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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think dogs shouldn't be in pubs?

370 replies

Orangesinthebag · 01/01/2025 09:47

Yesterday I went to the pub for an afternoon NY Eve drink and couldn't believe the number of people who brought their dog (sometimes two dogs!) with them.

Why is this such a thing now? Can't dogs be left alone any more?
A couple of the dogs were growling at each other and owners were having to drag them apart.
It happens all the time these days - pubs, cafes, restaurants, shops but only a few years ago it would have been so weird and only guide dogs were allowed into places, especially places serving food.

I love dogs but I know several people who are scared of them & find it difficult to have to encounter them everywhere these days.

Is it unreasonable to think dogs should be kept at home?

(Sorry could add a poll for some reason)

OP posts:
satsumaqueen · 01/01/2025 11:15

Tara336 · 01/01/2025 10:54

@satsumaqueen my dog is tiny, weighs 3kg and is tucked into a sling usually. I don't take her shopping and she has been in one restaurant and slept soundly on my lap while I ate. She was taken on that occasion for convenience and I deliberately sought out a dog friendly restaurant.

But I will take her to dog friendly cafes and will seek them out because having the comfort of her with me means I do feel confident enough to go out and meet a friend. This has made a big difference to me, I have checked and I could register her as a service dog, I just haven't done so because I either leave the house with her or my DH so that I'm not alone, but having DDog means I now go out more often and I have been told by my nurse that her patients that have dogs do seem to be healthier physically and mentally because they are more active and able to socialise.

I haven't suggested dogs have more rights than humans, but there are a lot of people like me who have an improved life experience because they have the comfort of an animal with them. Obviously I can't answer for every dog owner that has their dog with them in unexpected places but I have explained why my dog is with me.

@Tara336 see you’ve completely missed the point I was making and taken it personally which is what too many people do. I wasn’t asking you to justify why you take your dog out, I’m sure your dog is very well behaved, but the reality is the majority of dogs aren’t and the majority of owners aren’t responsible.

I was simply saying that you take your dog out because it’s a comfort and makes you feel confident, but there will be other people sitting near you who feel uncomfortable that your dog is there. Dog owners often seem to forget that their wants, needs and sense of entitlement do not surpass someone elses.

We have to learn to live with each other but it’s becoming increasingly difficult for people who don’t like or are allergic to dogs to be able to exist comfortably as the majority of places around the country seem to allow dogs in.

There should be dog free spaces in my opinion, shops and supermarkets should be dog free permanently as dogs (apart from service animals) do not need to be walking around M&S while their owners buys bananas. They also don’t need to be in clothes shops or DIY shops. Anywhere serving food should be dog free, unless it has enough space to be able to seperate a dog free area like they used to before smoking was banned. That way the people who want to take their dogs out to dinner can do so, but everyone else who doesn’t feel comfortable with it, can also enjoy a meal in peace.

K0OLA1D · 01/01/2025 11:13

YABU

Dogs have been allowed in pubs since forever around here.

I agree if they don't behave then no, they shouldn't be there. But a well behaved one is no problem at all.

Bollocksmorelike · 01/01/2025 11:12

Gymmum82 · 01/01/2025 11:02

I don’t mind dogs in pubs/cafes etc. When they sit quietly under tables and mind their own business.
What I don’t like is entitled owners who think everyone wants to love their dog. I was out in a busy city centre at the weekend in a pub when a couple sat at the table next to us with a dog, straight away said ‘I hope you don’t mind dogs’ then proceeded to allow their dog to jump up all over us until I asked them to remove it.
Then the following day in a cafe a woman allowed her dog to continually bark disturbing other people rather than taking the dog out if it couldn’t behave.
The problem is generally the entitled owners rather than the dogs

Totally agree 👍
If we were all considerate it wouldn’t be a problem.
We take our dogs to pubs/cafes. But we always find a table with a quiet corner for them to lie down, so no risk of getting trodden on or getting in people’s way. They have a mat to lie on and they just snuggle down to rest (with of course lots of tasty treats to reward them for being so good). We absolutely do not let them inconvenience anyone at all.
It’s incredibly frustrating when silly people allow their dogs to run up to them and annoy them, or allow their kids to run up and start grabbing them/screaming in their faces!
Let’s just assume that no one else has come to the pub/cafe wanting to be bothered by someone else’s dogs/kids/husbands 😃 and it’ll be a lot easier to muddle along together.

