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?

You can be supportive of those things without being a horrible person.

Your natural reactions to just continue sitting there do sound implausible, quite honestly.

The 'whole contents' of your picnic meant you could not stand up to move the dog or shoo it away, protect the baby? Why? What was in this magical picnic that harnessed you both to your seats?

And? So what if she knew her dog wasn’t a threat (and by the way, I’ve known many people say their dog isn’t a threat and then they bite), I don’t know that. I don’t know her or the dog.

No, I’m not going to try and grab a dog that I don’t know who is acting that way.

You don’t know me lol

You need training in understanding dogs. You screaming at a friendly bouncy spaniel and your husband kicking it has taught your baby to be terrified of dogs. All you needed to do was get your husband to stand up with the baby so the food was higher up out of reach.

Was the screaming and kicking the dog really necessary?

Your husband couldn’t have just stood up with the baby?

It’s a spaniel, not a tiger.

You’ll end up giving your child a fear of dogs reacting hysterically like this.

And for that, i'm very grateful.

Dogs are a really easy read. It’s clear you have very little education on dogs and how to act around them. As you will probably experience more off lead dogs in parks with your child it is probably best you sign up for some dog education classes.

I don’t know if it was a spaniel, firstly.

And I don’t need training in understanding dogs. I have absolutely no intention of ever owning one. The people who own dogs should have training in how to train their dog and understand that not everyone wants a dog jumping up at them, especially when they are holding a baby.

I’ve never known anyone who has been bitten by a dog, personally.

Believe me, me too.

I’ve known a few and there’s been people of here who have spoken to their experience about being bitten.

No one “needs” training in understanding dogs. I personally think all dogs should be on a lead, if not muzzled, in all public places if they are to be allowed in.

Rather than the dog owner signing up for dog training lessons?

Harnessed to the seats 😂

It wasn’t a spaniel

What type of dog was it?

really?

My local groups has regular posts warning people after a necessary visit to hospital following encounters with unruly dogs, and we're not talking newspaper worth attack, just people being beaten while walking in fields or in the forest.

I have been beaten a couple of times while running, not enough to break the skin so not dangerous, just a big bruise. I was minding my own business, the dogs were coming the over direction and jumped at me while I jog past.

I wasn't too concerned but it would have been very different if they had jumped on one of my kids

I think that's an instinctive response to an animal coming up to your baby.

Dogs have no business being off lead where there is a play park where children are. That's the end of it.

Excited dogs nip. Even a small bite is large and dangerous to a baby.

Very well trained dogs still love food. Everyone knows this. It’s not reasonable to expect a dog to not be interested in food - they read the world very very much through smell. The dog doesn’t need further training. You just need to train your husband to unbend his knees and stand up next time you come across a dog interested in your picnic contents.

I didn't write 'grab' the dog, I wrote 'shoo' or move away' which you could have done had you actually stood up. It makes little sense to me that you both just sat there, because your picnic was on the table, while a dog jumped chaotically about you and your baby.

The dog ought to have been on a lead if it is known to jump up at people and food but I can't understand why you just both sat there while this dog was all around you and with it's paws on your baby.

The kicking the dog could have been avoided had you moved away. And to do that, you'd have needed to stand up.

I’ve heard of people being bitten. I’ve certainly seen news reports etc.

But I’ve never actually known anyone personally who has been bitten by a dog. And I know a lot of dogs.

I’ve said repeatedly I do not know. I said it was larger than a spaniel but had ears like one. Possibly a mix. People have assumed it was a spaniel because I used the size of a spaniel for reference to say that it was larger than one.

So it was a spaniel mix.

Still not a tiger.