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

I'm Team Dog. I wish they'd stop allowing people to most places! 😉🐕

I feel like COVID and lockdown produced a lot of bad dog owners who never did separation work with their dogs so can't leave them alone for fear they'll destroy the house. My three can be happily left for hours if necessary, they just loaf on the sofa until we get back.

Yes, definitely. Plus the increase in the idea that it is cruel to leave a dog home alone for more than an hour / two hours. So of course they have to go everywhere with the owner then! Our dog is fine at home. We built up the time she could be left from puppyhood and she will simply sleep (usually on our bed because she can get away with it if we're out) all day if she's left alone. Much better than dragging her around busy, noisy places with loads of people and other animals stressing her out. But I've been accused of animal cruelty on here for saying that dogs can be left at home during the day and been told I've caused my dog to have depression (because she sleeps so much!). Bonkers.

I'm a dog owner but I think it's very unhygienic taking dogs into places where you eat (aside from assistance dogs who are well trained etc). I would find it stressful myself with my dog sat begging for food and trying to play with all the other dogs.

Plus other people might not want it when they are trying to eat.

dog entitlement people,

I am a dog lover and owner but l think that dogs should not be allowed in shops or cafés except for guide dogs and obvious assistance dogs. It is unhygienic and many people are afraid of dogs.

SliceOfCakeCupOfTea
Of course I do but there is rarely any cafes left that don't allow dogs in our area so we rarely
Eat out anymore. I had to move out of the queue in iceland this morning because of a pug tucked under someone's arm.
I'm really sad that my son cannot join in much anyway and now we can't do the things we'd like to do. Even finding a holiday that didn't allow dogs was really hard work.
So yes I do. All the time. But it should t be this hard.

I don't think dogs belong in cafes etc. Recently, I was out for a meal and a dog peed all over the floor. I thought that was disgusting

Agree

I find it odd and quite unbelievable that no one on MN has ever encountered a dog that wasn't untrained and out of control. Not saying they don't exist, but MN only ever experience badly trained dogs.

Or more likely, all dogs can appear out of control when you actively hate them enough to start constant anti dog threads.

So presumably you exclusively take your child to non-dog friendly places then and you check if somewhere is dog friendly?

Same way dogs should be controlled and not barking/running about/bothering people eating I believe children shouldn't be screaming/running about/ bothering people eating in restaurants etc either. Both are annoying. And if there was loads of either happening I would not go/leave. Quiet, well generally behaved versions of either are fine.

You have missed the point. When I go out to eat, I have no dogs with me, ever. A toddler wandering around dropping food in a cafe is an irritant and potential hazard to people. There’s no issue about whether they come before my dogs because I don’t put my dogs in the kind of environment where they’ll have to deal with unsupervised toddlers.
But I guess that’s irrelevant because you were dying to say that and weren’t going to let my actual words influence you 🙄

Yeah they are part of the gang that starts the weekly "why is everyone so mean and nasty" threads as well.

People can always vote with their feet. I personally would have no desire to eat in an establishment that allowed any dogs, other than assistance dogs in them.

It’s simply a business decision. No one is forced to go to these places.

It's disgusting. I have a three year old who has severe complex needs and cannot be in an environment with dogs in. People shrug and say 'I'd rather be with dogs than kids' but humans aren't deathly allergic to other humans. My son is deathly allergic to dogs. I've witnessed several dog fights/disagreement because dogs fight over food. It must be awful for the animals. It's warm, sometimes too warm for a fur coated animal in a cafe and smells nice but I'd imagine confusing, then there are other dogs in a confined space. It's just horrible.

I don't like dogs but then I don't like going out much either! So problem solved. I just wouldn't go to any food establishment that allows dogs. I don't shop on the high street anymore so it doesn't really make a difference to me.

Perhaps they've been out for a walk and stopped off on the way home? Perhaps they've just picked them up from the poodle parlour and it's too hot to leave them in the car? Perhaps they're visiting someone overnight and brought their dog with them and don't want to leave them alone in a strange house?

Loads of reasons.

Our local shopping centre (indoor mall) introduced a dog-friendly policy earlier this year. I hate it. There are constantly dogs barking at each other and the noise echoes around the place, most of the dogs in there seem to be poorly (or, not at all!) trained and spend most of their time straining to get off the lead or jumping up at people who walk past.
I don't want to sit in a café and have a strange dog nosing at my table (which is what happened last time). My son is really scared of dogs (after an incident with an aggressive, untrained dog that got in to our garden when he was younger) & he no longer wants to go to the shopping centre as he's worried about all the dogs there.

@Tlolljs well I don’t think it’s necessarily that dog walkers are out just to go to Wilko. It’s often that you’re out walking the dog and will pop into a shop rather than have to make a separate trip, which you would if you couldn’t take the dog in (or just not go, and not spend the money). I take my dog into dog friendly shops on the way to/from a walk in the park.

Because sometimes it's easier

Dog owners make up a large portion of people that holiday in the UK. You can't leave your dog in many types of accommodation eg tents and many hotels /holiday let's have rules against leaving dogs. Thus if you want to go for a meal on those holidays or a shop, the dogs probably coming with

Many times it's just easier, if on my dog walk I walk past a shop then it's handy to pop in or a restaurant. I'm unlikely to go home, drop my dog off and come back. I'm more likely to drive to bigger shops. If you want to catch passing trade, and are in a place where that trade has dogs then it makes sense

Previously people left them in boots, or tied up outside but now dog theft is high, people don't do that

Sometimes it's also to reduce alone time for the dog. If my dog has been left while I'm at work, then I wouldn't leave them again that day to go out for dinner.

I don't always take my dog, and have more meals without them but sometimes I do take them because it's easier. I don't begrudge places that don't allow dogs but I'm just less likely to visit them.

Allowing children in pubs and cafes is ill thought out because it's fine if it's one toddler sleeping but easily gets out of hand with 5-10 kids running about

That makes way more sense

I don't mind quiet dogs that just stay under their table. But in many cases they don't. I've seen 2 small dogs barking like mad at each other and owners hanging on to them while trying to drink coffee. I've had a small puppy sniffing round under my table/ my legs etc. Not on a lead and owner not paying any attention as just chatting with her friend. I just want to eat in peace without a dog under my table and sniffing and the risk of it peeing everywhere. If it was under her table not moving it wouldn't have bothered me. I've had a dog on a long lead come right up to my table and try and take food off our plates. When I lifted the plates up and looked at the owners they were laughing saying oh he's so greedy, but not making any attempt to pull him away. These are the issues people have. Just keep your dog under your table and most (not all obviously) won't have a huge issue. I've seen dogs on long leads in shops so you can't get past as it spans across the whole aisle. I don't want to bothered by anything (including pets, children, random adults whatever) while I'm eating in a cafe. I don't want to do an obstacle course round leads and dogs playing while I'm shopping. If everyone just kept their pets close to them and were aware of what they were doing any stopped them bothering people/ getting in the way MOST people wouldn't be as bothered by them being there.

I wouldn't frequent somewhere that allowed dogs so I guess they're okay with alienating some customers because they'll win over others. Their right as a business of course, just not for me.

Most people don't mind a poodle or a little bichon frise or a lab... bit tricky when people start bringing in XL Bullies and Dobermans/Rottweilers. I'm sure they'll change their tune then when that inevitably happens.