to be alarmed that more and more places are allowing dogs?

Shops, I have no issue with at all. It's quite common in continental Europe to see dogs in shops.

Pubs, mainly fine. I think it's quite nice to be able to take the dog out for a walk and call in for a beer on your way home. I don't have a dog, but imagine that if I did, I'd enjoy doing this!

However, as usual, it's the owners who ruin everything. We went to an outdoor fish and chip place recently and had to listen to ear-splitting incessant yapping from a shit little dog whilst its idiot owner tried to reason with it to stop. Honestly, this stupid woman was bending over, talking to it, picking it up and 'shhhing' it as you would a small child. I was embarrassed for her.

I complained to the manager and got some money off my bill, so it was handled well by the cafe, just irritating when I make sure that DS sits quietly and doesn't piss anyone off to have to listen to some moron's dog.

A friend of a friend had to put ‘no pets’ on her wedding invites. Someone had already asked if they could bring their dog!

Leave it at home then.

@CentrifugalBumblePuppy even on leads, some owners seem to think if they move out of the way on a narrow path, they're out of the way. But no, their massive labrador is still blocking the whole pavement, and they look at you expecting you to walk on the road to get round it.

Think it started with people carrying small dogs in and dogs in dog prams etc. So if they allow them one's in they have to allow them all. I can understand elderly if they're not wanting to go out twice to walk they're dog and do shopping. It's no longer acceptable to leave them tied up outside like we used to. There's a risk someone will take them or someone is cruel to them.

I am fairly sure M & S don’t allow dogs. I just googled it.

This is simple supply-and-demand. If there is the demand for it and businesses lose out to others if they don't, then of course they'll allow dogs.

If it gets to the point where people want a dog-free place, then some businesses will cater to that.

It's simply a business decision. People seem to take dogs/no-dogs very personally, which leads to all sorts of emotionally charged arguments.

If you want to go to a restaurant without babies and toddlers around, go after a certain time in the evening.

If you don't want to go to a restaurant with loads of dogs ar....oh wait never mind, they're fucking everywhere, at any time of day.

I’m the owner of 2 huge dogs. The only shop we take our dogs inside is Pets at Home (for our vet & our P@H has a specialist doodle groomer who is much cheaper & more competent than our last private groomer).

We do visit pubs & cafes with the boys, but they are always a) on leads & b) outside, sitting quietly or laying under the table, away from others.

I don’t see the appeal of dragging your dog around Wilko’s on a shopping trip. Shopping bores the tits off me on a good day, a dog watching you browse paint & knick knacks in a shop is hardly an enrichment activity!

The only dogs that need to constantly be with their owners are guide & service/therapy dogs, who will be in a working capacity. Don’t even get me started on the number of off lead or untrained dogs bothering working dogs in harnesses; it melts my brain that some dog owners can’t differentiate between a working dog & their little, yappy thing on a string mutt. Likewise people who let their dogs off lead around livestock because they see well trained collies herding the sheep & think it’s ok to add their pet dog into the throng.

There has definitely been an uptick in poor dog ownership thanks to lockdown purchased pups not being trained or socialised, who are now bored & becoming unmanageable or destructive if left alone for a couple of hours.

Also, there are a large number of dogs still running around off lead to chase the waterfowl at our local lake & reserve despite signs everywhere about keeping dogs on a lead, especially during breeding season. I don’t know if people are just so stupid they can’t foresee why a dog needs to be kept on a lead around new chicks, or they’re just selfish bastards who feel entitled to let their dog cause carnage off lead.

As a dog owner, this selfish behaviour drives me utterly hatstand.

Sounds like a very small amount of milk chocolate (unless your child likes 70 percent). For a small dog, anything over two squares of Lint 70 Percent could be dangerous. At least there’s one advantage of most chocolate only having its cocoa content reduced.

