Parent went mental at my Ddog!

[WesternAmy]

Can someone please tell me how Ddog was at fault here?! We were walking on a footpath close to our house earlier, and a woman was pushing her toddler along on a sort of bike thing.

As we were passing, the toddler dropped a cuddly toy. Ddog instinctively went to pick this up (it resembled a dog toy) and I stopped him.

The woman went mental, shouted at Ddog “NO, NO” and I hurried us away.

I can tell it has impacted him, he has been really subdued since which is not like him at all.

Am I wrong to think the woman should have had some restraint?

Oh brilliant! Glad to hear this. Heartbreaking to hear that he was subdued after the nasty woman screamed at him!!

Saying Ddog makes you sound Dmented

He's picking it up for the kid, and isn't his breed supposed to pick things up for humans? I think the grans in my family would have thanked the dog for rescuing the toy. That said, they kids would have been getting dirty/bugs from everywhere when they were out with them (I'm a bit of a hygiene freak compared to all the grans in my family).
I wouldn't personally use Ddog, but so many people on here use DH/D/S, I don't see why it's any different, just cause they're human-a lot of people on here seem to prefer dogs to their human family!

Dbrat was in the wrong here.

Op I think you need to remember that she doesn't know your dog and of course you don't want dog slobbers over a young child's favourite toy. She was probably envisioning the melt down while said toy went in the wash and wasn't ready for bedtime.

Equally I vividly remember a large husky running at me and my child while out walking one day as the owner ran after screaming at the dog to come back which it happily ignored. Straight up to lick my toddlers face.

Luckily he and I are well used to dogs so I could tell it was a friendly (if over enthusiastic) approach but equally could have been very different. She had no way to know if your dog is friendly/ guards etc. Yabu as a pet owner not to be more aware of this tbh.

Dslobber of Ddog Dsgusted Dmum of Dbaby.

Dscream of Dmum Dpressed Ddog.

I am very relaxed about germs (to a degree that would horrify most MNers) but I wouldn't want to give a toddler back a toy that had got wet - so I wouldn't care if a dog briefly picked it up, but wouldn't want a dog chewing on it. I similarly wouldn't care if it fell on the ground but would care if it fell in a puddle - but the difference with the dog is that I wouldn't know which it would do until it had done it!

Is this a wind up? It’s a bloody dog. Keep it on a short lead and away from toddlers if it’s so poorly trained. “Subdued” 🤣 As if he’s traumatised or something, Whatever next?! Doggy counselling?! Ridiculous.

It's a dog.

Not really sure why you asked AIBU to be honest. You clearly don't think you were, and are not prepared to be told otherwise.

The kid dropped a toy in front of the dog. Dog went to pick it up, got told no by owner and stopped. The dog (and owner) are blameless. As much as you all dislike dogs at least attempt to read and understand posts.

The woman sounds like an overwrought dickhead OP. Don’t give it a second thought.

OP, please post a photo of your subdued dog……..oops, sorry DDog!

It's a Labrador, it's born to retrieve

She has obviously hurt the feelings of your darling dog and made him feel rejected. Feel sad for ddog and for you seeing him that way, OP

She just didn’t want your dog ripping up her toddlers toy

Speaking as a parent of a child whose teddy was picked up by a dog, that had somehow been allowed into a children’s playground, and slobbered all over resulting in tears from my daughter, who was envisioning it being ripped to shreds, I absolutely think the parent’s reaction was right and fair. In our case the dog would not let go, the owner had no control or recall and I had to wrestle the toy away from the dog whilst my child was crying.
I appreciate your dog may otherwise be very well behaved but the fact is they tried to take something that was not theirs.
I work in the vet industry and absolutely love dogs but see such a vast amount that are badly trained that I would not automatically assume one that approaches my children or their belongings is going to behave appropriately. My advice would be to train your dog to walk to heel when you are passing people you don’t know so that you don’t get into a situation where your dog may be upset or panicked by other people’s reactions. Not everyone wants a dog to approach them, some people are scared or allergic or simply don’t like dogs.

She did not want your dogs saliva going on a cuddly toy.

And ddog? Tells us all we need to know.

Agreed!

And neither did OP? Big over reaction for the woman to ‘hurry’ OP away. The cuddly toy should have been secured. Child should be riding the bike or playing with toy. Not both..

You can like dogs (me) and even own them (me) and still not want the dog to slobber over or rip your baby’s toy (me).

How do you know how close the dog was to the child?

The child may have thrown the toy directly in the path of the dog, how is that the fault of the dog? Or the owner.

Only when told!

Are you so rabidly anti dog you’re just making stuff up? She didn’t say the dog was anywhere near the child, the dog was under control (hence when told not to pick up the toy it didn’t) so get a grip love. And fri not everyone likes your sprog, so kindly keep it away.

DMN you are all mad 😂