Horrible encounter with a dog

[Thoughtsforcoffee]

I was walking my dog this afternoon when a small dog ran out of its front door and onto the pavement and started yapping and snapping at me and my dog. I got a fright and tried to move it away and it started snapping at me and my dog. A young girl came out calling its name and I suppose was in shock so shouted at her and she ran back inside crying. Her mum came out and I told her that her dog was trying to bite me and my dog and she raised her voice and told me I shouldn’t have yelled at her child. I was really annoyed and told her the dog had been Trying to attack us and she totally minimalist it, saying it’s a chihuahua and couldn’t attack anyone and hadn’t even bitten her. I told her I would call the police and she swore at me and slammed the door in my face, I was really unsettled and frightened and just need someone to tell me I’m not actually the one in the wrong here, I should be able to walk my dog without fear of being set upon.

Hmmm, I think this is difficult - she shouldn’t have minimised what her dog was doing, and it should never have happened BUT I think that if you had shouted at my 6 year old and made her cry then that would trump everything else that was going on, regardless of how wrong that may be.

on the other hand, I’ve been on the receiving end of similar but the dog was absolutely huge, and even though the owner has quite the reputation as someone not to mess with, I was so shocked and on edge by the whole thing that I had a bit of an argument with her over it.

also, it does’t matter how big the dog is…I got bitten by a toy poodle once (as an adult) and cried 🤣

You shouted at a 6 year old who was calling her dog back in the house? Have I missed something? (I know you were terrified of the chihuahua but the little girl was actually trying to help I think?)

Don’t worry about her, of course it’s in her best interests to minimise things and make you think it was nothing that her dogs out of control.

Under the Relevant legislation which applies to all dogs;

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

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

Therefore a dog that is out of control of its owner like in this situation could have made a reasonable person worry they might be injured.

I doubt they’d take immediate action given the circumstances and how stretched they are but I don’t think they’d ridicule you or tell you it’s a waste of time or you shouldn’t have bothered reporting it.

They’ll keep a record of it and if it keeps happening and various people report it the authorities might have a word.

www.gov.uk/control-dog-public/report-a-dog

I've got an xxl dog (mixture of breeds) and a small dog (JRT). There is a massive difference between a big dog and a small one. Honestly my JRT is a little sod and he does get away with a lot more than my large one but the OP and her dog weren't in any danger with a tiny dog, it would have been very different with a large dog.

@Thoughtsforcoffee I’m guessing some people haven’t seen how aggressive a dog can be. You’ve got a dog so no doubt have come across other unfriendly dogs before. However, this one was so aggressive it scared you, so must have been pretty nasty. Yes, you did shout but you were in frightened mode.

I had a very similar experience but my dog was a medium/large very stocky strong breed, who didn’t get on with other dogs and was therefore on a lead. The other dog was even smaller than a Chihuahua and I had to get my dog in a literal headlock because one bite and this tiny thing would have been killed. I also shouted but more to ensure they came and got their dog because mine would have unintentionally killed it, even with a paw swipe. My dog ended up being bitten because she couldn’t defend herself and I was raging. I don’t think you’re being unreasonable at all. Dogs need to be under the control of the owner at all times.

Chihuahuas are really aggressive little dogs. They always bark at my big, goofy bernese mountain dogs. It's infuriating. The mother will know what her dog is like. But I guess if nothing much happened, just move on. Dogs often have a go at my two but that's dogs for you.

Dog scared you, you scared a small child. Even Stevens.

'Set upon' by a chihuahua 🤣🤣

you shouted at a young child who was calling her dig back, that's ridiculous!

it was yapping at you, that's all. I don't like them (sorry any owners) they're annoying little excuses for a dog & don't shut up, but come on, you'd be at more risk from a goldfish!

it didn't bite you or your dig, what are you going to report?? Their chihuahua yapped at me?? & she can tell them how you shouted at her child. I don't think it's her that would be getting 'told off'.

It really was horrible, snapping and snarling at my lovely boy and when I tried moving it away it snarled at snapped at me. I have no doubt it was trying to bite us both.

As a dog owner, you probably know that an unfamiliar person trying to move a dog probably isn’t going to go down well, its natural reaction is likely to be defensive. It’s a shame you felt rooted to the spot but if faced with this again I would just move your dog.
I think most parents would be annoyed at a randomer shouting at their child because the dog ran out; yes it’s annoying but it’s not intentional or the child’s fault.

And apart from being so irresponsible with letting her dog run out, she was then so rude to me about her daughter and making it seem like I was overreacting and so silly. It was really hurtful.

This. You were BU shouting at a 6 year old!!

Why were you trying to move the chihuahua away instead of moving your own dog and yourself away? Surely that would just rile it up more.

I feel most sorry for the six year old. I have one and she would be absolutely devastated after being shouted at by a stranger for trying to do the right thing.

YANBU about the silly snappy dog but a massive arsehole for laying into a child about it. Get a grip!

You shouted at a 6 year old made her cry and you think the mum should apologise to you?!?!

What on earth were you thinking.

You could have just moved away!

Yes the responses would be very different if the escaped dog was a dobermann or German shepherd. I doubt there'd be as many saying oh these things happen doors accidentally get left open etc.

My dog was rooted to the spot last week when a shihtzu was aggressively barking at him but he'd happily played off lead with a staffy an hour before.

Just because a chihuahua isn't going to maul you it doesn't mean they won't bite It doesn't mean it won't hurt! OP was wrong to shout at a six year old but the dog owner needs to take responsibility

I didn’t really shout at her, I just shouted your dog is trying
to bite me and my dog and instead of getting her dog she ran in and crying and her mum came out, stormed over and picked up her dog who immediately looked like butter wouldn’t melt and proceeded to tell me off for shouting at her child
and telling me I was overreacting. It was so hurtful.

No the dog shouldn’t have been out but accidents happen. The wind once blew our gate open and our dog got out. It happens. I don’t think you should have shouted at the child and I don’t think there was a real threat given the size and breed of the dog. Not like it was an XL bully racing towards you.

Your poor dog @Trinity69

Completely agree @Cosyblankets

How are some posters saying OP wasn’t in any danger? Assuming the dog has teeth and claws it could have harmed the OP or her dog. Not saying anyone was going to die but any kind of dog bite is still very unpleasant.

Some stupid woman in the train let her JRT wander into my seat area and I told her to get her dog away from me and she got all offended.

At the moment I actually noticed her dog I was bending down to pick something I’d dropped and the dog kind of twitched as if it was going to go for it but thankfully I was faster. Imagine if it had been a second earlier and accidentally bit me if my hands and it’s mouth both reached the item at the exact same time.

I ended up moving carriages because she just wouldn’t control her dog.

You shouted at a 6 year old!

You should have just said ‘is your mum about so she can get the dog?’ In a calm way.

You were in the wrong.

The dog may have been small, but it doesn’t mean it wasn’t scary.

the bite of a small dog hurts too.

Exactly, it was a small dog yes but so aggressive and I Just felt the owner was being so smug when she picked it up and it immediately settled into her arms looking like butter wouldn’t melt.