Soooooooo many dog threads

See that's exactly the description I'd use for the anti-dog nutters on here. And I've never had a dog.

Nothing more boring than dog bores 😴

Yes, you are probably right. We were all looking forward to everything being amazing and retuning to normal after the lockdowns, to be slapped by this cost of living crisis and our outgoings being greater than out income.

Fair enough. But I do love dogs, and it is upsetting seeing dogs and their owners being scapegoated.

I love my dogs, like someone else mentioned seeing them run with ears flying in the wind is epic,cheers me up!
I go to a puppy play every weekend and it's the most fun,lots of cuddly,muddy,slobbering pups all wanting fuss and jumming all over me(some even barge right into me when im not looking!)
I think non dog owners are a bit up tight!(I never fully trust someone who doesn't like dogs)😉

Yes, this!

Can’t walk my dog (on lead) in the park after work now the weather is nicer because we get harassed got unsupervised children trying to grab him 😫

ChatGPT. Clue's in the name.

#CatsTakingOverTheInternet

I've not read the comments but it's because the sun is out, it brings the wanky walkers out! Avoiding them is near impossible so I taser them in my head. We live in a tourist area so every walk has dobbers this time of year.
My dogs hate it too 🤣

I agree with @Ontopofthesunset. I don’t think it’s fair to assume that everyone who complains about a particular dog related issue hates dogs. I don’t own a dog, but my SIL has two and they are not particularly well trained, so I have quite a few complaints about them (AND her - specifically her total ineffectiveness at keeping them under control.) My neighbour has three rescue dogs and they are all adorable. Yes, we hear them barking from time to time - dogs do that - but they are beautifully behaved and I like giving them a fuss.

I can still have a moan about being jumped up at by various dogs when I’m out running/walking, which doesn’t happen all the time, but certainly enough to be irritating and to make me wary. And I can have a moan about the amount of dog shit left on the pavement. Does ANYbody think it’s ok? And a moan about how SOME dog owners don’t understand why I don’t love their pet on sight. I also don’t like doggy slobbers😬

But, honestly, I don’t hate dogs.

I think we need to find some middle ground here. We need to accept that some dog owners are a problem, but that we also shouldn't be demonising all dogs/owners.

I have several largish dogs. All have done basic obedience, are kept on leads unless in an enclosed dog-friendly space or a large enough space that I can see anyone coming from miles away, all have excellent recall (if in doubt they stay on leads), I always pick up poop, I never let them jump up or approach people or other animals without their agreement. I would support a scheme that would promote responsible ownership - license, basic training, insurance requirement, etc. I didn't see that my dogs pose any problems to anyone, despite their size, even when my DC were small, and find the amount of hate levelled at all dogs and their owners really sad.

But. We do need to address the problems of our of control dogs. There are some owners who do let their dogs off lead when they shouldn't, don't have recall, don't pick up poop, don't do any training, don't supervise when with children, etc. I live in the country, with fields behind us, with a right of way the other side, and see so many dogs allowed to run through the farmers crops, running up to on lead dogs, chasing horses and cyclists. It's a really big problem.

I'm not a massive fan of bull breeds myself, but have worked around animals long enough to know that just banning the XL breed won't fix the problem. Before XL was a thing it was pit bulls that were the problem, and before them it was rottweilers, dobermans, and even German Shepherds. If you ban XLs without dealing with the owners, they will just move on to another 'impressive' breed. I own one of the breeds previously considered an issue, and have met many more. And owned and trained correctly, they are not usually an issue. It is the owners who are the problem. That is the bit we need to fix.

But it would be nice to seek a balance - less black and white, less dogs are angels/demons, and more understanding the nuances of the problem and that it's not a simple fix.

It's what's known as a 'trending topic'. Just like any other.

I think the hate should be towards irresponsible owners rather than the dogs. As a 9 year old, I was bitten rather badly by an out of control German Shepherd. We owned one, and my mom used to breed them so i knew that these are smart dogs and require smart owners. Not all people should have these big dogs. But as someone hurt by a dog the fear is always there and theres nothing worse for me that seeing a big dog off the lead in the park etc. I freeze with fear, and would never own a dog as an adult as i really dont trust them

Likely because of the worrying increase in serious dog attacks since the COVID lockdowns. Some breeds are very obviously not suitable as pets. Given the wrong circumstances all can turn, but some are capable of inflicting a great deal more damage.

The dogs are not at fault - dogs are lovely animals and faithful companions - it's some of their very irresponsible, downright inconsiderate owners who are the problem. Case in point: the aeriated thread on this site in which people thought it a-okay to throw their animal's shit in someone else's wheelie-bin.

Dogs are better than a lot of the humans who own them, that's for sure.

There is increasing negativity lately, but times are hard and lots of people are struggling (despite the denial of some very vocal posters). So I’m wondering if that’s behind all the negative posts.

That is it.
Dog owners say ' oh my baby woulldn't hurt a fly' until they rip someone's arm/leg/face off or kill them.

There’s a lot of negativity going on on MN.

I suppose complaining is enjoyable and dogs/dog owners are a new apparently legitimate thing to complain about.

’I honk it’s the same four or five posters who really hate dogs. ‘

Yes. Yes that’s right. Only five posters hate dogs. Everyone else adores them.
The denial is strong 😂

Blame the pandemic imo - it was definitely a driver in the rate of dog ownership which has certainly risen - people will now experience a greater number of dog interactions and the number of these that cause a negative experience or issue will therefore increase

Well I love your pooches!

All their delightful, four-legged, show-offy outpacing of me when I go for a run.

They literally runs rings around me 😂

I honk it’s the same four or five posters who really hate dogs.

I wish they’d get a life and a spaniel or two, just to cheer up their sad days.

This is what I find too! The hate for dogs on mumsnet doesn’t seem to transfer to real life! So I agree a lot of the dog haters on here are probably just very tense about life in general and it’s just another thing for them to vent about.

I’ve always wanted a dog, but I don’t think I could stick out the required commitment. It changes your whole lifestyle. I also wouldn’t like the kinds of mind games you have to play with them so they are obedient.

I think it is because during the pandemic loads of people bought dogs and treated them as some sort of surrogate child so never trained them properly and also some became bored with them after lockdown when they had other things to do.
I haven't posted anything about dogs but totally understand people's frustrations. Especially at those dog owners who seem to think their dogs are more important than people. I even read a post that said their dog was more important than anyone else's child! That can never be the case.

I noticed there are more too but equally I noticed there have been so many more incidents lately aswell!

You just need one dog owner to not pick up after their dog and an entire street can have mess all the way along it.

The fifty people clearing up after their dogs aren’t going to register with anyone.

You said it better than I could! Absolute nutters on MN when it comes to dogs.

OP I just hide the threads. Unfortunately for every one I hide, 2 come back in its place.