Mother Is Shocked Restaurant Didn’t Kick Customer Out After Their Dog Bit Her Son: ‘He Hadn’t Trodden on It or Anything’

A mother is speaking out after a fellow customer’s dog bit her young son inside a restaurant — and she says no one took responsibility for what happened.

In a post shared on Mumsnet, she explained that her family chose to sit in the restaurant’s dog-friendly section. A terrier sat at a nearby table, and they first noticed the animal when it barked at a waiter.

Shortly after, her son stood up to go to the restroom. The noise of his chair scraping the floor appeared to startle the dog, which suddenly jumped and bit him.

“He hadn’t trodden on it or anything, just startled,” she wrote. The bite didn’t break the skin, but the family was stunned by the owners’ response.

“Settled son, no skin broken, and the owners just seemed to want to pretend it hadn’t happened,” she recalled. When she confronted them, they simply asked whether he was bleeding and apologized briefly before continuing their meal.

Still shaken, she said that if the roles had been reversed, she would have removed her own dog immediately and informed staff.

She initially chose to finish lunch “rather than make a fuss,” but later mentioned the incident to a friend. The friend insisted that even without a serious injury, the situation should be reported.

“I don’t want the dog put down or anything, but surely there should be consequences for the owners?” she wrote. “If their dog gets stressed in places like restaurants, they maybe shouldn’t bring the dog?”

Commenters on the forum offered mixed reactions. Some said they avoid dog-friendly restaurants altogether. Others expressed disbelief that the owners continued eating without showing serious concern.

“I love going places with my dog but they shouldn’t be in establishments selling food,” one person wrote. “Can’t believe the owners were so dismissive! Hope your son is okay.”

Another said the restaurant should have intervened: “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 different commenter added that the owners showed not only a lack of courtesy but also a lack of care for the dog’s wellbeing: “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.”

Others questioned how far she expected the situation to go.

“What would you like them to have done? Your son wasn’t hurt, you incurred no damage or expenses,” one respondent wrote. “They apologized for their dog and hopefully will not take the dog in a busy environment unmuzzled again.”