YouMustBeTheWeasleys · 01/01/2025 11:07

YANBU Op.

I will admit that I am a dog hater and I am also allergic so my views are skewed but people used to just leave them at home. Now people seem to be expect to be able to take them everywhere. It’s shops that really drive me insane.

To be honest I can get over the odd dog in a pub but when you end up with about 10 of them quite frankly it just isn’t safe! They are animals at the end of the day and no matter how well behaved you think your mutt is you cannot guarantee how it will respond to situations and the impact of this on other people.

TheaBrandt · 01/01/2025 11:07

I am so quite indifferent to dogs don’t mind them bit it’s got ridiculous now so many people have them. We were having a family brunch and two customers dogs were barking at each other and trying to have a fight. Felt like we were eating in flipping Battersea dogs home 🙄🙄

ShesNotACowShesAFox · 01/01/2025 11:03

Personally I’d ban all but service dogs (not including “emotional support animals”, buying a vest off Amazon and saying you need your dog does not a service dog make) being in pubs, cafes, restaurants etc. it’s disgusting, shit for people with allergies, and I have more than once found a dog hair floating in my drink on a dog friendly cafe.

As for people who compare dogs to children - you need therapy and the love and respect of a human

Gymmum82 · 01/01/2025 11:02

I don’t mind dogs in pubs/cafes etc. When they sit quietly under tables and mind their own business.
What I don’t like is entitled owners who think everyone wants to love their dog. I was out in a busy city centre at the weekend in a pub when a couple sat at the table next to us with a dog, straight away said ‘I hope you don’t mind dogs’ then proceeded to allow their dog to jump up all over us until I asked them to remove it.
Then the following day in a cafe a woman allowed her dog to continually bark disturbing other people rather than taking the dog out if it couldn’t behave.
The problem is generally the entitled owners rather than the dogs

MyJoyousBiscuit · 01/01/2025 11:00

Crufts is taking place in most middle class drinking establishments (coffee shops absolutely included) up and down the country.

Brace yourself for Christmas pets.

Countries going to the dogs :)

ForMintUser · 01/01/2025 11:00

Pamosonic · 01/01/2025 10:53

They also love to point out how their dog is better behaved than a child, etc.

And you have to put up with their nonsense about it being “like losing a member of the family” when they die. Then they get another dog about 15 minutes later. So clearly it was replaceable, not like a family member. We didn’t go get ourselves another old lady when my gran died…

unsync · 01/01/2025 10:59

It's not the dogs that are the problem, it's the owners. If the dogs were trained properly, you wouldn't notice them. There's no reason a well trained dog couldn't sit calmly next to their owner or under a table.

I'd rather have dogs in pubs than children. Most dogs are better behaved. Why people think it is acceptable to let their little brat darling run around tables where others are eating and drinking is beyond me.

Tryingtokeepgoing · 01/01/2025 10:58

ExpressCheckout · 01/01/2025 09:51

Personally, I'd prefer a well-behaved dog over a badly behaved child.

I’d prefer fireworks to either 😂

Didimum · 01/01/2025 10:58

MidnightPatrol · 01/01/2025 10:52

Do 90% of places allow dogs?

This is not my experience, as someone with a dog.

I actually think places are getting less dog friendly (particularly restaurants / cafes), as if known as being dog friendly it attracts more people with dogs - which is different to allowing the odd jack Russell that doesn’t look like it will cause any fuss.

Every cafe and pub in my town allows dogs, and the library, and my office. Thankfully I don’t think the supermarket does. The only places that don’t are the upscale restaurants and bars. I’ve lived here 2 years and the town I lived in previously was the same.

Barbie222 · 01/01/2025 10:57

This is why I don't go too much to the pub now, fine when dogs are outside but I can't sit for more than 20 mins if there's a dog indoors. To be fair though I often start sneezing in pubs just because there's a dog or horse owner sitting nearby with a jumper on, the animal doesn't even need to be there!

user2848502016 · 01/01/2025 10:57

Yawn this again....

I have a dog, sometimes I take him to dog friendly places sometimes he stays at home. Lots of places don't allow dogs, maybe you could check before going if it bothers you this much

Whitedoves · 01/01/2025 10:56

Did you go to the same pub as me op?! I also went for a drink and there must have been 15 dogs (huge dogs too). It was difficult keeping a toddler away from the dogs.

