To feel if a dog bites a child they should leave the restaurant?

[Bookishworms]

*edit: sorry for typos! Dog not dig

Out for lunch yesterday with kids, a casual family restaurant where dogs are allowed in. We love dogs and were sat in the section with dogs. No dramas.

One terrier on the table behind had barked at the waiter so seemed a but highly strung but had settled down. My son got up to go to the loo and the dog was startled, (i guess by the sound of the chair scrape and movement) and jumped up and bit my son! He hadn’t trod on it or anything just startled.

Settled son, no skin broken, and the owners just seemed to want to pretend it hadn’t happened. I said ‘your dog just bit my child…?!’ They said was he bleeding and oh sorry dog must have been startled. Then went back to their lunch. I was a bit taken aback - I don’t have a dog at the moment but have in the past and if it had bit someone I would have taken the dog out of that situation right away.

Anyways we just went back to our lunch rather than make a fuss as son wasn’t badly injured but then my friend who has a smaller child was pointing out that a snap like that on say, a toddler, or exposed skin, would have been a huge problem and I should have reported it. I don’t want the dog put down or anything but surely there should be consequences for the owners? If their dog gets stressed in places like restaurants they maybe shouldn’t bring the dog?

Maybe I under-reacted.

Plenty of people smell!

100% they should. My dog is an excellent judge of character and if he bites a child then the child should definitely leave the restaurant as they’re obviously a bad sort.

Hope this helps

I think you're getting a little confused. Read the thread again.

I disagree.

A kid threw stones at my dog in a cafe a while back. Should I have kicked him full on in the face?
The dog in this scenario air snapped at a kid who was allowed to get too close. Parents at fault.

True but not all people smell

Parents of dog are at fault. The dog should never have been allowed anywhere near other people, especially as child.

OP should call the restaurant and inform them. They should have an accident log book and this needs to be logged in it.
OP may also be able to find out if the dog owners had a reservation or if restaurant manager knows who they are.

Could call police non-emergency to report.

They are not parents.

They are owners.

This whole furbaby, pet parent nonsense is a huge part of the problem.

Maybe it’s because I live in an area popular with tourists, but cafes, pubs and restaurants that don’t allow dogs are very rare. Some have dog free areas but most places allow dogs.

People bring their dogs on holiday and can’t leave them alone in the accommodation. I didn’t realise it was so unpopular

I don't mind dogs in pubs or restaurants, they are unlikely to jump in my plate

Of course you under-reacted. As well as complaining to the owners, and ask for their details, you MUST inform the restaurant immediately. They should ask the owners to remove the dog frankly.

@WiddlinDiddlin

dogs are not comparable to children. Get a grip.

if your dog "snaps" at someone who just happen to walk too close, you are a dreadful dog owner and both dog and you need lessons fast.

Unfortunately, you are not allowed to do anything but shout at a feral child throwing stones at a dog or another child. It's unfortunate but true.

Dogs should not be in restaurants.

My dog is loud as a breed (daschie with a bit of jack Russell) as a result we only take him after a long walk so he's tired and not being annoying and we take him in a carrier. We'd remove him if he started being loud. I would be absolutely horrified if he even slightly mouthed anyone never mind a strange child. He shouldn't have been in a location to be started but with his owners in between anyone else and him. The owners should have immediately removed the dog. As they didn't I would have talked to the staff

if restaurants clearly advertised they are welcome, why not?

You don't like it, don't go to that restaurant. It's not a big deal.

But do you dine at restaurants or cafes regularly? That’s the problem I think. People often say no dogs should be allowed, but if you asked if they dined out, they would probably say not often. Businesses are just reacting to demand, to keep their businesses open. Especially in winter months. We go for lots of walks even in bad weather, and if I take my dog into a cafe, most of the people in there are dog walkers. If people don’t want dogs in cafes, they should use them more often, and if enough people then complained about the dogs allowed policy, maybe dogs wouldn’t be welcome?

Yes there was a mark. TOOTH marks! And saliva. Just skin wasn’t broken - jeans on

Im not confused in the slightest, I have read the thread.

I think OP under-reacted, and the dog owners are total pillocks who did not behave appropriately which caused the incident, and continued not to behave appropriately which means almost certainly there will be another similar, probably worse incident in future.

I don't know if you've been on forums before, conversations evolve, I quoted another poster and was responding to them on a matter that was prompted by the thread in general, and their response to that.

Thanks everyone for responses.

To respond on a few themes -

We don’t mind dogs in public. I grew up with dogs so personally am ok with them around food. Each to their own.

He was definitely bitten. Tooth marks on skin and a graze but wearing jeans so didn’t break skin.

In terms of underreaction - I can’t explain it. We were in a busy restaurant and I just didn’t want to make a scene. I thought if I told staff they would just say ‘nothing we can do’ and I’d just feel embarassed especially as there were other dog owners around and if there was a nonspoken rule that the odd snap is ok I didn’t want to annoy everyone around. That sounds silly now I reflect and it’s good to get the view from other dog owners that of course this isn’t ok.

Now I wish I’d said something as I was sort of waiting for the other people to do the right thing and when they didn’t I was just really surprised but also wasn’t sure if I was overreacting as he wasn’t badly hurt (hence the AIBU!)

and if there was a nonspoken rule that the odd snap is ok I didn’t want to annoy everyone around.

wtf

Dogs like this are ticking time bombs and this incident has only further trained it to behave in this manner.

Thank you! This! OF COUSE in retrospect I think god I should have done something. But in the moment they seemed like a nice family and I didn’t want to spoil their day or seem like a Hysterical Woman

i haven’t had a dog for years… I wasn’t sure if maybe if no one was actually hurt it should be a ‘no harm no foul’ situ (when I had a dog if it bit someone which it never did that would have been a major event, leave the restaurant). As i say in the moment I genuinely didn’t know what the rules were or how to respond. Especially as the owners were not really bothered I was thinking was I overreacting

Hence AIBU.

Dogs are a pain in restaurants. Not as serious as a bite, but we were once having lunch at a pub when someone’s dog wandered over, went under our table and started really horrible growling. My husband felt some scratching on his foot but trying to free his foot only increased the growling. When the ruddy dog moved away he found his shoe had been scratched and badly damaged. Owners just shrugged and wouldn’t even acknowledge the problem.

Yes, of course it’s the owners - I realise that - but on at least 4 occasions in my life I’ve had an unpleasant encounter after which the dog owners abdicated all responsibility for the damage (to clothing or to my person) their dog had done.

He’s 9 so he’ll survive without too much emotional trauma I’m sure 🤣 he was far more traumatised by his maths homework he had to do later on. And we DID call the owners out.

My pause for thought (should I have responded differently) was that we’ve allowed a dangerous dog to carry on unchecked which of course I’m kicking myself about now.

I think I will call the restaurant tomorrow.