Mothers chihuahua ate half of my babies grape

[Anonymous23458d]

Just as the title states.. I took my boys 1 and 3 years old to my mothers. She never makes the effort to visit us i see her every other week. She lives with my two other older siblings and my dad. Last year they've bought another chihuahua that is just crazy. They don't train it it bites my children and now my baby is crawling it bites his face and is vicious, it steals food and items and growls when I try and get them. They don't do anything to help just idolise this dog. They have about a 2 metre crate for it, which I have to put it in when it gets vicious with my children.
I went because my eldest loves my older sister who lives there and loves seeing her. I was feeding my one year old downstairs whilst the dog was upstairs. I didn't realise the dog ran down and at the same time my baby threw one half of a grape then another one and the dog ran and ate them up. My sister and mum started screaming and rang the vet who said they must rush her down. All the while so hostile and angry at me when I said I didn't realise and im sorry. I know dogs cant eat grapes but I have a baby and toddler and thought the dog was upstairs. It's hard to manage in basically a glass house with so many ornaments and crap everywhere. It's the opposite of baby proof which I don't expect it to be but she doesn't even help me one bit when I come round. My mum only has interest in her new dog not her grandchildren. She has now sent me the receipt for £105 she's had to pay to make the dog be sick at the vets. I am not paying it and for one don't have that money. AiBu?

YABU to keep visiting them. You should have reported the dog to the police when it bit your child the first time.

Why on earth are you risking your children’s welfare with that awful dog and your bitch of a mother??

I’d never step foot in her house again if it was me.
Either they visit you at home without bringing the dogs or they choose not to see you.

A few grapes wouldn't have harmed the dog,it's not like it ate an entire Christmas cake. Vets are very grabby now,my DC paid £110 for some charcoal after the dog they were minding ate a packet of biscuits.
I wouldn't be going to see them again until they can train or contain their dog.

Yup

You should not be putting your children at risk taking them to a house with a view house dog. You need to stop taking them.

And you’re desperate for a relationship with your family which is natural. Glad you put it into the crate and sad they’re not caring enough

And you’re desperate for a relationship with your family which is natural. Glad you put it into the crate and sad they’re not caring enough

The baby threw half a grape and the dog ate ‘them’ up?

Just dont go , don't reply to her and don't pay the bill.
It all sounds awful.
Tell your son he can phone your sister anytime.

Don’t pay but don’t take your DC to a house with a dog that terrorises them! Why are you putting them in harms way? Is your adult sibling not capable of leaving the house to come and meet you? Im gobsmacked you take them there and allow them to crawl around near the dog.

I wouldn't apologise and I certainly wouldn't pay. I'd also not visit there again. If your sisters want to see your children, then invite them to come to see you.

So you choose to take your very young children to a house where their dog regularly harassed and bites them, but your main concern is surrounding a grape?

I think you need to reassess your priorities to be honest OP.

What were you doing feeding grapes, a major choking hazard, to your baby? You are lucky only the dog ate them. I wouldn't be happy at babies throwing food on the floor but I would not ask you to pay the vet bill for my dog (for whom grapes are very dangerous). It sounds to me as if visits to this household are so fraught it isn't worth the effort. Invite your sister to yours instead.

it bites my children and now my baby is crawling it bites his face

But you're posting about a vet's bill??

How can you ever have taken your children back there after the first bite time one of the was bitten?

Make your children's safety and wellbeing your priority. Then you won't be taking them there again.

It makes a lot more sense when you re-read it and realise it says ‘chihuahua’ not ‘chinchilla’. Couldn’t understand why she kept going on about a dog… duh!!

Why are y you taking your children where they get their faces bitten?
the grapes are the least of your worries

I'm sorry did I read that right? You go visit a place frequently where a dog bites your babies face? Why do you put your baby at risk again and again? I wouldn't give a shit about the dog eating grapes if it had bitten my child more than once

Best title I have seen on here 🤣. OP stop visiting it is not safe for your children and your mother clearly doesn't care. If your siblings wants to see your children they could come to your home.

The unreasonable bit is you taking your children to a place where they aren't safe

YANBU. Don’t pay a penny towards the vet’s fees.

This sounds like something you’d see on an episode of It’s Me Or The Dog. Your mother isn’t training this dog or walking it and this is where a lot of the problems start and end. I think we can infer your mother is, at best, indifferent about the fact the dog has been aggressive towards and has bitten one of your children. That’s horrendous!

It sounds like you’ve been the only adult in the room by putting the dog in its crate to avoid possible further harm happening to your children. As has been said already, that dog should always be in the crate when you’re visiting with the children based on previous experience.

Regarding “grapegate,” you are not to blame. At the time you were feeding your 1yo the dog was upstairs. The fact it ran downstairs was not within your control. What was your mother doing at that point?
You mentioned the dog has been reactive before when you’ve tried to take things away from it: again, that’s on your mother, who is not training the dog.
It’s your mother who needs a wake-up call here. If that dog was better trained/under better control, episodes like this could be better avoided.

I’m also on the side of not going around any longer too. Children can pick up on people not wanting them around as has been said. I can vouch for that only too well!
It’s sad about your older sister. There is a limit to what you can do about that. Perhaps you can suggest to her she meets you away from the house? Ultimately if that doesn’t happen it’s not on you.

In the 90s I had a dog who regularly ate grapes as a treat and was partial to a mincepie. He never seemed to take any harm, and there was no publicity about dogs being poisoned by grapes. Your family don't sound very nice, I wouldn't make any effort to see them in current circumstances.

This is going to get deleted.

Half a grape is the least important issue here, if it's true

So if the dog isn’t allowed outside, where is it doing its business, in the house?? It just stink and be filthy!!!

Dog sounds like a little c*
i’ve heard they’re territorial but that’s ridiculous

I can't imagine one little grape is going to do much harm. I suspect your family are trying it on. It's pretty shocking that they are more worried about their dog eating something it shouldn't, and not worried about the fact that it is biting your children.

Make life easier for yourself, don't go round and if your eldest is really that worried about seeing your sister meet in the park or somewhere else.

I was attacked by a dog when I was a child and it is a trauma that has stayed with me into adulthood. Don't take that risk with your children.