the car, job done. Dogs do get stressed out at the vets and this Rottie may have been in pain - who knows?

If at all possible - and I understand that it may not be - try to avoid taking a baby to the vet with you. Your focus needs to be on your dog at that point.

PinkflowersWhiteBerries · 14/12/2023 17:22

My vets are very careful to ensure that reactive animals ( including scary-ass cats hissing at their carrier doors) are kept outside , a decent distance from the front door , or better yet in the car.
They have a notice to that effect and if you have such an animal, or indeed a very nervous one, they ask you to check in alone and they will come and get you.
Likewise if a reactive animal is inside they will warn me to keep my gentle labs outside and clear of the door.

The point of this essay is of course, the vet receptionists let you down and should have intervened. But I agree that if you can leave your baby at home for vets visits, that is safer.

Newuser75 · 14/12/2023 17:27

I'm
Sorry that you were scared but I'm not sure I would have expected the receptionist to do anything. They were probably busy and to be honest probably used to hearing dogs barking all the time. Did they realise the dog was barking at you?

I think id have asked the receptionist if they could shout me when it was my turn and waited in the car if I was worried.

CeciledeVolangesdeNouveau · 14/12/2023 17:32

I’d definitely complain. Big dogs are terrifying especially if you’re in a confined space and they’re being aggressive. He should probably have waited outside and they could even have called his mobile when it was time for him to go in. I feel sorry for your poor little dog- the vet’s is bad enough for them as it is. I’m also cringing at the hypothetical thought of what if that happened with me and my little cat? I’d probably have left and found a new vet. In hospital if a patient gets violent or aggressive they’re generally restrained. This dog should at LEAST be muzzled next time he’s in public.

Blanketpolicy · 14/12/2023 17:34

Our vet has two waiting rooms.......well one waiting room and naughty cupboard room.

margotrose · 14/12/2023 17:38

The owner should have waited outside but honestly, a waiting room filled with sick animals isn't an appropriate place for a baby in a carrier. Even the best trained dogs can be scared and overwhelmed there.

I also think that as a dog owner/parent, it's really important that you can speak up and stand up for yourself. If I was in an enclosed space with a lunging, reactive dog I would tell the owner to take the dog outside or leave myself. I wouldn't continue to put myself, my animal and my child at risk by staying in the waiting room with them.

Supernova23 · 14/12/2023 17:39

I have a reactive dog - we wait outside at the vets, and then quickly usher her through to the room when they call us. I ask the vet to make sure no dogs are in the way as we do the same in reverse and quickly usher her out. No harm done to anyone, apart from my dog who’s traumatised lol

Thats crappy behaviour on the part of the Rottweiler owner and the practice. They should have acted quickly after the dog started kicking off.

Mydoghealsmyheart · 14/12/2023 17:41

I’m so sorry to read this op, that’s horrific. I was out in a garden centre the other day and there was a big dog lunging at customers and other people’s dogs. One man said “That’s not an xl bully is it?” and the owner just laughed. But I was terrified, at one point the dog was very close to me and you could sense the aggression in it.
At our vets, they hand out pagers so you can sit in your car with your dog and wait to be paged. Seems to work very well.

Goodlard · 14/12/2023 17:42

Were you the only person waiting?

CoatOfArms · 14/12/2023 17:45

You're absolutely livid that no one said anything to the owner...did you? Did you say anything to the owner or to the staff in reception?

Because someone in charge of an out of control large dog, known for its aggression is likely to be a lovely reasonable chap, isn't he? 🙄And the owner probably knew that everyone would be shit scared of him and of his mutt and could not give a single fuck.

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