Was I just a horrible insane mum?

NO, what you said was a valid point and you backed it up with evidence, now you know for sure your daughter won't let him off the lead. Little girls will cry over anything, it's not a big deal at all, if they are crying over something stupid like this then just ignore them or tell them to calm down or they might make it a habit!

Tell your daughter to chill - "When I was your age I had already killed seven men, maybe you should grow up" - Zohan

You are not a bad mum. You are a great mum. In fact, if anything, I would say that your daughter was being extremely uncaring and nasty towards him in saying that if another dog bit him, it wouldn't be too bad. How would she like it if someone said that they didn't care if she got bullied by someone or some group?

I would go and tell her that there is nothing wrong with allowing to go off the lead in a safe, secure place once he has been trained to always come when called. Please don't ever let anyone allow him to be off-lead in public until he has been trained to come back and you can actually find a place like the one that I described above.

Tell your daughter that he should be okay as long as he is not allowed off-lead when there are other dogs who are aggressive/defensive and are not muzzled, the chances of him ever being attacked like that by another dog when out in public are slim. If it happens anywhere else, there will probably either be someone who will be able to separate them and/or call a vet if one of them is badly hurt or it will be at a location that will be within the hearing range of someone who will be able to calm things down and help them if any or either of the dogs get hurt.

If the small dog that you saw being attacked was okay afterwards, or survived and was, presumably, able to live happily, healthily and safely afterwards, you could also try telling her this. Just knowing that he/she was able to live like this after the attack might reassure her a little bit.

Best of luck.

I don't think it was horrible you told her the story with good intention, because if your dog doesn't come back then it shouldn't go off the lead, as you have mentioned it is only going to be bad for your dog.

Explain to her that if you train it then it will come back and so it won't get attacked by other dogs, and not all big dogs are mean so not all will attack her dog (the last thing you want is for her to get a phobia of any other dog than her own, as her dog will pick up on it and so might act frightened of other dogs and this can cause aggression and conflict between dogs)

I also suggests talking to her dad about letting it off the lead before it is trained as it will only develop bad habits that have to be unlearnt later when you are training (We took on two rescue dogs as adults and both had some seriously bad habits that had to be unlearnt first, which meant it took longer to train them). (One of them used to chase squirrels for ages off the lead, so he had almost 1 year of walks only on a lead, which was hard, but now he does come back and we can let him off the lead)

(I'm only speaking from my point of view here (and I'm 18), thinking of my two dogs and my little brother who is 9 years old)

Your not a bad mum at all! If you had let your pup off the lead and it got killed think how much more your child would be crying then!!! My dogs have been trained to come when called for ages, but I still don't like to let them off much to be honest. Only if there are no other dogs around and if it's not close to a road or very busy area. You were being a great mum to your daughter and your dog as well :-)

I can't imagine handling it any differently. Yeah, it's a scary and emotional story - but it's a true one.

There are things in this world that we just have to exercise caution with. The world just isn't 100% SAFE and we have to protect the things that we hold dear (such as the puppy).

You are correct - the puppy needs to learn a solid recall before being off-lead. Ever. I'll tell you: my 2 year old little mutt has a solid recall and I still don't let her off leash near dangerous roads/people/animals. Sure, she'd probably be fine but she's really fast, super curious, and it only takes one time for something horrible to happen.

No you care about your child and the puppy. You don't want the puppy to get hurt which is what could happen if he's let off the lead without knowing re-call and you don't want your daughter to lose her puppy or see him get hurt (think about how much more damage that would do than a scare-story). She will grow out of wanting to keep him on the lead also, especially when he's good at recall and she realises that. You're not psycho at all, you're just a good parent :)

Judging with the aid of what i'm reading there would be a few problems here. Firstly there is most likely some mental problems going on there. Frequently depression for one and possible disorders with insecurities and over controlling. On account that you are switched on, google up SANE or beyond Blue. These are two one stop shops for men and women with mental health issues. In case your mum would not get this sorted out and child services discover, it would finish badly. On the other facet of the coin with the intention to speak this is not the first-rate environment so that you can develop up in and it sounds find it irresistible is getting the simpler of you as well. But as you grow up and see the sector, it turns into rather less horrifying whenever you find your feet and stamp your possess position on this planet. Good good fortune on helping your mum and hope it all seems good for you kiddo!

You're not a horrible mum:)

If you want to train your dog to come back try introducing a small treat for every time the puppy comes back. Also, teach your puppy to 'stop'. You can do this when the puppy is on the lead and gently make the puppy stop and say the word clearly. Then give him/her a treat!

Worked with my dogs!

I wouldn't say that you are a horrible mum for saying that but you could have been a little more sensitive about it. Just say to her that once you have trained the dog to come to you when you call him that he will be safe to be let off the lead. Remember, she is only young so try not to frighten her too much with stories like that.

Hope this helped.

Not even closely. Your child cried, ok it's not the end of the world. And yes she should fear what can happen when a dog goes off the leash. There is though a difference between having a healthy fear of something and a unhealthy fear.

As for you being psycho no not even close. You can't hide your child from the dangers of the world, that not prepare them for it. Too me that is bad parenting

No, you are not even a bad mom, you warned your kid about a real danger, was objective, did not give too many (gory) details, but got your point to her.

About being afraid of leaving the puppy out of the leash, she should, as I said, the danger you warned her about IS real, and not just with other dogs, but also with cars.

Good job.