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Original poster

Dogs off leads everywhere!

161 replies

Peterbear · 20/07/2021 13:55

Did dogs used to just be on leads more or am I just getting old and intolerant,? Literally everywhere we go for a walk, outdoor swim , park,cafe the place is swarming with dogs off leads. Great if the owner is 'switched on' and aware but really bloody horrible to be licked/sniffed/trampled on/food wrecked if you really don't like them and owner just oblivious. It seems standard now to not have them on a lead.Anyone know why?
If one more person says 'oh they're friendly' I honestly think I will trample on their picnic/ lick their face/sniff their genital s and say 'on well so am I' .Rant over.really pisses me off though.

OP posts:
MissyB1 · 20/07/2021 20:13

@Imfromhere

I'm probably going to get jumped of for this, but here it goes! I was a dog owner until I lost my doggy 3 years ago so it's fair to say I love dogs. She was never of the lead around other people as was a rescue and very protective. I would get up at 4am to take her for a run on the beach.

I can not stand disobedient dogs of the lead. I have a DC who is allergic and they know that coming into contact with a dog means they will be ill and suffer and is therefore understandable scared. So, having your "friendly" dog bounding over/jumping up because its curious, just wanting to say hello is totally unacceptable.

And dont get me started on the number of cafes, restaurants, pubs, beer gardens that we have tried to eat lunch at who are full of dogs. Walking around with the entire family hungry trying to find one without dogs isnt fun. Even when I was a dog owner I would never consider taking them out with me to somewhere that serves food. Yeah, grabbed a takeaway and ate on a bench somewhere. Just the way the world has gone, people now see dogs as just entitled as humans.

You assume the way you treated your dog is how all dogs should be treated. Arrogant or what?! It’s like declaring there is only one way to be a good parent. By the way some people don’t appreciate kids in cafes and restaurants, but they have to suck it up.
EcoCustard · 20/07/2021 20:14

I have two dogs and mostly well behaved however I have only on occasion ever come across a ‘badly behaved’ off lead dog on a rare occasion and we take ours with us to a lot of places, beaches, forests, camping, restaurants. I am with @Simbacatisback though, been picking up litter for years on my dog walks and the last year the state of places is shocking. As for beaches so many ban dogs now, it’s a shame they don’t ban more of the human picnickers.

MaMelon · 20/07/2021 20:16

But many don’t LST - so telling someone to go to a dog free beach if they want to avoid dogs (esp the type of poorly trained dogs that the OP refers to) is pointless because they are there.

Interested in this thread?

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Dogs
Moonface123 · 20/07/2021 20:18

Here we go again, why would anyone want to permanently shackle or tether a dog? To be honest when l go out l always find other people a lot more annoying than a dog being allowed off lead. The reason why so many dogs are damaging stuff in the home is boredom, frustration and not being aallowed to burn off energy outside.

LST · 20/07/2021 20:18

@MaMelon

But many don’t LST - so telling someone to go to a dog free beach if they want to avoid dogs (esp the type of poorly trained dogs that the OP refers to) is pointless because they are there.
Not in the masses though are they. There are plenty I go to every year where you don't see a dog on the dog free part of the beach es
MaMelon · 20/07/2021 20:19

Not in their masses - but it doesn’t take masses.

Imfromhere · 20/07/2021 20:27

@MissyB1 of course I dont think that how I treated my dog is the only way. My point was that she would have ran up to people and other dogs if off the lead so she only got off the lead when there was nobody else about. That's because its rude to allow your dog to act that that.

And I dont think that a child being in a restaurant and being annoying for other patrons is going to cause said patrons to end up in hospital for several days and on strong meds for more days after that!

squiglet111 · 20/07/2021 20:28

I think there are a lot more dogs around since before lockdown so more to notice. Breeders mass breeding pups to keep up with demand of lockdown pups... Population of dogs must have gone up massively. My local area seems to have a few posts a day about lost dogs, guessing people are letting dogs off leads when they shouldn't be

LST · 20/07/2021 20:38

[quote Imfromhere]@MissyB1 of course I dont think that how I treated my dog is the only way. My point was that she would have ran up to people and other dogs if off the lead so she only got off the lead when there was nobody else about. That's because its rude to allow your dog to act that that.

And I dont think that a child being in a restaurant and being annoying for other patrons is going to cause said patrons to end up in hospital for several days and on strong meds for more days after that![/quote]
@Imfromhere Why would someone be on meds or in hospital by being in a restaurant with a dog? If you're going down the allergy route with this, surely a person with an allergy that bad wouldn't be daft enough to go to a restaurant where dogs are allowed?

Original poster
Peterbear · 20/07/2021 20:41

Garfunkel we ain't going to agree on this are we . How can a post about not wanting to be licked/sniffed/trampled by a dog lead to drama.?? Scroll on by if you dont want to be involved. 😉
How can it mean I am a 'Dog hater' - there surely has to be some reasonable mid way point?? I certainly do not give any dogs an 'audience' some get the hint others don't - by which time I'm covered in dog slobber which I find almost as gross as dog shit tbh.( I guess like humans some dogs are a teensy bit thick). I think some of the dog owner defensiveness is due to that shift in culture . Other dog owners get my point and see how grim it is - I guess there are aware and not aware owners. Meantime maybe we either need less dogs or more parks? Or both? We've had too many nice little walks/swims ruined and they've not even broken up from school yet. And dont get me fecking started on cans/bottles/disposable bbqs🤣

OP posts:
MissyB1 · 20/07/2021 20:43

[quote Imfromhere]@MissyB1 of course I dont think that how I treated my dog is the only way. My point was that she would have ran up to people and other dogs if off the lead so she only got off the lead when there was nobody else about. That's because its rude to allow your dog to act that that.

