Are there still any responsible dog owners left?

[Cla7]

I just got attacked by three dogs in our local park when I was out with my toddler. Knowing what might happen, I always stay right at his side so I was able to lift him up when the dogs charged at him. They started to jump up at me and nipped me, luckily not him. I screamed at the dog owners but they weren’t even that bothered, just half heartedly called them back. No apology, apparently it’s fine because they only nipped me and ‘had they actually attacked I wouldn’t be standing here talking anymore’. I have red bite marks but no broken skin. They doubled down saying that toddlers reassemble prey and that everyone with a brain should know that, so why would I take my toddler to a park where dogs are around.

Am I really expecting too much wanting to walk in the park with my toddler and not get attacked? Sadly this is not the first time it’s happened. Where have we come to and in the light of dog owners not being responsible, is it time for stricter rules?

Jeez what idiots! Though I think the word ‘attack’ is not correct here and rather emotive.
I don’t understand why there aren’t more dog parks. Near me there’s a rec and a perfectly sized already fenced area. There’s also a fenced play area with equipment and a large open area. The fenced bit was empty for years but last year they put some adult equipment in, which I have seen used once or twice. But considering there are dozens of dog walkers who use the park daily they should have made it a dog park - it would have cost nothing other than a sign and a dog waste bin. So now only place for dogs to run is the open bit, which has a path all around which everyone uses.
I did though have an incident when I was walking my dog and met a friend walking their dog (both on leads) and we stopped to say hello. A disgruntled woman walked past and said ‘bloody dog walkers’…like excuse me? I guess she didn’t like the fact we were standing where she wanted to walk (there was room for her). The dogs we’re standing passively.

Fully agree with this.

If the OP had posted about what happened to her, everyone would be in agreement that it was absolutely awful and out of control. Some dog owners are completely irresponsible and it needs to be addressed - 100%

To suggest all dog owners are irresponsible is what is driving the snarky comments. That is completely unreasonable IMO

Ask the park for CCTV and then report the owners. Keep us updated.

Of course there are still responsible dog owners.

Unfortunately, they are vastly outnumbered by people who should never have care of any animal of any sort, including children..

What you experienced is unacceptable. These dog owners give us all a bad name. You should absolutely report.

However, I doubt it's been helpful making a provocative post lumping all dog owners in the irresponsible boat.

I don't imagine you'd like it if someone said 'AIBU to say there are no responsible todder parents' and then posted one example of a shit parent with the expectation everyone would agree.

I can’t imagine being so harangued by three dogs that we’re sufficiently nipping me to leave marks and such that I feared for my toddlers safety and then not calling the police.

The crime is having an out of control dog, and no one is going to find them again after the event.

If bad dog owners don’t have consequences then they’ll continue as they are as they don’t think they’re doing anything wrong.

All said by a dog owner whose dog is literally never off a lead outside the home / private land.

As a fairly new dog owner (less than a year), I can already see that there are local places that just wouldn’t be suitable for me to bring my dog and have him off lead, because there are children and adults there who may not like or feel comfortable around dogs. So I always choose to walk him in more dog-friendly/suitable places, for the benefit of him as well as other people.

I love my dog, but other people don’t have to. I’ve also had two children who were pretty nervous around dogs, so I understand what it’s like as a parent. I also remember being nervous around some dogs myself as a child, and we had dogs!

That’s my long-winded way of saying that you may be exposed to more irresponsible dog owners in a park where lots of dogs are sharing the same space as toddlers. The responsible ones have probably chosen to walk their dogs somewhere more suitable, where the environment works for other people as well as their own dog.
If that makes sense?!

The thing is OP that dog owners like this one and many many others are completely subjective about their animals, and lack rationality. The sad fact is that no one can reason with unreason. The excuses on this thread for poor behaviour by dogs and failure to control dogs, is as usual unbelievable.
To think being bitten is just an "encounter" proves the point. Someone upthread said 95% of dogs are well controlled and trained, and only 5% not. Those figures should be reversed, and even then 5% of dogs being adequately trained is likely an overestimate.
Do report this to the police, as dogs out of control in a public place is an offence. The only other remedy is to campaign loudly and strongly for more enforcement of control by owners, and as in your park more dog-free areas that are safe especially for children. You have my sympathies.🌸

I'm surprised at the first comments you've received that show quite a shocking lack of compassion or empathy for a frightening experience. There absolutely needs to be tighter legislation around this. I'm sorry for your experience. If you were able to get the license number on the dog's collar, a number plate or a picture, I would report to the dog warden.

The comment about toddlers resembling prey so they shouldn't be in a park is unbelievably callous. Being a frightened mum trying to calm your child with this kind of response must have been awful.

I think we are losing sight of the fact that dogs were domesticated to have a role in the lives of families and communities. There is a place for children to have respect for the job they do and the power they have - but they are made to have a role, not to be treated like children.

