AIBU to be upset after a dog jumped at our baby?

[KellyK2026]

Okay, so myself, DH and baby were at a country park the other week. Baby was getting hungry so we sat ourselves down on a park bench and got some food out. A woman was walking with her family and dog and the dog must’ve smelt the food as it suddenly
comes bounding over and is jumping at baby (who is on DH knee) to get the food. We don’t know this dog and don’t know what it's capable of. I scream at the owner that we have a baby and to get her dog under control. At this point, she’s pretty far away and is taking her time to come over. My DH then kicks the dog to get it off them as it just will not stop. The woman wasn’t particularly apologetic and seemed shocked. Did we overreact?

Maybe you should read the whole thread before commenting. OP stated somewhere in the back chain that she had previously seen well behaved dogs off the lead in the same park. I’ve no idea what OP did to the bench when she was on it but I sure as hell would have cleaned it before sitting on it with a baby.

I.cannot even begin to understand why neither of you could stand up? Unless you were more concerned about protecting the food than the child? It makes no sense.

Even if that was the case, me shouting to the owner what was happening is what any responsible parent would do. Any responsible dog owner would be quick to react, but she wasn’t.

But that’s what you said it was I’d say it was slightly larger than a spaniel and had floppy ears like one, so possibly a spaniel mix.

now it’s bigger and wasn’t a spaniel mix, has it morphed into a German shepherd? A Rottweiler?

I’ve explained this a million times. I have mobility issues and physically couldn’t. DH was straddling the bench while holding the baby. His options were to shield the baby (which he did) or attempt to stand up while straddling the bench and then remain balanced as he swung his leg over while a sizeable dog is jumping up at him and potentially fall over with the baby. But I imagine if he had done that and fallen people would still be defending the dog and criticising him for standing up when it was risky.

Yes, like I said it was larger than a spaniel but had ears like one. That was a guess. A very broad guess. It could’ve been something entirely different, as I’ve said a million times.

What about your dogs need to run around/ exercise or is that irrelevant to you ?

You sound like a dick!

What’s the cleanliness of a bench got to do with anything 😂

There’s dog parks.

Because I have an opinion that's different to yours?

Or do you just like calling strangers rude names on the internet?

No YANBU. Dogs should be under control - it’s their owners responsibility. I’d be mortified if I were this dog owner.

Well, I wouldn't want a dog licking my baby either. Just because it might not maul a baby to death doesnt mean it's in any way acceptable.

This was a park where dogs were allowed off lead?

omg, you were definitely not being unreasonable. About time some of these dog owners realised this is totally unacceptable

Yes, but it’s generally expected that in a public park your dog should be trained and not jumping up at infants. If they do they should be on a lead or be in a designated dog park. Please read the dangerous dog act. A dog jumping up can be perceived as a threat and reported. So be responsible.

You are both unreasonable. Owner shouldn't have let the dog approach you, but it was a massive over reaction to kick the dog.

Nowhere in your description do you mention doing anything sensible, like giving a firm clear command to the dog, or one of you managing the dog while the other removed the baby out of the way. Screaming is just going to make the dog more excited. Kicking it was completely uncalled for.

A bit more common sense by everyone involved would have easily managed the situation without nastily kicking the dog and keeping your baby safe.

Well if it is attacking then yes, of course. I got caught up in a dog fight once when I was walking my muzzled dog and this boxer ran out of it's house and started viciously attacking my dog. I took my dogs muzzle off so he could fight back but was waiting a good 5 minutes before the owner came out, after hearing me scream "do you wanna come and get your fucking dog before it gets killed".

I was 7 months pregnant at the time. I lost one of my front teeth as I was trying to restrain my dog and he whacked his head into my mouth repeatedly while fighting the other dog. The owners apologised heavily but I was so stunned and in tears that I just ran away to get away from the thing. Really wished I'd of kicked that fucker, and the owner, too.

Ah thank you, I am fine now, it was a few years ago. I also love animals including dogs but I still get nervous if a dog off the lead jumps up at me. x

Exactly, you just stand up, how on earth do people get through the day when something so basic results into this dramatic scene no wonder the owner looked shocked you couldn’t make it up

straddling rhe baby, instead of just calmly standing up and lifting the child.

That's awful! x

I don't think anyone has said it's your fault, just that you could have responded in a way that would have caused less risk of provoking the dog to aggression IF it was a dog with an aggressive streak, which thankfully it wasn't so everything was fine.

It was a bad situation that you didn't cause and was not your fault and should not have happened, but you did make it more risky than it needed to be. Fear and pain are common triggers for aggression. With a different dog it could have gone worse. And again, that still wouldn't have been your fault and any dog that attacks should be put down immediately, but it really is worth knowing some better strategies. For your own safety, not for the benefit of the dog or its owner.

For the removal of doubt I'd support any level of violence in self defence against a dog that was actually attacking, up to and including killing the dog, but depending on the size of the dog that is easier said than done as dogs are actually a lot better at fighting than humans. I would never recommend starting a fight with a dog.

How on earth do people get through a thread without reading the OP's posts?

OP has said she couldn't stand up quickly because she has mobility problems, she has said this eleventy billion times.

That sounds horrific, sorry that happened to you.