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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Dog ate my picnic

711 replies

givingitupok · 12/07/2025 20:36

Had a picnic with my child today in our local park. Random dog (Shar Pei) appeared out of nowhere and ran over to us. I stood up and picked up my child and ran in a panic and stood behind a tree (probably looked like a total fool doing so but there was nowhere else to go without running towards the dog!). No idea where the owner was at this point. Watched the dog eating our food and also drooling all over our lunch box. Owner suddenly appeared from a path that lead into the park screaming at her dog to 'get here now'. Dog totally ignored her and she had to grab it and literally drag it away and put the lead on it. She apologised but when I asked her if she was going to pay for our food she actually had the gall to say 'you should have picked it up when you saw him coming' !!! I have just got home and this literally only happend 45 mins ago so am still fuming. She did not pay for our food and despite initially apologising, was incredibly arsey and walked off in the opposite direction. My child is very upset and the worst bit is, he has SEN and made everything in the lunch box himself (spread the sandwiches, cut up the apples, broke the chocolate into pieces to fit it in the container, etc). This was quite a big thing for him and he's really upset. I am also on a low income and spent a lot on the food. I took a photo of her and it clearly has her face in it. Not sure why but I just felt like I had to do something. I am not going to name and shame, but I'm just so angry.

Not sure what I want from this thread. Just rather pissed off.

OP posts:
selkieselkie · 13/07/2025 07:59

givingitupok · 12/07/2025 23:58

Not many people tend to get mailed to death by cows though. It's the first time in my 40 ish years I've ever run from a dog so I don't foresee it becoming a regular thing.

Show quote history

Not the point of the thread but cows kill more people than dogs...

Lavatime · 13/07/2025 08:00

CoubousAndTourmalet · 13/07/2025 07:33

And who gives their child unwashed grapes, straight from the punnet? Maybe some people do, so I'm giving the benefit of the doubt, but it could equally just be the daily dog hate thread.

Show quote history

Me, all the time.
Ive never washed a grape in my life, no one has died yet!

CellophaneFlower · 13/07/2025 08:05

CoubousAndTourmalet · 13/07/2025 07:33

And who gives their child unwashed grapes, straight from the punnet? Maybe some people do, so I'm giving the benefit of the doubt, but it could equally just be the daily dog hate thread.

Show quote history

Agreed! I was also wondering why this seemingly protective mother hadn't cut the grapes too 🤔

Grapes aren't just killers of dogs...

TwiceForLunch · 13/07/2025 08:07

Of all the threads on MN that make outlandish claims I am finding it hard to understand why people are so disbelieving that someone might have grapes and chocolate in their picnic.

pelargoniums · 13/07/2025 08:08

Optimustime · 13/07/2025 05:42

I'd be mindful of teaching your dc to be scared of dogs. The dog should have been on a lead but I'd also do more of a check next time to see what kind of place you are setting up your picnic. I walk my dog in a set of fields and this week suddenly there are people picnicking everywhere. For the dog owners who use the field 365 days a year with no one there it's a bit of a surprise. It's not a park though. It's also not great for the picnickers as they are tending to set up in the areas without long grass which is also where most dogs pee and poo! It's picked up but still, I wouldn't want to be eating in those spots.

It’s a surprise that people picnic in summer but not all year round?

PurpleChrayn · 13/07/2025 08:08

ninjahamster · 12/07/2025 20:38

Oh that’s really shitty. If the dog ate chocolate though, it could well end up quite unwell.

Yeah and maybe the owner has dementia.

vodkaredbullgirl · 13/07/2025 08:14

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Hope that was sarcasm.

ballettap · 13/07/2025 08:15

Can't believe the people saying the OP was at fault! Instinct was to protect her child after a random dog ran at them with no owner in sight.

I have a dog that people can be wary of because of the breed (not a pitt type or anything like that), I always make sure they're put on the lead if anyone else is around and I would be so embarrassed and apologetic if my dog ate someones picnic or frightened them! I would have paid to replace the food.

HerNeighbourTotoro · 13/07/2025 08:15

abouttogetlynched · 12/07/2025 22:14

Haven’t RTFT, just the first page so apologies if repeating.
Maybe if you’d have sat and guarded your food instead running and hiding, the dog wouldn’t have eaten your picnic. Yes the owner might’ve supposed to have had the dog on a lead, I don’t know, but if you’re walking a dog off lead and say a sausage was in the path, the dog is going to eat it. If however someone is sat holding the sausage/eating a hot dog, it’s unlikely the dog would make any attempt to eat it.
Unless the dog was bearing its teeth and running at you in menacing way, I find it strange that you would get up and run and hide.
I’m not a dog owner by the way and am actually not very fond of them, so I’m not defending dog or owner.
Also you might want to be careful you’re not giving your DS an unhealthy phobia of dogs.