ObelixtheGaul · 01/01/2025 10:55

Dogs are allowed in pubs very simply because dog owners are a lucrative market landlords can't turn down. Pub survival is a tough game.

A few years ago the push was 'family friendly' for the same reason. Pubs just weren't surviving on the traditional 'down the pub for a pint' clientele. Many diversified into offering food, kids play areas, blah de blah.

The not just allowing dogs in pubs but actively marketing 'dog friendly' is just another evolution of the pub trade to meet whatever the current popular demand is so they have a cat in hell's chance of staying open.

Tara336 · 01/01/2025 10:54

@satsumaqueen my dog is tiny, weighs 3kg and is tucked into a sling usually. I don't take her shopping and she has been in one restaurant and slept soundly on my lap while I ate. She was taken on that occasion for convenience and I deliberately sought out a dog friendly restaurant.

But I will take her to dog friendly cafes and will seek them out because having the comfort of her with me means I do feel confident enough to go out and meet a friend. This has made a big difference to me, I have checked and I could register her as a service dog, I just haven't done so because I either leave the house with her or my DH so that I'm not alone, but having DDog means I now go out more often and I have been told by my nurse that her patients that have dogs do seem to be healthier physically and mentally because they are more active and able to socialise.

I haven't suggested dogs have more rights than humans, but there are a lot of people like me who have an improved life experience because they have the comfort of an animal with them. Obviously I can't answer for every dog owner that has their dog with them in unexpected places but I have explained why my dog is with me.

OolongTeaDrinker · 01/01/2025 10:54

I agree about shops, cafes and restaurants but dogs have always been allowed in pubs, that’s not a new thing 🤷🏻‍♀️

SprinkleOfSunak · 01/01/2025 10:53

I have always wanted it to be more like France here in regard to the way dogs are allowed pretty much everywhere, and think we are improving but too slowly and it shouldn’t have taken this long either.

I was in John Lewis last week and was so pleasantly surprised to see a few dogs in there on leads as I had no idea they were allowed in.

I really hope everywhere relaxes their rules, and I’m hoping this will help a lot more dogs in shelters to be rehomed, as so many of them can’t be left for very long periods of time and it would enable people to be with their dog more often.

MidnightPatrol · 01/01/2025 10:53

Whatisgoingonheredear · 01/01/2025 10:51

I do wonder where a lot of posters live because there is not one single cafe, pub, or restaurant where I live that does not allow dogs.

And for what it's worth, yes I do have a dog. He will quite happily settle under the table. The issue is when people let their dogs strain on their lead from their table to try and get to him and are surprised when he doesn't like that, or their dogs sit barking at everyone, etc. Because of those dogs causing stress to him when he's just chilling out, we no longer take him with us.

I live in London and I’d say 95% of restaurants will not allow dogs inside.

Occasionally they will tolerate them on the terrace.

It’s actually really quite difficult to find restaurants that allow dogs inside in my experience.

Pamosonic · 01/01/2025 10:53

Dulra · 01/01/2025 10:51

And compare them to children as if it's a choice, dog or child.

They also love to point out how their dog is better behaved than a child, etc.

MidnightPatrol · 01/01/2025 10:52

Didimum · 01/01/2025 10:41

It’s not simple at all. 90% of places allow dogs these days and the messaging of whether they do or not for most businesses is not obvious.

Do 90% of places allow dogs?

This is not my experience, as someone with a dog.

I actually think places are getting less dog friendly (particularly restaurants / cafes), as if known as being dog friendly it attracts more people with dogs - which is different to allowing the odd jack Russell that doesn’t look like it will cause any fuss.

Rocksaltrita · 01/01/2025 10:51

Disgusting and unhygienic. Where does it stop? Bring your pet cat along for dinner? Rat? Budgie? I don’t want a slobbery dog anywhere near me in a setting serving food and drink 🤮 And that’s without the allergies even getting a look in. Pets are not on the same level in the hierarchy as humans.

5128gap · 01/01/2025 10:51

Dogs have always been allowed in some pubs. It's entirely up to the landlord. There's a lot of trade in post dog walk drinks in some areas so they'd suffer if they banned them. There are pubs that don't allow dogs though, so you need to go to those.

Dulra · 01/01/2025 10:51

Pamosonic · 01/01/2025 10:48

People treat pets like children these days. It's all very odd.

And compare them to children as if it's a choice, dog or child.