Dog ate my picnic

[givingitupok]

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.

I'd have thought being here at all was proof enough of that. Therefore it follows that you do too.

The dog owner absolutely was at fault for not keeping their dog on a lead / under control.

But at least no one got bitten.

I’d have been mortified as a dog owner and I’d have given you £10 or something as an apology.
She was probably embarrassed and just wanted to get out of there. Not great behaviour though!

I love dogs but Im I’m fucking sick of their owners.

Not even the 6 week holidays yet and I’ve had 2 picnics destroyed and a ball burst at our local beach.

Why take an unruly dog out to a place with children playing? The same dog who snaffled our picnic stole an ice cream cone out of a little boys hand about 10 minutes after destroying our picnic and I so angry because in that time owner should have put the dog on its leash.

The owners again like other owners unbothered by the ruining of picnics or burst ball. If my dogs ruined someone’s day out I’d be mortified and ask could I do a bank transfer or something to cover costs of food/ball. But no, these dicks do not give a shit.

They’re just selfish bastards. They’re obviously the ones leaving dog shit everywhere as well.
I wish there were dog free areas. The ones with shit owners are a fucking pest. The ones with good owners are a joy. Just like kids really 😂

nutters everywhere, ignore them

most on here are supporting you, despite you have "dangerous" (to quote a previous stupid comment) foods in your picnic like grapes and chocolate 😂

Well there would be a similar thread as it is a daily occurrence with selfish dog people allowing the dogs off lead around people eating food.

But at least no one got bitten.

Probably because the OP had the good sense to leave - if she hadn't then people would be saying "why would you just sit there protecting your picnic and allow a dog to bite you"

No... I was joking, but only just! Maybe a rocket launcher would have been more effective.

Fool. 🙄

Likely OP will be blamed for leaving a picnic with dog poison out in the open while negligently running away...

Shar peis aren’t very big (though are very ugly). Clearly it shouldn’t have been out of control, but OP could have acted more sensibly instead of running off in a panic. If it was aggressive it would’ve chased after the OP and child. Why not just grab its collar, move it away from the picnic, make fuss of it and give it a biscuit or whatever to keep it occupied till the owner came over?

Sharpeis are pretty muscular. I'm an experienced dog owner and would have picked my child up too. My dog has good recall and I still keep her on a lead. I won't take her on the park at busy times around children either. She absolutely isn't dangerous, she's a mini labradoodle but why would I ruin others fun? Parents and children are often nervous of her. I think that there needs to be a law about leads as some dogs I see absolutely shouldn't be off-lead.

Btw, the dog certainly won't be dead by the morning because of grapes!

Because chucking it a bit of sandwich to distract wouldn't create a dramatic enough thread to make The Daily Fail. Whereas the absurdity of a "huge" Shar-Pei terrorising a small child for a punnet of unwashed grapes has it all.

Please please say this is a joke 🙏🤞

Has the owner responded to you OP?

I'd be so cross about the picnic. My DD made me lunch yesterday and she was so proud of herself. I can imagine her being devastated if this happened.

It's totally natural to act instinctively in the moment. Instinctive even...

I hope the dog is ok. That owner is a fool. Why didn't she check what he'd eaten? Of course she should have replaced the picnic.

I was volunteering for Park Run yesterday and stressed about not being late. The park is slightly confusing where to turn off the mini roundabout when you come in so I was checking the exit signs as I drove around (slowly). Suddenly a dog darted out in front of me with his lead swinging. I slammed on the brakes. The owner was running after him screaming. I rolled down the window and leaned out saying "hi, are you ok?" as I was sympathetic to the fright she got.

"FUCK YOU" is what I got back.

Because a) it is not the OP's responsibility to control other people's uncontrolled, ill-mannered dogs b) random dogs can attack. OP does not know if this one if aggressive, aggressive around food etc and she has a young child. I have had labs growl at me because they wanted something in my hand.

So you think giving it a treat for having no manners and raiding a picnic is the way to go? explains why there are so many dogs which are just a pest to everyone else.

Ignore them. They are bored or silly or their dog-love has driven common sense out of their brains.

The main part of our local beach is designated dog-free from May - September (there's another part, wilder and with no facilities, that allows dogs all year). It's a pity that all local authorities with beaches can't arrange something like this.

If this isn’t a joke, it’s a ridiculous laughable and unintelligent comment.

@Zanatdy "... and if it’s off lead in a public place it’s not going to a threat." This is arrant nonsense and I don't know how you can even believe this, much less write it on a public forum. 🙄

Do you have a dog? If so, you are showing us exactly the kind of owner you are.

@AngelicKaty I’d possibly relocate for a council who can make decent decisions for its constituents 🤣

Is where you live nice in general?

As a multiple dog owner...

You're definitely not unreasonable. I'd be furious!
She should absolutely have offered to pay and apologised. She clearly has no control over her dogs - and also what sort of twat us taking their dogs out in this heat anyway?

I wouldn't be out at all with dogs in this weather, and certainly not off lead in a public space with children and food around ' and I havee two well behaved dogs who have excellent recall.

She sounds like a dick.

Also - i understand id you dont like dogs or are frightened by them your instict is gping to be run, but that can sometimes trigger an out of control dog to chase so always best to stay put if you can - but that's easier said than done when you have an u ffsmiloar, our of dog running towards you, i know

Totally all of this. Especially the absolute over reaction to a dog having some grapes and chocolate. I know they’re bad for dogs, and I would actively discourage mine from eating those things, but dogs survived at least 80 years of mass chocolate manufacturing before it became a thing in the public consciousness that it’s not good for them. But now dog owners literally freak out and sob if their dog has the tiniest bit! Like they’re ok. And grapes. Pretty sure they grow in nature so dogs have survived as a species despite having had access to them for thousands of years. The dog will be fine and the owner is a dick and the op should try to introduce her kid to a few safe dogs so he doesn’t end up terrified of them.

I do have a dog and she is never off the lead in public. I am a responsible owner. If you read my previous posts you will see this. You have no justification whatsoever for saying this and I take it as a personal attack.

It was intended as a lighthearted flippant comment, if you can't see it as such then that is your problem. But I can hand on heart say that I have never had a complaint about any of my dogs in the last 48 years.