Silliest place you’ve seen a dog owner take their dog

Only the ones with a reputation for being posh in my experience. The dog count at Exeter was very high (mostly spaniels, poodle mixes and labradors), and absolutely none at London universities.

Off lead in open fields when it’s very obviously lambing season 🙄

😂Hilarious!

The hairdresser a couple of weeks ago . Dog barked every time a hairdryer started !

Yes. That's really the issue. It's a recent thing to have dogs in cafes, shops etc. the numbers and situations have increased. A well behaved dog is no problem, but sadly many are not, and it just seems amplified with numbers.

I wish I could claim to have seen a dog on the Inaccessible Pinnacle on Skye with my own eyes, but I'd be fibbing. There are credible reports out there, though.

I like that story.

My last two workplaces we had staff members dogs come in (always senior staff though- no dogs belonging to the lowly).

In my past workplace the dog- a lovely soft lab bit another staff member and that was that. The job role of the staff member who was bitten? Safeguarding officer.

Business owners disagree, which is why they allow it.

Really you think this is unusual? I’ve taken ponies, dogs, and an alpaca to funerals at the wishes of their owners.

In a field of sheep with young lambs. Big notices asking people "please keep your dog on a lead" completely ignored.
Why?
I genuinely don't get it.

But for those of us who walk to school (especially through parks) it’s an efficient way of getting the dog walked before work. At our school, teachers are at the gates, and happy to keep an eye on any dogs tied up to make sure they don’t get stolen whilst you nip in and see the kids away.

It’s not owners disregarding rules some cafe encourage dogs for the extra business. If you don’t like it there are plenty of dog free cafes to choose. I don’t like children being left to roam and wipe their germs over tables in cafes so I choose places they are unlikely to go to. Establishment owners make the decisions as to the clientele they allow not entitled dog haters.

MN is not suddenly anti dog. Any anti dog sentiment correlates with the sudden rise in dogs everywhere. There is no need for dogs to be in restaurants, clothing stores and supermarkets.

@Pandacrazedchild I know they’re a dog friendly shop, but a lot of owners don’t consider if there dog is department store friendly.

I didn’t say that. I said in a roundabout way that there may have been a reason why. Most parents want to take their kids to open days and sometimes things don’t go to plan, and it is better to take the dog than leave it for a long period of time. Or maybe your life always runs perfectly?!

Sat next to a dog on a long packed bus journey to the seaside, it was a boiling hot day, the dog had travel sickness.

I couple of weeks back in my local M&S food hall too. I wouldn't have dreamed of taking a non working dog in there! I was disgusted and I'm a dog owner myself. As an ex retail worker who has had to clean up all sorts of spillages I wonder if dog wee or worse is something shop workers find these days???

I work in a convenience store and the amount of dog owners who are shocked we don’t want their dog walking around our shop, at nose/slobber height with our food displays. “We can’t leave it outside someone might steal it!” Erm… why don’t one of you stay outside with it while the other shops then? Apparently hasn’t occurred to them.

I don’t think this thread is anti dog at all (or the one the other day about dogs in cafes). I adore dogs and have had them all my life. I used to be delighted to find a dog-friendly cafe or pub where I could sit with them after a walk but since lockdown and the rise in dog-ownership, there is also a rise in the level of entitlement of some thinking they should be able to take their dogs everywhere.

Most places including shops, restaurants, attractions etc have always limited entry to service-dogs only for many sensible reasons - hygiene, allergies, comfort of everyone etc.

These rules are now being disregarded by some (not all) incompetent and selfish dog owners. I saw a dog sitting at a cafe table the other day licking crumbs off it. That is disgusting by anyone’s standards and how any dog owner can think that’s acceptable I don’t know.

It’s just about common courtesy to others and considering carefully what’s appropriate and also fair to the dog.

John Lewis are a dog friendly shop though, so if you don't like it don't go.

I'm not anti-dog I'm anti irresponsible dog owners who believe their dog is akin to a child and therefore must go everywhere the owner goes.

Dogs are unhygienic, smelly animals (I still feel sick every time I remember my friends dog furiously slurping at its bollocks and my friend joking "oh, he has a yeast build up and likes the taste", and then letting said dog lick his face after 🤢) and most dog species were originally working animals, and we should keep that separation of "people spaces" and "animal friendly spaces".

You don't see cat owners taking their cats everywhere, but dog owners seem to think they don't have to be reasonable.

Dogs are animals, not children.

Not sure what some of you would make of my rabbits in a pram in home bargains. It's not often. But it's on the way back from the vets so I occasionally pop in on the way home to grab a bag of nuggets/treats if they've not kicked the vet in the face.

There was someone carrying their dog in a bag at the Edinburgh museum science festival event last week. It was so busy, hot and noisy, totally not a fun place for a dog to be. I love dogs but this annoys me because the science festival is an event for children and many children are frightened of or allergic to dogs including my son who then was uncomfortable and not wanting to join in. There was no need for the dog to be there, no benefit at all to the dog. It's pure selfishness of the owner.

Oh that’s easy! Fenton - the un-recall-able dog in Richmond Park chasing deer!

We have a sighthound, and live near both Richmond and Bushy parks (they both have herds of deer). Because of this, we haven’t visited either park in the time we’ve had our DDog, as IMO it would be cruel to “taunt” her with the prey that she has been bred to chase. So we stick to the paths and woods mainly, and she is only let off-lead if we are in an enclosed field to do her zoomies (and then only after she has done her business first).

I’ve taken our dog to a fireworks display. They aren’t at all bothered by fireworks so why not? It’s outside in a park.