And I dont think that a child being in a restaurant and being annoying for other patrons is going to cause said patrons to end up in hospital for several days and on strong meds for more days after that![/quote]
If your child is that allergic surely you have to do your homework about which establishments allow dogs?
Restaurants cafes and other businesses have a right to decide if they want to allow dogs. Anyone that doesn’t like that is free to stay away.

Imfromhere · 20/07/2021 20:48

@LST we dont. If we find a restaurant/cafe with no dogs in (which is difficult) and dogs come in we have no choice but to leave. My point was I dont think you can compare people not liking kids being in restaurants to somebody allergic not liking dogs in restaurants. One is annoying and one can cause serious health issues.

We have given up trying to eat out as there is no point. Lots of dog owners are off the opinion that their pooch being inside a public space trumps my allergic DC being allowed in that space.

And short of never leaving the house I dont know what's expected of us if people dont keep dogs on a lead in parks etc.

YelloYelloYello · 20/07/2021 20:50

walk, outdoor swim , park,cafe the place is swarming with dogs off leads
Out of your list the only place I wouldn’t expect to see a dog off lead is in a cafe. All the other places I wouldn’t be shocked to see off lead dogs.

But I would expect the off lead dogs to have fair recall.

LST · 20/07/2021 20:50

[quote Imfromhere]@LST we dont. If we find a restaurant/cafe with no dogs in (which is difficult) and dogs come in we have no choice but to leave. My point was I dont think you can compare people not liking kids being in restaurants to somebody allergic not liking dogs in restaurants. One is annoying and one can cause serious health issues.

We have given up trying to eat out as there is no point. Lots of dog owners are off the opinion that their pooch being inside a public space trumps my allergic DC being allowed in that space.

And short of never leaving the house I dont know what's expected of us if people dont keep dogs on a lead in parks etc.[/quote]
No. I'm sorry. There are plenty of places that serve food that do not allow dogs. It's not the dog owners fault the owner of the establishment allows dogs.

YelloYelloYello · 20/07/2021 20:51

@MaMelon

But many don’t LST - so telling someone to go to a dog free beach if they want to avoid dogs (esp the type of poorly trained dogs that the OP refers to) is pointless because they are there.
I’ve never seen a dog on the dog free beaches here. (It does mean more dogs on the other areas though.)
NoToast · 20/07/2021 20:52

If all the dog walkers are paragons of society cleaning up, where is all the dog shit everywhere coming from?

MaMelon · 20/07/2021 20:53

I’ve never seen a dog on the dog free beaches here.

Lucky you.

YelloYelloYello · 20/07/2021 20:57

We have given up trying to eat out as there is no point. Lots of dog owners are off the opinion that their pooch being inside a public space trumps my allergic DC being allowed in that space.

Your anger is misdirected @Imfromhere. It’s the restaurant/cafe owners that decide whether they allow dogs or not.

Either way, no one is personally attacking you by deciding dogs trump your DS. They’re catering for the masses rather than for one person because that’s where the money so.

YelloYelloYello · 20/07/2021 20:57

is*

Theunamedcat · 20/07/2021 21:02

Yes dogs used to be off lead more but they also used to be better behaved off lead too we would go for picnics and not be bothered by loose dogs we had some who begged for food but outright taking it was rare

Theunamedcat · 20/07/2021 21:06

@NoToast

If all the dog walkers are paragons of society cleaning up, where is all the dog shit everywhere coming from?
There was some neatly bagged on a neighbours car the other day hooked under there rear windscreen wiper apparently it was "fine" they were coming back to collect it and its bagged and won't damage the car ffs whats your problem? Neighbour was restrained due to the presence of small children calmly asked them to remove it so they did and put it in her bin again this was reasonable did she really expect them to walk around with it....I covered ds ears at this point
CharleyChook · 20/07/2021 21:08

Oh here’s our weekly ‘friendly dogs are scum’ post 🙄

Move on OP. Give me a happy, friendly dog before a growling, snarling, spoilt, on lead dog any day. And no I don’t care if anyone claims their dog is a hazard to people and other dogs because it is “a rescue dog”.

I have taken on many dogs from shelters. I foster and assess relinquished dogs before they go to their ‘forever’ homes. They can all be trained to be sociable, regardless of where they came from. The problem we have is that people can’t be bothered to put in the time to train them so use “She is a rescue” as an excuse for the owners failings.

Don’t get me started on the mess people make on our planet. Unforgivable. There is no excuse.

MaMelon · 20/07/2021 21:11

Oh here’s our weekly ‘friendly dogs are scum’ post

Define friendly in the context of the OP?

Desperate30 · 20/07/2021 21:14

And why are dogs now allowed in every coffee shop? Slobbering all over the floor, chairs, tables etc. Flicking their tails so hair goes everywhere and then the owners feeding them off their plates. 🤮

Arrowheart · 20/07/2021 21:16

Most dog owners are responsible. In the same way as most people having picnics are. Don't let the minority of idiots shadow your view. In the main, people are decent.