This is the most bonkers reply on the thread. If a dog that looks aggressive is coming my way, Im protecting my kid, not my picnic, your priorities are all wrong. You also cant often tell if a dog you are unfamiliar with of runs towards you what are its intentions. Maybe it will come and want to be patted or maybe he will sink teeth in you- cool for you to want to risk it.

aGirlLikeJesamine · 13/07/2025 08:15

i find it odd that in your panic, hiding behind a tree, you took a photo of the dog!

and i wouldnt have asked her to replace the picnic or the money personally.
it was a dreadful thing that happened to you of course but demanding compensation, taking photos, posting on facebook
eergh

HerNeighbourTotoro · 13/07/2025 08:18

Optimustime · 13/07/2025 05:42

I'd be mindful of teaching your dc to be scared of dogs. The dog should have been on a lead but I'd also do more of a check next time to see what kind of place you are setting up your picnic. I walk my dog in a set of fields and this week suddenly there are people picnicking everywhere. For the dog owners who use the field 365 days a year with no one there it's a bit of a surprise. It's not a park though. It's also not great for the picnickers as they are tending to set up in the areas without long grass which is also where most dogs pee and poo! It's picked up but still, I wouldn't want to be eating in those spots.

Breaking News: People picnic not only in parks!
Interview with bewildered dog owners has no clue what to do with themselves coming up next.

snowmichael · 13/07/2025 08:18

givingitupok · 12/07/2025 20:36

Had a picnic with my child today in our local park. Random dog (Shar Pei) appeared out of nowhere and ran over to us. I stood up and picked up my child and ran in a panic and stood behind a tree (probably looked like a total fool doing so but there was nowhere else to go without running towards the dog!). No idea where the owner was at this point. Watched the dog eating our food and also drooling all over our lunch box. Owner suddenly appeared from a path that lead into the park screaming at her dog to 'get here now'. Dog totally ignored her and she had to grab it and literally drag it away and put the lead on it. She apologised but when I asked her if she was going to pay for our food she actually had the gall to say 'you should have picked it up when you saw him coming' !!! I have just got home and this literally only happend 45 mins ago so am still fuming. She did not pay for our food and despite initially apologising, was incredibly arsey and walked off in the opposite direction. My child is very upset and the worst bit is, he has SEN and made everything in the lunch box himself (spread the sandwiches, cut up the apples, broke the chocolate into pieces to fit it in the container, etc). This was quite a big thing for him and he's really upset. I am also on a low income and spent a lot on the food. I took a photo of her and it clearly has her face in it. Not sure why but I just felt like I had to do something. I am not going to name and shame, but I'm just so angry.

Not sure what I want from this thread. Just rather pissed off.

You have every right to be pissed off
What to do about it depends on just how much stink you want to raise
You could go back to the park, see if she's there again, and give her a bill for the food eaten by her dog
You could follow her to her car or home, note her number plate or address, then go to the police and make a formal complaint
You could check the park rules and see if dogs must be kept on leads, and if so, make a complaint to the park owner
You could post the photo along with a warning about her dog everywhere online
But would any of those things make you feel better?

Imdunfer · 13/07/2025 08:23

selkieselkie · 13/07/2025 07:59

Not the point of the thread but cows kill more people than dogs...

Show quote history

I don't think this is true. From what Ive looked up, it's one to two people a year by cows, average over 3 a year by dogs in the last 10 years.

I suspect the diffence in survivable injuries is a lot higher than that, too.
.

Imdunfer · 13/07/2025 08:26

CoubousAndTourmalet · 13/07/2025 06:50

@Lavender115
A Shar Pei is a small to medium dog breed, it is not by any means "huge", it isn't even as big as a Labrador. Please seek help for your phobia. Carrying a weapon in a public place is neither normal nor acceptable and your mental health issues are going to adversely affect your child. It doesn't sound as if this dog behaved aggressively, it was the owner at fault, not the greedy dog.

My sympathies lie with the OP and her child, who should not have had their picnic ruined. I agree that there are far more irresponsible dog owners around these days, the problem is that they give the rest of us a bad name. My dog is never off the lead in a public place but I still feel that the effects of the lockdown dogs is having an impact on how she is perceived. I hope the child won't become dog phobic as a result of this, because it was clearly the owner at fault, the problem does not lie with the dog.

That's an outrageous statement. Nobody needs to "seek help for their phobia" if dog owners abide by the law and have their dogs under control in a public space.

Should a blind person to whom a loose dog at their feet is a life threatening trip hazard "seek help for their sight issues"?

ballettap · 13/07/2025 08:28

snowmichael · 13/07/2025 08:18

You have every right to be pissed off
What to do about it depends on just how much stink you want to raise
You could go back to the park, see if she's there again, and give her a bill for the food eaten by her dog
You could follow her to her car or home, note her number plate or address, then go to the police and make a formal complaint
You could check the park rules and see if dogs must be kept on leads, and if so, make a complaint to the park owner
You could post the photo along with a warning about her dog everywhere online
But would any of those things make you feel better?

