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.

This is my point, ultimately in these cases the cat owner has lost a member of their family but there’s still no consequences. My cat took a week to die in the vets costing £7000 as he had an operation. I’m the end he died from an infection caused by the bite. It’s been 2 years and I don’t feel any better about it. The whole lot was on cctv and the owner never rushed after their dog, just walked slowly but apparently the dog nor owner were dangerous. I’ve also been bitten by 2 dogs while walking round the street. Luckily not too badly. In this case it’s only a football but someone needs to be responsible.

Ridiculous that op should buy a cheap shitty football just on the off chance someone who can't control their dog will break it. It is a football and the kid was kicking it exactly where they were suppose to. Glad to know he will get a new one! And as someone who just bought several footballs for our team, £45 ain't bad!

"An adult being shamed on FB is a whole new level, and is really not needed. It is bullying."

This

This, all those commenting regarding the cost of the ball, seem to have overlooked the fact this dog was out of control, burst a ball that could have been in the hands of a child and then was just out back in the lead after the damage was done.

It's one thing buying footballs to be used by a football team and another for a 5yo to take to the park. £45 is silly.

Dog should have been under control but it's not unusual for a dog to chase a ball. I was quite upset when a dog burst my 8yo and 11yo sondico ball but I didn't waste my time asking for the dog owner to pay up.

I care deeply about my child. I also think it's important for them to experience a range and depth of feelings and learn to manage their disappointments, so that when they're an adult they can better cope with the reality that the world doesn't revolve around them.

I think the dog owner could have offered something, the cost of a normal football, maybe £15. The ball is also 2 years old so you wouldn’t expect to pay the full £45. The problem may have been that the dog owner thought that the op was trying it on as not many 5 year olds own a £45 football. Maybe they didn’t think to offer a smaller amount as the op was so angry.
I think shaming on social media is awful and amounts to bullying tbh. The owner apologised and was not nasty. Hopefully, they will keep their dog on the lead in future if it can’t be trusted.
As for not having a dog if you can’t afford £45 for a football, lots of people on low income/benefits have animals and they get treated for free/small amount of money at RSPCA or Dogs trust.

Flabbergasted at the people telling OP not to take an expensive football to the park. Is it a park where there's a sign that clearly says dogs need to be kept on leads. I find my local parks all require dogs to be kept on leads and 99% of dog walkers don't take any notice. It drives me insane. If OPs park is the same then I would be really peed off. I'd also make a point of telling owners to keep their dogs on leads.

@ZenNudist you don't get to say what is a 'silly' amount for other people to spend on items of their choice. If the child had popped it or kicked it into a river or somehow lost/damaged it himself it would be fair enough. But he was minding his own business, behaving completely appropriately and using the park for what it's intended for.

The dog owner is 100% to blame. I have no idea how people see it any differently. I can only assume they are defending it because they are selfish and entitled dog owners too.

Jesus I read it as Dog burst my son's balls
Luckily just the football then.

Doesn’t matter how much she paid - that dog owner was irresponsible and therefore needs to pay. Otherwise he needs more control of his dog! If it was a person it bit, would you also say shove off?

I had a similar issue where a self employed delivery driver knocked over a concrete plant pot. I had CCTV and witness from my neighbour. I purposely had bought a large heavy duty one as people kept driving over our and parking on our lawn and damaging our grass.

He offered to replace until he found out the replacement cost was £60. I even found a cheaper version for £47. He refused saying I was stupid to buy something so expensive that could get damaged.
Anyway, I told him it’s none of his business how much I spent on my things - if he refused to pay then I’d claim off his insurance. He soon paid up.

I’m sorry but I don’t care if he couldn’t afford it. He needs to drive better and your dog owner needs to be more responsible. If it was a £500 ball - idgaf! You did nothing wrong and the cost has nothing to do with it! You buy what you want for your son and others need to accept liability for their mistakes!

Id wait in the park and follow him home to get his address and then state if he doesn’t replace the ball then you’ll contact the police for having a dog that bites on the loose!

It’s not uncommon for bred fighting dogs to maul people to death. Doesn’t make it acceptable and therefore your point is moot.

🤣 Nope there isn’t. To be fair on wasps though, they aren’t going to go popping a football. So maybe I’m being unfair on wasps to be honest.

It’s worse when a dog is annoying, because of the fact that an owner should be controlling it. Dogs are so closely linked to humans and the way that some of those humans behave as owners just makes themselves and their dogs very unlikeable.

I understand It is different. I was just saying £45 is not excessive when you look at a prices of footballs. Sure you can buy one for a kid with a fiver but why should you. This was no way the kids fault. It was also not an accident that just happened naturally while playing with others. So saying he shouldn't have taken a more expensive football out if the house makes it kinda sound like he deserved it? Like if you buy anything other than the cheapest and something happens to it, tough shit. You should have known.

If he can't afford to replace a £45 ball then he can't afford his dog. Harsh but true. He was lying OP and absolutely should have replaced your DC ball.

No. Because the jumper stays on her person. Unlikely that anyone, human or animal, is going to run away with it. And dogs do not routinely chase after and grab jumpers with their mouths… they do chase balls though, and other children, particularly footie fans, would recognise a pro ball and some would happily swipe it.

@CarefulWithThat

If you go to a park which allows dogs off the lead then you adjust your behaviour accordingly. Personally I don’t think any of them should be off lead anywhere because they can be a nuisance to others. But you can’t do anything about it if permitted.

Of course the person should have paid.

But equally, bringing a pro ball to a park where it could easily be nicked or damaged is daft.

To me, it’s a case of taking responsibility for your pet. Of course the dog didn’t mean any harm, he was just playing, but the owner was responsible for keeping him away from a designated football practice area- her DS was kicking the ball through goal posts so it would have been very obvious to the dog owner that his dog needed to be kept under control in that area. It’s like playgrounds, you don’t let your dog run amock through them. My dog doesn’t have great recall so I keep him on a lead in such spaces.

If my dog destroyed a football, I would pay up. 🤷

Why should she! People should control their pets! Or pay for damage

So, stalk a stranger and then waste police time and resources by lying?

"No. Because the jumper stays on her person. Unlikely that anyone, human or animal, is going to run away with it. And dogs do not routinely chase after and grab jumpers with their mouths… they do chase balls though, and other children, particularly footie fans, would recognise a pro ball and some would happily swipe it."

They can only chase balls if they are off the lead though. And that's on the owner of the dog.

How is it lying? How is it stalking?
stalking is obsessive attention, not trying to find out the perpetrator of damage. He’s responsible for the damage. It’s not exactly wasting police time - his dog was dangerously off the lead and damaged property by biting. He was not in control of his dog. I never said complain of biting a human!

Had the dog then gone on to bite and injure YOUR child, tell me you would not be furious that this owner had done this as in the OP and not done anything.

There is a massive difference between a dog that has caught a ball, and a dog that bites.

So unless she clarifies that it's a ball that's been bitten, it would be a lie.

And no - if a dog that had previously bitten a ball then went on to bite my child, I wouldn't think that the warning signs were there all along.

My dog destroyed a ball earlier (his own)....should he be PTS, just in case??!

I can’t believe the number of posts on here saying they wouldn’t have paid because the ball is too expensive. If you damage someone else’s property, you pay for it, surely, or at least offer something. If you can’t afford it you offer to pay gradually, and then the owner should be graceful enough to accept just a contribution, or nothing at all. The point being, it isn’t up to the person who did the damage to decide whether it is worth paying for?!