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.

Dogs shouldn't be off lead in park's anyway. Can't stand dog owners like this stupid woman. They just expect you to know their dog is friendly and are confident around dogs.

I agree with leads in public (and my dog always is) but ther eis no reason at all for muzzles

😂😂😂Fool.

Not necessarily. There’s a ratio of the number of grapes to dog weight. A 20lb animal probably wouldn’t be affected by up to around 20-24 grapes. I wouldn’t risk it though, and together with the chocolate l’d be getting it to a vet.

Never heard of Google image search?

Thanks for the edit - no, I didn't see that post, but it's irrelevant because I was responding to the one about your "flippant" comment, which now makes even less sense to me if you actually support OP's position. As I asked you previously, what point were you making with your "flippant" comment then? I still don't get it.

Well it is a mercy no harm befell the child and the dog instead preferred grapes and chocolate. The very worst things he could have chosen sadly. Thoughts and prayers Mr Sharpei.

You mentioned a tight budget OP. Were any items untouched?

To ease the traumatic memory, why not have a second go next week if your kid enjoyed cutting things up and putting them in boxes? Maybe just with whatever you would usually have for lunch?

If it rains, indoor picnics can be great fun and no risk of canine intrusion. Just a thought.

I have a 10cm scar from a dog bite. The dog was on a lead and had just enough slack to attack me.

Muzzles are great IMO.

How annoying. But really, how could she have paid you? No-one carries cash and would you have attempted to get her to transfer money? Seems too petty.

How on earth is that petty? She could have figured it out were she a decent person. We all manage to pay for stuff somehow.

I actually saw a dog in John Lewis back in March and did a double-take. I hadn't been there in a few years (do most shopping online these days) and didn't know this was now allowed. I don't mind though as I love dogs and would assume (hope!) that only owners with well-behaved and toilet-trained dogs would take them shopping and even then, only because they have no other choice (e.g. maybe they're visiting the town). Personally, I wouldn't take a dog shopping for no good reason - it's probably not much fun for them.

How many do you know? (I'm not and I'm appalled by the behaviour of the dog-owner OP had the misfortune to encounter.)

Hate this. I’m not a dog person.

My neighbour’s dog got loose, and she wanted me to help catch him (while he jumped up at the kids). I know nothing about dogs, I couldn’t catch him. Or want to touch him, either.

She acted like I was the problem!

but why take the photo!
if not for naming and shame
innit

I don't mind though as I love dogs and would assume (hope!) that only owners with well-behaved and toilet-trained dogs would take them shopping and even then

Unfortunately not.

I often shop online and haven’t seen this myself but there’s been quite a few posts online about dog poos in John Lewis and dog hairs on clothes in stores.

There was even a case in Glasgow where one shopping centre ended their dog friendly trial after a few months following a report of a huge poo left in the food court - and of course it wasn’t an isolated incident, there were other similar mishaps during the dog friendly trial. The dogs were probably not happy and neither were a lot of shoppers.

And from what I’ve seen most people definitely take their dogs to places like that because they want to rather than they need to.

The vast majority of dogs do not attack people and my dog is not allowed enough slack to touch people, not because he would bite but because some people don't like dogs
He does not need to be muzzled, owners need to be more responsible

There's been many a time I've been in a park and almost had a dog steal my picnic or jump up and dirty my dress. I've said to the owners "does it have a lead" and a deliberately un-subtle hint and they'll respond "yes, he does"...well put it on him then and get your flipping hound under control! I'm also seeing a lot more of the XL Bulldog types out and about, un-muzzled too, I'd say more so since the ban! I've reported some to the police and they just deny that it is one...I bet they wouldn't be so nonchalant if they had to encounter them out in public everyday. Some of them are huge. Shar Peis, as mentioned in the original post in this thread, are also aggressive dogs, usually bought by certain people to make themselves look tough. I would not feel safe sat on the grass with one of those running around off lead.

My advice to the idiotic dog owner that caused the OP and her family distress, would be that if you can't afford to replace food that your dog damages, then keep the infernal thing on a lead and under control.

The park is for humans, first and foremost.

There is a law against it - dog owners must keep their dogs under control in public at all times. If you see a dog-owner with an out of control dog, challenge and/or report them if the dog causes harm.

It was stupid of me. It was just a failed pathetic attempt at being funny, which I now regret, but if I ask to have it deleted, people will think I was offensive or profane in some way, so it will look worse.

I stand by my first post when I said my sympathy was with OP and I hoped her child was okay. I think I may have come across the same poster before, and I was the only person that backed her up on a thread where people were boasting about their dog's misdemeanours. I am horrified by stories of dogs snatching ice cream from kids, weeing on people etc. That should never happen and this is why I commented on this thread. Which I now regret doing.

Anyway, I can see that neither you nor @WD40SuccessStories will apologise for what you said to me. Clearly neither of you has ever said anything stupid in your lives - you must both be paragons. But thank you for at least reading my original post. The other person has given me a real good kicking twice now.

I maintain that I am a responsible owner. I would never put my dogs in the situation where they could hurt or upset anybody. All my dogs have been well mannered. I am retreating from this thread and from MN now. As a sixty something disabled person, it has upset me. My dog is my therapy - without her I am too anxious to leave the house - and she is my whole life, so what has been said by you and the other person has been very hurtful.

I have nothing else to say other than the fact that I wish the OP well and I apologise to her if my comments were inappropriate.

I've already explained that to you. And "innit"? 🙄

A few days after a full moon doesn't help either. IMO a few days after brings the loons out even more.

er no you havent, and anyway, are you the op?

@givingitupok I have googled that dog and would have responded as you did. I'm scared of dogs and don't want even the not scary ones anywhere near me, I don't want them touching me at all. I've picked my kid up many times when near a loose dog. I do know several people who have been bitten but it's also just a really primitive reaction on my part.

She should have refunded your picnic. You shouldn't have to guard it from dogs. If her dog doesn't come when called then she can't control it and should keep it on a lead.

Well, like I said, I didn't mind seeing the dog - I was just surprised by it. And I haven't seen these reports, but I guess my hope was in vain then if some owners are allowing their dogs to defecate in shops - that's beyond disgusting!

You’re joking, yes?!