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Original poster

There are far too many dogs in the UK

267 replies

habibihabibi · 14/01/2023 06:09

I am a huge dog lover but dog ownership is out of hand.
Growing up, dogs were the exception rather than the norm.

In the past dogs were..
Working dogs and nippy little raters,
on farms or in the countryside where they could be active throughout the day.
Or
In town or city houses, the odd mid sized low energy doggies with at least one adult at home e.g parent or retired person and a garden.
Or
If in small cottages or flats, small dogs.

People who didn't have time for dogs didn't have one.

They thought long and hard about whether they could afford, exercise and had the lifestyle for a dog and not pick one up off Gumtree..

They did not leave dogs alone for hours getting bored, lonely and aggrevated.

They did not have to sub out dog walking to someone who has so many dogs to exercise that one or more maul her to death.

They did not get a dog if they couldn't afford it because they are costly and time consuming.

They trained their dog using a book or going to kennel clubs.

Shelters housed lost dogs ( whose owners came and got them) and poor dogs whose owners had died or went into care not dogs that people couldn't be bothered looking after anymore.

OP posts:
NoNewsIsGoodNews · 17/01/2023 17:24

MrsTerryPratchett · 14/01/2023 21:53

Oh interesting. Tell me how they did that? I am not being sarcastic. It sounds really fascinating and I am happy to learn!

Hi @NoNewsIsGoodNews basically many domesticated animals were forcibly brought into the fold (as it were) and bred for what we wanted. Essentially kidnapped from the wild.

Dogs, it seems, self-selected because of their flight distance. Humans created midden piles, some wolves were suspicious and didn't approach, some had a short flight distance, and did. The ones that did ate human rubbish and were useful for keeping other animals away. It was a huge benefit to the wolves with a short flight distance as scavenging is easier than hunting, safer, they can have more pups, less chance of injury. They bred with each other, became more and more domestic, had a shorter flight distance, and over time, humans and dogs (as they became) had a symbiotic relationship. We liked them for all the many reasons they are useful. Protection, hunting companions, companionship etc. And they came to value not just our rubbish but our care for them.

Most animals we have a basically parasitic relationship with. Except cats which is more like religion Grin.

They do things because of us. They stare at us and make eye contact. It actually releases oxytocin, which is love to your brain. Wolves don't make loving eye contact with us or each other. Dogs and humans apologise to each other. They seek out humans when in danger, rather than hiding or running as a cat might. It really is an evolutionary wonder.

They are special. And I look at my tightly wound girl with ND and my poor traumatised rescue when they aren't looking. Her hand on him without thinking, his head falling onto her, both of them calmer because of each other. Well, I'm a bit soft on dogs. The pros outweigh the cons. We can work on licensing or controls or training or law. We can't sever that special bond.

Oh that’s really interesting. I had no idea. I might do some extra reading. Thanks!

Diggerq · 22/07/2023 08:53

Sick of dogs everywhere.Like a plague. Constant barking, Dog crap everywhere. I live in Cornwall and beaches are ruined with them, Even when there is a sign banning them them are still there. Too many people are trendies and have them because everyone else does. Bring back the dog licence to pay for dog wardens and to assess suitability of dog ownership. I even had to report to a cafe owner that there was a pile of crap on their cafe veranda. YUK!!

maranella · 22/07/2023 08:59

It's selfishness and the desire for immediate gratification. There is an epidemic of it. I blame social media/influencers/people thinking that all that online crap is real. And the fucking pandemic, which lulled many stupid and short-sighted people into a false sense that 'this is how life is going to be now and I can get a dog, because I'm at home all the time'. Except they're not at home anymore. The pandemic ended and they had to go back to work. And that 'lockdown puppy' they got off Craigslist is now a poorly trained, badly behaved, annoying, possibly menacing 3-year-old dog who is probably going to live another 10 years.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Dogs
Sausagenbacon · 22/07/2023 12:32

And why is one dog never enough?**

AlwaysGinPlease · 22/07/2023 12:33

Sausagenbacon · 22/07/2023 12:32

And why is one dog never enough?**

Same can be said about children

Sausagenbacon · 22/07/2023 12:37

No. Dogs aren't humans

AlwaysGinPlease · 22/07/2023 12:43

Sausagenbacon · 22/07/2023 12:37

No. Dogs aren't humans

Some people have children and then expect tax payers to support them. Feed them, clothe them and pay for childcare. We paid for our own children and through tax still pay for feckless people's offspring. Nobody is paying for other people Dogs...

