There are far too many dogs in the UK

[habibihabibi]

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.

You parents live next door to a man than takes dogs outside, and shoots them? With what? A riffle? Are you based in the UK? This is absolutely illegal from the point of view of self executed euthanasia and would surely contravene the license terms of his shotgun. Why have you and your parents allowed this to happen without reporting to the authorities?

@NoNewsIsGoodNews that makes you sound horrible. 99% of dogs don’t do things like that. You are probably one of those people who thinks it’s cute when children do similar things though

I am a dog walker and I agree with most of what you are saying. I would love to see dog ownership regulated in some way and would be very happy indeed if the dog walking industry itself was regulated to avoid a repeat of yesterday.

However I don’t agree that people who use dog walkers are bad owners. Most dogs I walk have very dedicated owners who spend a lot of time training them. Most of my clients don’t have everyone in the household working full time but work a few days a week or shorter days and use a dog walker to fill in the gaps.

The people that shouldn’t have dogs are generally not the same as the ones willing to organise and pay for a walker.

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

R U Joking? What other cultural things were you never exposed to? Not the bit in DogsBody when someone goes to drown the unwanted puppies. That dog protagonist (set in early 1970s Britain) pretty much comes and goes as he pleases when he gets a half-decent home (where he's only wanted by one person). OP never read the MN stories about family dogs in their childhood that took themselves for a walk because people didn't 'walk' dogs for the dog's benefit traditionally, instead dogs roamed when they pleased. 1940s Lassie who takes herself off to meet the lad from school every day, running thru the village uncontrolled...

I love dogs, and all animals. I have one dog who is insured, chipped and trained and never walked off lead in parks or in any area where there are people around. She is a small spaniel.
I do worry about the big breeds of dogs, and people not understanding the time and financial commitment required to care for a dog. Sadly there will always be those people- the people who neglect animals and leave puppies or kittens in a bin or abuse horses.
I don't know any dog owners who are irresponsible personally. The people I know love their dogs, and have them under control. I do however live in a rural middle class area so am aware this is only one limited reality. Several of the older people I know absolutely dote on small dogs that are companion animals and who do a great deal to maintain their owner's physical and mental wellbeing.
Pet ownership has a great deal to offer. It seems unfair that animals are being vilified for the failings of some, not all owners.

I think we need to get a happy medium between the days of the 80's with dogs free roaming and breaking into schools and today where they cannot interact with each other freely and are mostly kept on leads in case they accidentally offend someone.

I get annoyed when off-lead dogs approach my dog because I am trying to teach him he is not allowed to interact with people or their dogs without my say-so. He is kept on lead mostly because I don't fully trust him around off-leash dogs yet. He only gets to play off lead alone, on a night when it's quiet.

I love it when he finds a willing child to play chase and fetch with or a bouncy, off-lead dog who is allowed to play freely with him. It's great for exercising him physically and stimulating him mentally and it's also great for continuing his socialization.

The tight control we expect on dogs takes away a lot of their natural behaviors which can lead to the dog becoming stressed and fearful.

I don't think we should let dogs run free everywhere. I understand some people are afraid and have the right to dog-free spaces but I do think we need more places where dogs can just be dogs and I don't mean dog parks where dozens and dozens of strange dogs are all crammed onto a tiny, fenced-in patch of grass.

This

I agree with you about the pandemic making things worse. When people had to return to work many had to employ to dog walkers to walk their dogs. I see dog walkers in my area with 5 or 6 dogs at a time and wonder how the hell they can keep them all under control!

Like other posters, my experience of dogs growing up in the seventies was that they wandered the streets from dawn til dusk. Some were lovely, some were vicious. You got to know which was which pretty quickly. And, yes, packs of dogs were a thing. My sister, friend and I were chased by a pack of dogs and it was absolutely terrifying.

I do think there are more dogs now. At least, though, they aren't roaming around unchecked. But the neglect has simply moved indoors, with many people leaving their 'beloved' and 'adored' dogs alone in the house all day while they work full time. One glance at my local Facebook community page is enough to tell me how heavily dogs feature in people's lives. Around 50-60% of all posts are about (in no particular order) lost dogs, found dogs, where to exercise dogs, dog grooming services, dog walking/sitting services, dog shit on pavements and playing fields, dogs barking all day, dogs barking all night ... and so on.

It’s an example. I have had two picnics ruined by a dog bounding into it and taking/ruining food. Too many ‘one-off’ experiences create an image of owners who don’t give a shit.

I think this is the sort of attitude the OP is criticising. Doggo therapy. People using dogs.

awfully high number of unhappy, reactive dogs.

Is that because we keep dogs too much away from each other & from all kinds of people? Dog owners constantly stop their dog from interacting with people & other dogs. Dogs have literally been conditioned to be fearful because of the lack of contact. Long ago dogs would have roamed & constantly interacted from young age, but now they very little interaction with other dogs. In trying to make everyone safer from dogs we've gone against their nature & made them fearful. Well done us. :(

My neighbour's Romanian street dog is bomb proof with other dogs. He just doesn't care. Not interested in cats, either.

Meanwhile the little cross breed I walk (40 minuts once a week) for an unwell lady, that little dog tries to start an argument with every other dog it meets. It just has no idea, from lack of practice, how to get on with others.

@DonutsAreNotLunch - I’ve just read your post and thought I should clarify mine. I don’t think that everyone who uses a dog Walker is an irresponsible owner. I have friends who use them. What I was getting at is that the demand for dog walkers has risen and in some cases leads to a Walker taking on too many dogs at a time.

Ah no you are wrong. I never let my kids bother strangers because it’s not cute and it’s indulgent and annoying. Shame dog-owners like you aren’t the same.

Why am I horrible for listing the negative impacts shit dog-owners have had on my life?

It may be the minority but people are idiots so as long as idiots can own dogs this will continue.

Anyway, don’t worry. Dog ownership will continue apace and man’s best friend will continue to annoy many others who just want to get on with their lives without dog irritations.

My neighbour's Romanian street dog is bomb proof with other dogs. He just doesn't care. Not interested in cats, either.

Mine came from a rescue in Spain where he was housed in a big open room with other dogs of similar ages and a couple of cats, as opposed to the kennels we have in the UK.

He's the same. When other dogs growl at him he simply doesn't understand. