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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Horrible encounter with a dog

201 replies

Thoughtsforcoffee · 29/05/2025 21:46

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.

OP posts:
HangingOver · 29/05/2025 22:45

You were "rooted to the spot" for a full minute because a chihuahua was barking at you?

foxredlab2 · 29/05/2025 22:47

Just to check was the dog behind a gate or a fence/when you say it could have bitten you where was it in relation to you?
Seems strange that there was a whole minute where you were rooted to the spot yet it didn't actually bite...

jjpollypocket · 29/05/2025 22:47

You shouted at a little girl and made her cry over something completely out of her control, when she was clearly trying to get her dog? Disgusting behaviour! You’re no better than the yappy dog. Perhaps a muzzle for both you and the chihuahua?

Waggytail · 29/05/2025 22:48

Op has to be on the wind up.

Just imagining how loud and scary you must have been to make the 6 year old burst into tears. And all cause a chihuahua barked at you and you got yourself in a flap 😂 Bonkers

Tardigrade001 · 29/05/2025 22:48

You shouted at a little girl who was trying to get her dog back? What did you think you were going to achieve by doing that?

Iwantsandybeachesandgoodfood · 29/05/2025 22:49

@Thoughtsforcoffee you’ve said multiple times how hurt/upset you felt because of how the mum spoke to you.
Now imagine you’re 6 and a strange lady shouts at you because you’ve run out to get your dog who has clearly escaped. She would have felt hurt, scared and upset too. Why are you not acknowledging that?

Thoughtsforcoffee · 29/05/2025 22:49

foxredlab2 · 29/05/2025 22:47

Just to check was the dog behind a gate or a fence/when you say it could have bitten you where was it in relation to you?
Seems strange that there was a whole minute where you were rooted to the spot yet it didn't actually bite...

No, the house is on the street so it came running out and onto the pavement where I was walking my dog. It wasn’t contained at all behind a fence or gate.

OP posts:
foxredlab2 · 29/05/2025 22:50

So after a full minute did you not think to yourself hmmm it hasn't bitten me at all so maybe I should just walk by?

KrisAkabusi · 29/05/2025 22:53

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

So you were happy for a six year old to get the dog that was so terrifying that you were rooted to the spot in fear? FFS!

HamOnBeth · 29/05/2025 22:54

I would have booted the chihuahua

but on the other hand, a barking dog would be the least of your worries if you had shouted at my 6 year old.

HoskinsChoice · 29/05/2025 22:56

When is half term over?! These childish comedy/troll threads are out of control.

Missohnoyoubetterdont · 29/05/2025 22:57

Swift boot to the yappy little dog next time will work. She should have had it under control and any/all dogs have potential to bite. Dachshund are tiny but are bred to kill badgers so are aggressive little animals despite their size.

Bannedontherun · 29/05/2025 22:58

I would have kicked the fucking dog as hard as i could end of.

MirrorMirror1247 · 29/05/2025 23:05

A full minute, as in 60 seconds? If so, I find it hard to believe that this little dog was barking at you and your dog for all that time and you just stood there making no attempt to move away. The little girl you shouted at and scared ran away immediately, but you were scared by a dog barking at you and just stood there?

WaltzingWaters · 29/05/2025 23:05

I don’t think you should have shouted at the young child who was trying to retrieve the dog. It wasn’t her fault and she was trying to help the situation, though I understand you were stressed.
But I’d put a report in about the dog being aggressive and escaping its house. Some small dogs can be horrid yappy little things at times - it can still be intimidating and of course can still do damage. I’m not sure you’ll get anywhere with the report but at least it’ll be on record. The mum should have apologised for her mistake in letting her aggressive little thing escape the house. My mum was bitten by a small dog (unsure on breed). Though the bite was small and she got antibiotics for the bite straight away, it still got infected, it took months to clear up and left a scar.

AtomHeartMotherOfGod · 29/05/2025 23:05

Thoughtsforcoffee · 29/05/2025 21:46

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.

If it was a chihuahua why didn't you just get on with your walk and kick the fucker if it actually came near you?

Although to be fair, the 6 year old would have been traumatised either way.

ZippyBlueViper · 29/05/2025 23:09

I'm still dying to know what breed your dog is op?

TheGrimSmile · 29/05/2025 23:11

Massive overreaction. I wouldn't be happy if you'd shouted at my 6 year old who was trying to help.

TheGrimSmile · 29/05/2025 23:11

Please don't waste police time with this.

Bigfatsunandclouds · 29/05/2025 23:13

I can only hope this is not true. This is why MN gets the reputation of being utterly ridiculous sometimes.

A chihuahua barked at you for a full minute and you were terrified so much so you shouted at a 6 year old who was trying to retrieve her dog - you are being insane, it's a non event, a dog escaped its house for a minute and barked, that's it.

TheGrimSmile · 29/05/2025 23:14

So to clarify (if this is not a wind-up): a chihuahua escaped from his house and barked at you and your dog.

Thoughtsforcoffee · 29/05/2025 23:16

It didn’t just bark, it was trying to bite us and snap at us. And the mum was just so cross I’d shouted at her daughter and was so smug when she picked it up and it immediately snuggled into her arms like it was the sweetest thing when seconds earlier it had been snarling at me and my dog ☹️

OP posts:
Valkyrie3 · 29/05/2025 23:18

For all the people saying ‘It’s only a chihuahua’, read this: “The number one aggressive breed out of the 33 dogs surveyed? The Dachshund. Yes – the wiener dog! The study found that “one in five dachshunds have bitten or tried to bite strangers, and a similar number have attacked other dogs; one in 12 have snapped at their owners.”
Number two on the list is an even more diminutive breed – the Chihuahua, while Jack Russells came in third.”
Just because it’s small doesn’t mean it isn’t vicious.
Thinking that you or your dog might get bitten and that a dog fight might ensue is pretty traumatic.
Sounds like you shouted out of panic not anger.
The owner sounds as unreasonable and as nasty as her dog.

2ndbestslayer · 29/05/2025 23:18

ZippyBlueViper · 29/05/2025 23:09

I'm still dying to know what breed your dog is op?

Clearly not figured that bit of the story out yet!

Fastingandhungry · 29/05/2025 23:19

Honestly you sound a bit of a wet blanket, I wouldn’t report that to the Police, just move on.

If their dog has got injured by being booted or following you that’s on them.