TonTonMacoute · 22/07/2023 13:04

Way too many badly behaved out of control dogs, and they are the ones you notice.

If everyone controlled their dogs properly it wouldn’t seem as if we were overrun with them.

10speckledfrogs · 22/07/2023 13:41

Dog were latch key dogs and roamed the street, plenty kicked them out in the morning and they wandered in groups until coming back for evening feeding time - wouldn't say that was ideal

Most families got a dog from the family across the road who's bitch had puppies. They paid a tenner for it. Or they got a working collie pup from the local farmer and it turned crazy - pedigree dogs were for the elite - the working class had working dogs or £10 mutts depending on if it was for pet or work purposes

Dogs fed scraps and otherwise ignored

Barbara Woodhouse was a turning point for dog training- before that dogs just kinda had to learn to fit in and any that didn't were shot or euthanized

If you didn't want the litter your dog had the puppies were drowned

I wouldn't say the past was any better. The dogs that bite come from owners who generally stick them out on a chain or in a pen and ignore them except for food and water, or they babify the dogs so much they don't learn to be dogs

The ideal is a median point - a dog that is free to roam the house around its humans all day, with a few active training sessions for half an hour a time and a couple walks or free runs a day.

fussychica · 22/07/2023 14:52

Dogs in cafés, hate it. Whereas in the past they would have been tied up outside or you would sit outside with them they are now allowed in. I think many cafe owners only allow it because so many people have them and they'd be risking losing so much trade if they didn't, especially in areas with lots of walking routes.
And yes why is one dog never enough? Growing up we always had a dog, just one like almost everyone else at the time.

IfLoveBelievesInMe · 22/07/2023 14:58

It's not that there are too many dogs per se, it's that there are too many dogs who are badly or barely trained or are from puppy mills/backyard breeders.

Bring back the dog licence.

IfLoveBelievesInMe · 22/07/2023 15:00

Oh and make councils increase their doggy poop bins and provide a poop scooper in public places so owners have no excuse not to pick up their dog's leavings. I'm my are the dog bins have vanished, so the waste bins are piled with poo and swarming with flies in nice weather.

IfLoveBelievesInMe · 22/07/2023 15:01

Meant to read, in my area.

helloOP · 22/07/2023 15:09

IfLoveBelievesInMe · 22/07/2023 15:00

Oh and make councils increase their doggy poop bins and provide a poop scooper in public places so owners have no excuse not to pick up their dog's leavings. I'm my are the dog bins have vanished, so the waste bins are piled with poo and swarming with flies in nice weather.

Who is over filling the bins in the first place?

You ve got to be some kind of idiot to jam a poo bag into a full up 'bin, rather than just take it home?
but your post does explain why i see so many poo bags thrown into hedges etc, the mentality is "no poo bin, i'll throw it in the hedge"

Why should non dog owner council tax payers fund your hobby? bring back the licence and that can fund more poo bin facilities

vodkaredbullgirl · 22/07/2023 15:10

Diggerq · 22/07/2023 08:53

Sick of dogs everywhere.Like a plague. Constant barking, Dog crap everywhere. I live in Cornwall and beaches are ruined with them, Even when there is a sign banning them them are still there. Too many people are trendies and have them because everyone else does. Bring back the dog licence to pay for dog wardens and to assess suitability of dog ownership. I even had to report to a cafe owner that there was a pile of crap on their cafe veranda. YUK!!

Why the need to resurrect this post from the beginning of the year?

XenoBitch · 22/07/2023 21:29

IfLoveBelievesInMe · 22/07/2023 15:00

Oh and make councils increase their doggy poop bins and provide a poop scooper in public places so owners have no excuse not to pick up their dog's leavings. I'm my are the dog bins have vanished, so the waste bins are piled with poo and swarming with flies in nice weather.