I am all for it
I hope they start banning parents with annoying baby's and toddlers next 😁

Sadly not - the rabid dog haters seem to hang out mostly in the Dog House section. It's weird. Like, fair enough if your default setting is ALL DOGS SHOULD DIE, but why hang out with people who, you know, actually like 'em?

For the poster who asked since when did dogs hanging out at human places become a thing: several millennia ago, my love. The only interspecies relationship on the planet. They evolved with us, we evolved with them.

I'm sorry, but did you just compare children to dogs?

You can leave a dog at home. You can't leave a child at home.

YANBU. Puts me right off my food. But it's up to each place to decide how they cater for their customers.

I am not a dog lover but can certainly appreciate the joy they bring to folk, and enrich their lives.

We have a lovely local dog friendly pub near us. Great for a stop on the big dog walking route. Lots of knackered dogs, and I'm quite happy to see a snoozy or chilled out dog sitting under a table. What I don't like is the dogs who are constantly on alert or the little yappy bastards. I watched one lady last weekend spend 2 entire hours holding her dog's lead as it was tense, standing, constantly mobile and pulling the whole time. It obviously wasn't happy or comfortable in the surroundings, but 'he's friendly' was called more times than I was comfortable with.

Theres a time and place for dogs, and I think owners need too be more aware of how happy their dog is to be in places they're not used to.

Because if she's out with us I don't have to watch the clock. We often build in a cafe as part of a weekend walk and travel a bit further away. And because she's a member of the family and I adore her.

Mumsnet is batshit, I agree.

I rarely see/hear anyone in real life who has an issue with dogs or kids. People just get on with their life. When you come across one of these nutty people who are vocal about their dislike of dogs or kids and they’re moaning about it, most people roll their eyes or smirk because those types come across as complete weirdos.

Plenty of places that do here as well as even more that don’t (I’m in west wales so lots of countryside places that cater for dog walkers or people bringing their dog on holiday). Different places need to cater for both people who can’t be/don’t want to be around dogs and dog lovers imo. I don’t really understand the issue, people who don’t like dogs can go to places where they aren’t allowed and people who do bring the dog can go where they are. However, perhaps there’s suddenly lots of areas with only dog friendly places? I can’t imagine that though, even our local botanical gardens (mainly outside) only allow them on a specific day on a lead and not in the inside areas.

I do appreciate how difficult it must be for some with very serious allergies, but it is for anyone with a disability - lots of forward planning etc. I know with my husband’s mobility issues there’s plenty of phoning ahead and so on to check if the location will work for us.

I watched a documentary on either John Lewis or Peter Jones and was surprised to see a woman and her dog in the store. The dog proceeded to do a shit and the owner walked off without a worry and a poor member of staff had to clean it up. Should have rubbed the owner's nose in it!!!

Don't dog owners belong in the grassy knoll of the Dog House section? Leave AIBU to us who have to skirt around dog shit.

I adore dogs, I've had several myself. BUT I don't much care for entitled dog owners. Why are dogs no longer allowed to just be left at home?

oh yay. Another dog thread. I'm unclear how it's entitled to take my dog places they're allowed. I only go to places that state they are dog friendly and check if there's specific tables/areas they'd prefer my to use.
My pup loves going to a cafe. They had a special dog menu and blankets the last place we ate. She was a paying customer!

Come to Italy! Dogs are allowed everywhere (including pharmacies and shopping centres) and it’s wonderful. I’ve never seen any problems with dogs making a mess or being noisy in cafes etc because owners are generally considerate.

So what's an appropriate dog space where they get priority?

It’s really not great when you have a family full of dog allergies.

Also I love dogs but obviously can’t have one in the house due to said allergies and I hate to tell you all this, but however lovely your dogs are they smell. I assume it’s nose blindness that you get used to the smell, and some are worse than others I presume due to breed/ fur type but they do.

I do live meeting a nice, relaxed dog who I am allowed to fuss a bit when I am out so I am contradicting myself though 😁 if your poor dog is a wee uncontrollable stress ball ffs think about it first though will you!