Dog nipped child

[Twinkleandstressed]

Dog was tied up outside corner shop - I could see him from the till point. Only picking up one item. Dog is usually friendly and calm. Child darts out of shop with father and runs towards my dog wanting to pet him. My dog reacts my growling and going to bite him. He didn’t thankfully but did hurt his lip by jumping. Dad is useless and just walks on to car. I quickly go outside and go to apologise. Mum who is sitting in the car is consoling child - I ask if he is hurt. She says just a scrape on mouth. I apologise again and explain that my dog must have been startled but I feel terrible and that I cannot trust my dog.

You want a dog put down for jumping at a child who ran at him!! Bit of an over reaction it's a scratch, we have dogs it's not unusual when they are ready for a nail trim.

I wouldn't muzzle him OP he's growled as he was threatened but hasn't actually gone for anyone. Just don't leave him outside a shop anymore tho this is why I hate places that aren't dog friendly!

OR you could teach your kid not to touch unattended dogs or any animal without asking the owner.

The parents of the child for not watching them for the amount of time it took them to find, pick up and fire the gun. There will always be dangers, the world isn't childproof. Children are their parents responsibility, no one else's. Parents are 100% responsibility for the safety and actions of their children while they are in their care.

I don't think you need to muzzle the dog. I think you need to keep the dog away from high stress situations and walk them only in open fields/dog ideal places. Even really well behaved dogs can be startled.

If you have your own children the answer becomes more complicated.

@Twinkleandstressed it doesn't sound like the parents were that worried and saw it for what it was. They were not supervising their child and seem to recognise their part in that as they didn't start instantly blaming you and your dog (at least from what you've described). Honestly I doubt the police would be interested in this, just recognise both parties made a mistake that hopefully won't be repeated and move on

But stellar dog ownership to leave your pet tied up outside the shop? Come off it.

This is one of those areas where you have to assume everyone is a complete idiot who is actively trying to get hurt, and act accordingly.

Don’t be so dramatic. 😂

Good heavens, what a pile on. OP I think the biggest mistake you have made is posting about it on here. You won't leave doggo tied up again and thankfully no harm was done. Don't contact the police. Don't do anything. Have a glass of something nice this evening and try not to think about it too much. Easier said than done I know. Happy New Year to you 😘

I don’t do that. I don’t take that risk with my dog’s wellbeing. Parents who allow it are risking their children’s faces.

You've put him in a highly stressful situation and he's reacted. That's really all there is to it. Educated yourself and don't do it again.

Google - leaving dog tied up outside shop - a million articles from lots of professional bodies saying don't do it and outlining why.

Its a completely normal reaction for a dog, just as a person would react if someone their size or larger ran upto them while they were tied up and they had no idea what that person was going to do to them. Growling and lunging is the dog saying “fuck off”, its a completely normal and expected behaviour for any dog. If a parent isn’t capable of stopping their child running up to a dog they also aren’t capable of stopping them running into roads etc, they need to up their parenting.

We don’t leave ours outside shops so he can’t be stolen, its a far too common issue.

I can’t imagine leaving my beloved dog tied up outside a shop! What on earth were you thinking?

I would keep my head down but learn from it.

Then why did she say nipped?

Your dog is not 'reactive'. That is actually a really appropriate response to the situation. That is really stressful event for a dog. Dogs really struggle with being tied up and left outside shops, and they usually are wary of children who are unpredictable/excitable/rough/loud. Perfect storm. It was an entirely avoidable event and please think twice about doing it again. If child has persisted they could have had a real bite and it would be on you (your dog would obviously suffer the most). It's really reckless to leave a dog outside a shop, you have no idea who could interact with them and if they're interacting appropriately. Of course children are going to approach a friendly looking dog. Yes, parents shouldn't allow this but you can't assume all parents are 100% attentive all the time. There's also a risk of people under the influence of drink/drugs, people with an impaired sense of danger/surroundings e.g. with learning disabilities, who may not be aware of the danger. It's not fair on anyone to do this. Chalk it up to experience and be glad the family didn't seem more bothered.

Because some people use nip to mean "caught", whether that's with teeth, fingers, claws. The OP said in her first post and a follow up she didn't think her dog bit the child, and that they thought either the dogs head or paw caught the child.
It's in the OPs posts.

People shouldn't be letting their kids run up to strange dogs they don't know. Dogs that cannot cope in stressful situations shouldn't be left tied up outside shops. Educate your kids and protect your dogs. Neither are difficult.

This.
Op try not to worry honestly your dog won't be pts and you won't be prosecuted. It's not like your dog was dangerously out of control he was minding his own business and some kid rushed him and frightened him.

It's probably taught the parents a lesson, and I hope the drama queens piling on the op have taught their own kids not to rush at dogs. Or do you think your kid should just do as they please and you'll rage at the consequences

Dog is usually friendly and calm.

With you?
With other people?
With other dogs?
With children?

Is the dog a rescue with any history of being nervy, anxious, stressed etc
Is it properly trained?

What breed is it

OP you’ve had a lot of stick on here. I wouldn’t leave my dog tied up anywhere but I think you’ve realised this was a mistake. Children shouldn’t be allowed to run up to dogs. Dogs and small children can be unpredictable. Try and move on from what happened. I’m sure it won’t be a police or put to sleep situation

Dog is a Cocker Spaniel. Two and we have had since a puppy. Not aggressive / maybe easily startled but not alarmingly so. Wish to send the child and family a sorry card but can’t as don’t even know who they were. I could see dog from till point - I was very close but again a big mistake I won’t repeat.

Can’t trust your dog?! What? Dogs are animals, it’s not a case of ‘trust’ they act on instinct, not feelings.

just leave him at home instead of outside shops.

Well yes I clearly cannot trust my dog now.

I don't have a dog, but have had one or two anxiety-inducing episodes involving one. One of these was many years ago, outside a large supermarket, where I was waiting for my DH to meet me. I was on my own and there was a large springer spaniel tied to a post. He was very stressed and going absolutely wild, pulling on his lead and getting really tangled up in it. I was worried he was going to strangle himself on it. I sat next to him and let him approach me; he wasn't aggressive, but he was very stressed. Holding him and talking to him gently helped to calm him a little; I couldn't risk leaving him to ask customer services to find his human because that would have set him off again. When his human appeared, he seemed pretty insouciant about the state his poor dog was in and how dangerous it could be for the dog and passing humans and their pets.

Thinking back, I don't know why I didn't ring the store - I was only outside, so it might have seemed a bit daft, but better that than a dog suffering for no good reason. I'm pretty sure that up till then I hadn't thought how frightening it must be to be tethered up with no means of escape.

Yes you can. You’re catastrophising. You won’t leave them unattended in public any more. Valuable lesson learned. Your dog felt threatened and acted accordingly.