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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:
ThejoyofNC · 13/07/2025 06:49

Imagine blaming a woman for saving herself and her child from a strange (and obviously untrained) dog, instead of stopping and picking up any potentially toxic food. It's actually hilarious.

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.

DarcyProudman · 13/07/2025 06:52

I’m not even sure I believe any of this story. Amazing that you just happened to have grapes AND chocolate in your picnic, all unwrapped.

rwalker · 13/07/2025 06:53

Gardeninrags · 12/07/2025 21:24

You should pay the vets bill if the poor dog is taken ill because you left dangerous food lying around. Really irresponsible of you OP

Absolutely outrageous to suggest this OP has done nothing wrong
it’s 100% the dog owners fault for not having control of her dog

the entitlement of some dickhead dog owners is breathtaking

shirtyshirt · 13/07/2025 06:54

The dog wasn't going to die from a small pack of buttons! . I feel sorry for any pet who has a stupid owner but it's not my responsibility to educate them.

shirtyshirt · 13/07/2025 06:58

Imagine blaming a woman for saving herself and her child from a strange (and obviously untrained) dog, instead of stopping and picking up any potentially toxic food. It's actually hilarious.

It's standard with the dog nutters on MNs.

Luluissleeping · 13/07/2025 06:59

Gardeninrags · 12/07/2025 21:24

You should pay the vets bill if the poor dog is taken ill because you left dangerous food lying around. Really irresponsible of you OP

Honestly, what a stupid comment.

Chungai · 13/07/2025 07:06

Middlechild3 · 13/07/2025 06:15

Why did you run away, why didn't you just shoo the dog away?

Read the OP's posts

I have tried to shoo a dog away in the same circumstances and it did nothing.

When I told the owner to call it off I got a mouthful of abuse for having a picnic in the same area dogs are allowed.

Thing is there are virtually no (free) areas where they aren't these days.

Chungai · 13/07/2025 07:11

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.

Sharpei can be aggressive though, I would probably be wary of them based on my own experience.

BunnyLake · 13/07/2025 07:27

DarcyProudman · 13/07/2025 06:52

I’m not even sure I believe any of this story. Amazing that you just happened to have grapes AND chocolate in your picnic, all unwrapped.

I’ve no idea if it is but my dog ignores grapes if one has been dropped on the kitchen floor, must be instinctive, as she’ll gobble up most dropped things in a second, and certainly chocolate (which she is never given).

Very poor form of the dog owner, I’d be mortified if my dog did this, and very apologetic but in this mostly cashless society how would she have paid for the food, was there a cashpoint close by?

Elephantiner · 13/07/2025 07:29

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.

Where are those scared of dogs allowed to have picnics? Have dogs taken over public places such that people cannot be allowed to picnic in peace?

CoubousAndTourmalet · 13/07/2025 07:30

Chungai · 13/07/2025 07:11

Sharpei can be aggressive though, I would probably be wary of them based on my own experience.

Show quote history

Where did I say don't be wary? I know Shar-pei can be unpredictable, I don't deny that. I would be wary of one myself. All I pointed out is that it's incorrect to refer to it as a "huge" dog, because it isn't.

Milkmani8 · 13/07/2025 07:30

Next we’ll have people suggesting that grapes and chocolate are outlawed in public spaces so that their unruly dogs can run free, disrupt
annoying picnickers and shit wherever they want without clearing it up. Sorry to hear what happened to you @givingitupok Maybe try a different place for picnics, especially given your son’s needs. Not that you should have to but at least you can picnic in peace. I have had a similar thing happen a couple of times, the owners also said we should be more careful even though I took the dogs by the collar and moved them away from the food. The entitlement of some dog owners is crazy these days.

BunnyLake · 13/07/2025 07:32

Luluissleeping · 13/07/2025 06:59

Honestly, what a stupid comment.

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One of the stupidest I’ve read on MN.

CoubousAndTourmalet · 13/07/2025 07:33

DarcyProudman · 13/07/2025 06:52

I’m not even sure I believe any of this story. Amazing that you just happened to have grapes AND chocolate in your picnic, all unwrapped.

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.

CoubousAndTourmalet · 13/07/2025 07:36

BunnyLake · 13/07/2025 07:32

One of the stupidest I’ve read on MN.

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

mumuseli · 13/07/2025 07:37

So sorry to hear about this. Totally understand why you and your son must be so upset, especially as he had helped make the picnic bless him.
Personally, after comforting your DS and acknowledging his aggrieved feelings, I would try to make some light of it and turn it into a bit of a ‘story’ that hopefully he will remember as something you can look back and giggle about…. rather than being traumatised by it. I totally don’t mean to sound like I’m minimising your feelings - it’s just what I would do, as kids pick up on our feelings of stress and it might help your DS feel better if he feels you can both be outraged about the ‘greedy dog’ in a fun way.
i hope some luck comes your way and that you can manage an uninterrupted picnic soon. xx

DarcyProudman · 13/07/2025 07:37

Also find it interesting that you ‘didn’t know grapes were toxic to dogs’ but thought to mention the two things most toxic to dogs. No mention of crisps and sausage rolls….

Beachtastic · 13/07/2025 07:41

This reply has been deleted

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

TwiceForLunch · 13/07/2025 07:43

DarcyProudman · 13/07/2025 06:52

I’m not even sure I believe any of this story. Amazing that you just happened to have grapes AND chocolate in your picnic, all unwrapped.

what do you pack in your picnic? We had one yesterday and had chicken drumsticks, hummus, veg sticks, grapes and chocolate. Is that weird? is there an approved list of picnic food I am unaware of?

(I also had ginger beer. But not lashings of it).

echt · 13/07/2025 07:49

DarcyProudman · 13/07/2025 07:37

Also find it interesting that you ‘didn’t know grapes were toxic to dogs’ but thought to mention the two things most toxic to dogs. No mention of crisps and sausage rolls….

Maybe because she didn't have any. She mentioned hummus and sandwiches though.

Lavatime · 13/07/2025 07:49

This happened to me once too, and the owner shouted at me for "letting" his dog eat food that he shouldn't!

echt · 13/07/2025 07:50

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.

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Who's to say the grapes weren't washed and put back in the punnet, in a new punnet.

CoubousAndTourmalet · 13/07/2025 07:52

echt · 13/07/2025 07:50

Who's to say the grapes weren't washed and put back in the punnet, in a new punnet.

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Right. Clearly you're the picnic expert here 😏

echt · 13/07/2025 07:54

CoubousAndTourmalet · 13/07/2025 07:52

Right. Clearly you're the picnic expert here 😏

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Thank you. Smile

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