Show quote history

If you'd read the OPs posts you would see she had posted it. The dog ate a large number of grapes that the owner didn't know about because she was too busy being arsey after she let her dog run wild.

And yes it probably would make you feel better because that owner plus others might start being more responsible. The owner not being able to control her animal has potentially led to said animal becoming severely ill or even dying.

CoubousAndTourmalet · 13/07/2025 08:28

Imdunfer · 13/07/2025 08:26

That's an outrageous statement. Nobody needs to "seek help for their phobia" if dog owners abide by the law and have their dogs under control in a public space.

Should a blind person to whom a loose dog at their feet is a life threatening trip hazard "seek help for their sight issues"?

Show quote history

Could you read my full post and the post that I was responding to please. Thank you.

Imdunfer · 13/07/2025 08:30

CoubousAndTourmalet · 13/07/2025 08:28

Could you read my full post and the post that I was responding to please. Thank you.

Edited
Show quote history

It's still an outrageous thing to suggest that anyone should seek help for their fear of loose dogs. Loose dogs are a threat whatever their size. The fear is rational and actual, not a phobia for most people, and not something to require treatment for.

BunnyLake · 13/07/2025 08:34

CoubousAndTourmalet · 13/07/2025 07:36

I'm not reading that the way others did. I took it as sarcasm/irony/humour...🤔

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Ha, hopefully that’s what it was. Hard to tell without an indicative emoji (eg 🙄, 😏, 🤔)

KassandraOfSparta · 13/07/2025 08:35

ninjahamster · 12/07/2025 20:38

Oh that’s really shitty. If the dog ate chocolate though, it could well end up quite unwell.

Too bad so sad.

If dog owners are worried about their animals eating chocolate (or anything else) then it is their job to control their pets and stop them from accessing chocolate. It is nobody else's job to mitigate that risk for them. So many irresponsible animal owners around.

CoubousAndTourmalet · 13/07/2025 08:35

Imdunfer · 13/07/2025 08:30

It's still an outrageous thing to suggest that anyone should seek help for their fear of loose dogs. Loose dogs are a threat whatever their size. The fear is rational and actual, not a phobia for most people, and not something to require treatment for.

Edited
Show quote history

Right, so you think it is perfectly normal to carry weapons just in case you are attacked by a dog? To me it seems a little extreme.

I do also state that my dog is never off the lead in a public space and that I distrust off lead dogs myself. Please take my post in context rather than accusing me of making outrageous statements.

Drew79 · 13/07/2025 08:36

Dogs running over to pinch picnic food in parks or on beaches has been a problem for as long as I can remember, which results in me scooping food up in the air, telling the dog no, or blocking the dog's access.
It's bloody annoying and some owners are too far away to intervene, or their verbal instructions are ignored. I don't think we've ever lost any food though.

Was it wise to have a picnic in an area where dog walking is common, if you are scared of dogs? It's teaching your son to be scared of and to run away from dogs.

I know we should be able to picnic wherever we like, but it seems that dogs are taken off the lead as soon as they're away from a road.

echt · 13/07/2025 08:39

Was it wise to have a picnic in an area where dog walking is common, if you are scared of dogs?

The OP was in an on-leash area.

BunnyLake · 13/07/2025 08:45

Lavatime · 13/07/2025 08:00

Me, all the time.
Ive never washed a grape in my life, no one has died yet!

Edited
Show quote history

I’m never quite sure how the grapes get in the punnet or bag (machine, by hand?) but I always wash them in case someone picked their nose or scratched their bum then put the grapes in the punnet. Even if that doesn’t happen there’s always a ‘what if’ in my head.

HauntedMarshmallow · 13/07/2025 08:45

Sorry this happened to you. I’m not surprised as it’s happened to me too. When DD was a baby two dogs ran up to our picnic, one ate the food out of my DD hand (her whole fist was in the dogs mouth) and the other dog ran off with her teether.

Dogs can be really fast runners and there is not much time to react, hence why dogs with poor recall should be on leads.

The owner gave a half hearted apology and muttered something about them being family dogs that love children. I stopped doing ground level picnics after that for a couple of years. (This was during the post pandemic untrained dog peak)

I also used to find that dogs that were on leads would be walked up to us (on different occasions) to sniff us which I find totally bizarre. Some dog owners are lacking in any idea of personal space.

sashh · 13/07/2025 08:45

OP

You have had a shock.

The important thing is you kept your self and your child safe.

Dog owners often walk their dog in the same place and at the same time if you want to get move photos / film of the selfish bitch (and I don't mean the dog).

Your child must have been so proud making that picnic, it sounds like a lovely thing to do that was spoiled.

I'm not a big fan of sad face pics in the local paper but on this occasion I would consider it.