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.

What size does a dog need to be for people to think that them rushing up to someone, barking and snarling, is an issue?

this thread is completely at odds with the many I’ve seen where a dog simply walking up to them whilst they are in the park is the worse thing that could possibly happen to them.

YANBU OP
It pisses me off no end that most dog owners of smaller breeds seem to think that training their dog is completely optional. In my experience, it’s owners of larger and usually more feared breeds of dog that actually take training seriously.

OK so a small dog isn’t going to be able to do a lot of physical damage to a grown adult. But it could still attack a child or another dog. Through no fault of your own, your own well-trained dog could end up becoming nervous and aggressive now around small dogs after that experience.

I just wish more owners of small breeds would realise that they need to teach their dogs to have manners as well.

She was also out of order for reacting the way she did. So you raised your voice at a 6 year old? Hardly crime of the century and what was she doing running out to get the dog anyway?!

So a dog barked at you and you barked at a little girl? I wonder if the mum will report you to 101…. Out of you and the dog, id say you behaved worse.

Anything larger than a Guinea pig

Have you ever been bitten by a small dog?

It’s not the dog, it’s OPs OTT response.

Yes any dog can be aggressive and a nasty chihuahua is as unacceptable as a nasty Rottweiler but it’s the response to it.

“Rooted to the spot in fear”?? It’s the size of a bloody rabbit. Yes they can give a nasty nip but a quick boot to the face and it’s game over for the dog. It’s not like being confronted by an angry Rottweiler is it?

Then she’s “upset all day” over it, “hurt”, shouted at a small child …

Nasty chihuahua is unacceptable but OP really is way OTT in her response to it.

If it wanted to bite you, it would have. You scared a small child who was trying to help you. I really wouldn’t call the police, OP. I don’t reckon you’ll come out tops in this and it would be an utter waste of police time. Good grief.

This isn’t the funny little joke you think it is.

Dog’s don’t seem to understand how big they are. OP could have a lovely, docile and well trained Rottweiler that because of an experience like this with a small yappy dog, is now scared of dogs that look like this one. And guess what dogs do when they’re scared? They bark and growl and eventually bite if the message isn’t coming across.

All dogs of all sizes should be trained to have good manners and not attack other dogs or humans

well the woman isn’t taking good care of the little dog

the dog was out of control, shouldn’t have been on the street off lead etc

but why did you shout at a 6yo kid and make her cry? It was absolutely not her responsibility! Plus she may have been able to capture the dog and get it away from you. once you had made the 6yo cry, you were onto a loser with the mum whatever the situation.

Shouting at the child did absolutely nothing but put you in more danger. If the dog thought you would go for the child it very well might have gone from yappy to actually attacking you. If you’re going to have a dog you need to learn how to act if there’s a dog fight…this wasn’t it.

No but I wouldn’t stick around to find out tbh. Anything snarling at me in the wild and I am out of there. I was bitten by a Guinea pig though and that really hurt.

Yes those dogs are the only ones I’ve encountered that have been aggressive and bitten.
I’ve been around many dobermans, staffies, german shepherds, rottweilers etc and chihuahuas are the ones that scare me 😂

Totally agree with this 😂

As would I have been. You had absolutely no right to shout at a child. You should be ashamed of yourself.

Contact dog warden. By law a dog should be under control. That clearly wasn’t. No dog should be able to escape like that. They need to make sure they prevent it happening.
And yes it was a small dog but it can still bite. It can still run in the road and cause a car accident. And it should still be under control.

Chihuahuas are actually more aggressive than most other breeds of dog. Op could've kicked it if it was actually biting etc etc as defense but no way should she have attempted to pick it up - so it can attack her face whilst already aggravated ??? What a silly minimising comment

The child shouldn't be expected to take responsibility for an aggressive or reactive dog. This is 100% the parents fault who should have been present and not just coming out after their child has run to them to get a gobful in. Op was being harassed by an aggressive dog and was in stress mode. Shouting in that instance I think is forgivable.

You were over reacting. Couldn't you and your dog have walked away?

It was so out of control and scary that the mum literally walked out of her house and picked it up! Really, it's you that is being v unreasonable here!

This can’t be real.

Why are so many people questioning if this is real, when it clearly is, and when many sensible posters agree how aggressive small dogs can be, and have suggested in absence of the police doing anything helpful I should contact the dog warden as it was completely out of control.

Under the Dangerous Dogs Act a dog does not have to bite to be classed as dangerously out of control, there only has to be reasonable belief that it might cause harm.

The act does not just apply to dogs over a certain size.

You weren’t there so can not in all honesty just say it was just yappy, lots of little dogs are often snappy not just yappy.

The OP may not have reacted ideally by shouting at the child but was clearly in panic mode and would indeed be well within her rights under the DDA to report this.

It sounds horrible OP, chihuahuas can certainly be vicious, the police were called round here as one kept escaping and mauled a sheep. I wouldn't call the police in this case though as no one was hurt.

The mother sounds very irresponsible, it's her fault that her dd got yelled at.

Thank you, yes I thought she was very irresponsible letting her daughter come out the house alone - I could have been anyone- and when she did come out after her daughter ran back inside she stormed out in her bare feet! Immediately snapped at me for daring to talk to her daughter.

What are you actually disappointed about and what did you actually expect to happen? Did you want the dog put down for barking at you? Did you want social services to take the child because their mother allowed them to go outside their house?

You sound like you worry and overreact about everything and an absolute fun sponge!

Was it wrong that a dog escaped its house and barked at you? YES
Just because it barked and snapped does that mean it was trying to bite you? NO
One of my dogs will choose random people on walks to bark and snap at, he is never allowed off lead to ensure safety. However we have tested this with volunteers in controlled fields and given the chance he will run up, bark and snap and then the minute he gets attention roll over and turn into a softie, he has never once bitten anyone. But he does bark and snap so two different reactions not the same thing.
Should you have shouted at a 6 year old? NO
Should the mother have apologised for the dog? YES
Should you have apologised for making her child cry? YES

Overall should you be "rooted to the spot in fear" because a small dog is barking at you? Possibly if you have a phobia etc but as you are a dog owner yourself get over it and just keep walking, if it follows you barking so be it.

Was it a crap situation yes, was it one where everyone did something wrong yes, was it one you should have forgotten about and moved on from long ago yes.

On your latest post... how dare she come out in bare feet! Please someone consider the effects this will have long term.... What the hell does it matter what she wears, I will go barefoot as often as possible its so much more comfortable, regularly go outside to do the bins etc in bare feet.