I spent three years training my golden retriever from puppyhood before having children. She understood her job and appreciated being on the inside track. In a way I hadn't anticipated, she demonstrated how to wait at kerbs, walk at my side and come when called. She was the perfect mother's help. She allowed herself to be covered with stickers and was happy to demolish a tin of sweetcorn doled out piece by piece on a turn taking basis. Toddlers being the tiny psychopaths they are, they would finish their last potato just to show her their superiority. She also made use of their opposable thumbs to get into the cereal and would happily woofle up anything flung from the highchair in a rage.

Before I had children she would go looking for them if she heard then playing. Once we had our own, she found ours quite enough responsibility and ignored the others.

I think it's sad that dogs and children have to be pitted against each other. There is a cave in Europe where the 40 000 year old prints of a 4/5 year old child and a wolf can be seen walking together side by side, deep into the cave. Dogs were meant to be guardians and companions. We can do better than this.

You're 'shocked' because you haven't been here long, obviously.

We all stated OP should immediately ring the police. If there are 3 dogs attacking toddlers in the park, then the OP is irresponsible for not reporting.

CCTV is in the parks and surrounding homes cameras, or ring doorbells, can be used as evidence.

We're waiting on the update.

Of course it's wildly unacceptable that you were attacked. I'd call the police, it shouldn't have happened.

I think the tone of the original post has understandably got people's backs up. It's like saying one middle aged woman was rude so all middle aged women are arseholes. You can't blame a huge group of largely normal and reasonable people for your bad experience.

We're waiting on the update.

You need to get a life then. Or did you just mean that part in a way to ridicule the OP?

I don't owe you an explanation. Don't accuse someone of what you're doing.

Another day….another overly dramatic anti-dog story on Mumsnet…

I say this all the time, but one of the worst things you can do if a dog is coming toward you is pick up your dog/child/bag. It turns it into a game for them and excites them more or indeed if they are aggressive, it just makes it more exciting. I know it's instinct, but people really do need to grasp this concept. 9/10 times it does just make it worse.And screaming doesn't help either. Because again it winds the dogs up.

I know it's hard, but the best thing to do is remain calm. Otherwise you risk inadvertently escalating the situation.

And please don't lump us all in together. Personally, I encounter way more out of control toddlers/young children coming up to my dogs and grabbing them without asking whilst their feckless mothers stand there having a chat with a mate or on their phones than I do out of control dogs. But I mostly manage not to generalise.

I guess it probably depends on the area, but in my area the majority of owners are responsible and have either properly trained dogs with good recall of they have them on an extendable lead if not.
Less than half a mile away there is another bit of land where there are far more out of control dogs, although it isn’t one particular breed.

What’s worse is the people with large fighting breeds who let their dogs wander off lead around groups of people.

Yes I know they’re probably less likely to jump at you than a poodle mix but no one but you the owner knows that and it makes people nervous which in its turn can make the dog nervous, which isn’t fair on the dog, especially if you are too far away for effective recall.
My feeling is the UK needs to bring in mandatory chipping for all breeds. I don’t know if there’s any research on whether this affects how people care for their dogs but my gut feeling is that they are likely to be more responsible and the chipping appointment can be a chance for them to receive information on local low cost training classes amongst other things, a bit like the health visitor visit when you have a baby!

My feeling is the UK needs to bring in mandatory chipping for all breeds

This was made mandatory about 10 years ago or more. Are you even in the UK?

You think a mother and her toddler being pursued by a threesome of dogs (that's a pack in dog-brain), having to lift toddler up to avoid them, mother being nipped by a dog, then being first ignored, then told by crap, unsympathetic and irresponsible owner that her toddler is like prey - all that is overly dramatic! You prove my earlier point about the pure subjectivity and irrationality of many dog owners. Its like head-banging trying to get sense into blockheads.

Sounds like a similar argument to "all men bad"🤦

Your priority should have been taking a sneaky photo and calling the police / emailing the dog warden right then. Not coming on here.

There are loads of idiot dog owners but people brushing off nippy, out of control dogs does not help.

Understanding sarcasm isn't your strong point then, OP?

This is the OP's question: Are there still any responsible dog owners left?

So that's what people are answering. If she wanted different answers, she could've worded her title differently.

The dog left red marks even though the skin wasn't broken. You should report this. There's no "grey area" IMHO. Find time to do this as soon as you can.

I'm a dog owner and to answer the title of your thread - "yes."

I'm a dog owner myself but was seriously injured recently when another off-lead dog jumped at me. I had to take several weeks off work and couldn't drive either. What upset me the most was the owner of the dog's attitude - he's just a puppy, accidents happen, he's really friendly, etc... No apology whatsoever. Doesn't matter how "friendly" the dog is - if they are boisterous you should not be allowing them to jump up people. I trained my dog not to do this and if you can't, the dog should not be off lead. I'm now left with a permanent injury.

Plenty of us are and are pretty bloody fed up at being tarred with same brush. Pick up, follow signage for beaches and on ferry, get her to sit quietly out of the way etc.