Poo can be put in normal waste bins (unless it says on them otherwise), so a lack of poo bins is hardly an excuse.

LetsPlayShadowlands · 22/07/2023 22:42

I agree, sick of them everywhere. Crap everywhere on the school run. Crap in the cycle lane. Bags of crap randomly scattered. Want to play in the leaves in autumn? Sorry no, there will be hidden dog crap in them because apparently leaves mean you can leave it there.

One picnic we've had this year. A dog ran over and took a drink from my cup. My daughter was terrified because she's only ever known these encounters with out of control dogs. I grabbed it by the harness, as the stupid owner pathetically apologised. Good job it wasn't aggressive.

And the owners who have their dogs on a stretch lead, them on one side of the pavement, their dog on the other, while they see you walking towards them. Move your fucking dog!

Yeah, too many dogs.

LetsPlayShadowlands · 22/07/2023 22:44

And God forbid you take any sort of balk game to a park to play with your child. As the owners joke their dog will try to take the ball. Put it on a lead then. Or take it somewhere far away that isn't a small community park for PEOPLE to enjoy.

XenoBitch · 22/07/2023 22:47

LetsPlayShadowlands · 22/07/2023 22:42

I agree, sick of them everywhere. Crap everywhere on the school run. Crap in the cycle lane. Bags of crap randomly scattered. Want to play in the leaves in autumn? Sorry no, there will be hidden dog crap in them because apparently leaves mean you can leave it there.

One picnic we've had this year. A dog ran over and took a drink from my cup. My daughter was terrified because she's only ever known these encounters with out of control dogs. I grabbed it by the harness, as the stupid owner pathetically apologised. Good job it wasn't aggressive.

And the owners who have their dogs on a stretch lead, them on one side of the pavement, their dog on the other, while they see you walking towards them. Move your fucking dog!

Yeah, too many dogs.

You have not noticed the good dogs and good dog owners though.

Anna8089 · 21/12/2023 02:07

Hardly anyone had a dog 40 years ago. It was literally one or two dogs per street , now its nearly every second house.

user1477391263 · 21/12/2023 02:12

The OP is overstating the excellence of pet ownership and pet buying decisions in the past - there absolutely were lots of poorly chosen and poorly trained pets. However, I think it’s without a doubt that dog ownership has really increased a lot in the past few years.

Hoping this is the peak and that many of these animals will not be replaced when they shuffle off this mortal coil. I’m tired of dogs everywhere in the UK when I visit.

I think society is better off with a lot fewer dogs, not more.

hangingonfordearlife1 · 21/12/2023 02:42

don't know what planet you are living on? i'm 40. growing up every house kohl's on my extended family had a dog. my man's dog wondered the streets like a cat all day and came back when he pleased. my family dog was left alone all day whilst we were at school/work.
dogs were fed on scraps or tins of cheap meat so affording them never came into it and vet insurance wasn't heard of

autienotnaughty · 21/12/2023 06:06

I grew up in the 80's loads of people had dogs and there were a lot of strays. Dogs tended to be let out rather than walk. Fed left overs over dog food. No pet insurance, vets, vaccinations, training, fleeing etc Dogs were bought/given away in local newspapers or at the pub.

Now there does seem to be more pet owners and I disagree with dogs being home alone all day. But there's more regulation/higher expectations for treatment of animals

HumanBurrito · 21/12/2023 06:22

Not sure it was better in the past but we shpuld think seriously about ohasing dogs out as pets, they are an environmental disaster.

talkingmorenonsense · 21/12/2023 09:15

Anna8089 · 21/12/2023 02:07

Hardly anyone had a dog 40 years ago. It was literally one or two dogs per street , now its nearly every second house.

80 houses on our road, three dogs live here and literally dozens of cats. What really bugs me is, we have dog haters living here who moan about dog fouling, yet it’s cats that poo in our garden, front and back garden. That’s okay though because it’s not dog poo.