Dog burst my son's football

[Maverick99]

Took my 5yo football mad son to the park today to play with his new football that he got for his birthday. It cost £45 and was the first time he'd used it, after months of begging me for it.

He was kicking it through some goal posts when a dog (I think it was a staffy of some kind but know nothing about dogs so could be wrong) ran up to the ball which was about 10ft away from him and bit it, causing it to burst. It then started running around in circles around my son then back to its owner. Didn't seem dangerous but son was hysterical over his football.

Owner put the dog lead on and apologised, and I asked that he replaced the football. I was v pissed off and vocal about his dog and the fact that it wasn't on a lead. He said he couldn't afford it and refused to exchange details or tell me his name but was v apologetic.

Just feel pissed off that there was nothing I could do and nobody else helped me out as lots of people saw.

Can't afford to replace the football myself but thankfully my dad is going to buy him a new one tomorrow.

Not sure what I want from this thread, just a vent because I feel so irritated still and like I could've done more or handled it better.

it was totally unfair to expect him to pay you £45 for a new ball. £10 perhaps.
my dog never punctured anyone's ball but plenty of dogs do.

so he was apologetic.
end of story tbh,
i hope your dad doesnt spend so much on a ball when he replaces it

The amount of people who think it is OPs fault for having an expensive football demonstrates how entitled some dog owners are. It always seems to be someone else’s fault: their coat wasn’t suitable for a country walk, the farmer shouldn’t have put sheep in that field, they shouldn’t have acted nervous, they shouldn’t go out jogging as dogs like to chase etc. when the real answer is that they should never have got the dog as they are not really up to the responsibility. All the excuses above are ones that I have read on mumsnet.

£45 for a football that your 5yr son has begged for months for

Can you link the ball

That's an insane cost

The owner needs to have better recall for its dog

Fine to be off a lead at a park but not fine to chase a football and pop it

But that is a huge cost.

Did he offer to pay for a replacement so something like this

So I'm so sorry. Let me replace it. Is £5 enough

You - it cost £45

Owner - I'm not paying that

YANBU The man should pay the full cost. You sound like you might have been a bit shouty though, if so then YABU for that. I wonder if he might have had the cash if you weren't shouty.

I pop it on Facebook. You don't need to be rude but it would alert other people.

Can't believe all the replies on here saying the football is too expensive.

Years ago my first dog did this. A boxer. The more we tried to get it back the more she ran around loving the game. I was mortified!! Luckily it was a cheap ball and there had another but I felt so embarrassed.

there was a story of tv dogs behaving badly a dog kept bursting balls, the owner was handing out tenners every day

i suspect the owner might have given you money if you had been less demanding.

It's actually insane how people are falling over themselves to criticise the op for buying an expensive ball or allowing her child to be upset because it was destroyed.

The real issue here is irresponsible dog owners and out of control dogs. Do you genuinely believe it's ok for any dog to approach people and ruin their stuff? Or approach them in general really? Not everyone wants your 'friendly' dog around them. Just put dogs on leads in public, it's so simple.

The owner could have just put it on a lead and saved herself some money surely.

Did you read the comment I replied to before responding to me?

I do hope all the people saying £45 for a football is madness have never bought anything that wasn't the dirt cheap version and never bought a nicer thing just because.

Thread full of victim blaming …

….its your fault for having an expensive ball

also read “it’s your fault you for being mugged, for wearing an expensive watch”

A ‘bit shit’? It’s completely irresponsible.

The price of the ball is irrelevant. You cannot go round damaging others’ property like this.

You sound quite thick. Are you?

It’s not simply negligence, it’s illegal in most public parks to not have your dog on a lead at all times.

I’d report him for that offence alone, regardless of whether the dog did any damage.

Until owners are routinely prosecuted for having dogs off lead where they’re not allowed to be, or not under control in a public place, they won’t accept that they’re in the wrong.

My own dog is a massive half cross Newfoundland/labrador mutt and there’s no way I’d allow him to run around in a park where kids are playing.

If we’re out walking, he’s kept on a lead and he only runs free in the nearby private woods or in my large garden.

You make it sound like it’s unavoidable.

Goodness I hate shit dog owners with a passion.

I think post-pandemic, people have had their fill of entitled dog owners who can’t control their poor animals and make life more difficult for the many decent owners out there.

Good dog-owners like you make me feel better. Entitled owners like xenobitch do all dogs and owners a disservice.

You seem to think that because your dog offers you emotional support, everyone should allow your dog to do what the hell it wants, however destructive, dirty or inconvenient. So so selfish.

So much victim blaming here it's unbelievable, if your kids or your dog or you damage something then you should be paying for that damage whether it's a fiver or £500. You are responsible for your dog/child/yourself and so you are responsible for the damage. If you can't control your dog then keep it on a lead.

Far too many entitled arseholes around who take no responsibility for anything around.

Look, I'm not saying that it is somehow not the dog owners fault the ball got destroyed. What I am saying, essentially, is that if you send a young child out in the world with excessively expensive items, then you're going to have a tough time. What next? Will you pursue another Childs parents to replace his Armani tracksuit trousers if they trip him up and he rips the knee? Or if his iPhone 15 cracks as a result of high jinx? His Tag watch gets into another kids back because of a PE kit mix up? All of those things are completely over the top for a child, and they will ultimately get broken or lost.

A £45 football is something that is designed for actual adult football matches, not for a 5 year old to stumble around the park with. Aside from questioning the expense, a football of that quality is likely to be too big and too heavy for him to play with and will probably hurt his knees. And he will not do well if it hits him in the face at any speed. Ironically, from a football development and enjoyment perspective, he'd be far better off with a size 3 lightweight ball.

I have never let my dogs play with footballs for this reason. A dog tried to take my son's ball once and I stood in front of it and called the owner over and she put it on lead. It is upsetting but the ball is very expensive. I would have offered to replace the ball (but not for £45 and a standard football). I would take a cheap ball and keep a close eye out. The owner is at fault and I'm sure this will have taught them to keep the dog on lead in future.

Unfortunately if you play football where dogs are walked you can't 💯 protect from this. I hope your son is ok.

I honestly feel really depressed about the way this thread has progressed.
Have we really lost our way so much?

The way that language is being thrown around about neglligent dog owners, entitled arseholes, justice, public shaming, involving the police, rectifying mistakes, selfish, etc etc etc.
Haranguing the OP for daring to have bought a nice ball, stating that she shouldn't have nice things in public spaces.
Demonising the dog owner, who, by the OPs own admission was immediately apologetic....

A dog popped a ball in a park. Get over yourselves.

The things you mention are accidents. With the exception of a kid tripping up another kid and ripping their clothes which would piss me off to be honest. But I would accept that kids are kids and these things happen.

But an adult dog owner should have control over their dog in a public place. This is an issue in its own right.

Minimise away...it's only a ball bla bla bla. But the wider problem is there are too many entitled and irresponsible dog owners out there who allow this sort of thing (and much worse) to happen through sheer selfishness. Why is it so hard to have a dog on a leash in public? I just don't get it.

I agree with you @pontypine69 the dog should have been under control.

What I am saying is that is is perfectly possible to hold two thoughts in your head at the same time here. 1. The dog owner should have the dog under control and it shouldn't have wrecked the football, 2. That kind of football for a 5 year old is just stupid, its unsuitable in terms of its properties and is therefore doubly ridiculous to spend that kind of money on it, and life will be tough if you send young kids into the world with items of unnecessarily high value.