NEED TO KNOW
A mom was left in shock when a fellow restaurant customer's dog bit her son, and the eatery didn't take any action
In a post on Mumsnet, she recalled the dog's owner apologizing and asking if her son was bleeding before continuing with their meal
"I don't want the dog put down or anything, but surely there should be consequences for the owners?" said the mom
A mother is furious that a restaurant took no action when a fellow customer's dog bit her son.
The mom explained in a post on the community forumMumsnetthat she and her family sat in thedog-friendly sectionwhen they went out for a family lunch. They noticed a terrier at the table behind where they were seated after it barked at a waiter.
Moments later, the sound of her son's chair scraping the floor when he got up to go to the restroom must've startled the animal as it jumped up and bit him. "He hadn't trodden on it or anything, just startled," the mom said."Settled son, no skin broken, and the owners just seemed to want to pretend it hadn't happened," she recalled. "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."
The mom said she was left in shock, and if it had been her dog, she would've immediately taken it out of the restaurant.
Having chosen to continue their lunch "rather than make a fuss," the mom said she later discussed the incident with a friend who argued it should've been reported regardless of her son's injury not being severe.
"I don't want the dog put down or anything, but surely there should be consequences for the owners?" the mom said. "If their dog gets stressed in places like restaurants, they maybe shouldn't bring the dog?"
Several responses to the post confessed they avoid eateries that permit dogs, while others were in disbelief at the reaction of the canine's owner.
"I love going places with my dog but they shouldn't be in establishments selling food," one person said. "Can't believe the owners were so dismissive! Hope your son is okay."
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"I think the restaurant should have asked the dog owner to leave if they weren't leaving of their own accord," another wrote. "Even if somewhere is dog-friendly, it doesn't mean it's suitable for all dogs. If a dog is prone to biting, it shouldn't be in a restaurant in the first place."
A third person commented, "They're terrible owners. Their dog was clearly nervous and uncomfortable in the restaurant, but they made him stay and inevitably, he reacted to your son. They should've apologized properly and then gotten the poor dog out of there."
"I can't stand people who treat their dogs like this, it's so selfish," the same person continued. "I hope your son is ok and doesn't feel nervous around dogs going forward. 💐And yes, you can certainly contact the restaurant to report the incident."
Someone else quizzed the mom about her expectations and argued that perhaps the owners would learn without her escalating the situation.
"What would you like them to have done? Your son wasn't hurt, you incurred no damage or expenses," the individual said. "They apologized for their dog and hopefully will not take the dog in a busy environment unmuzzled again."
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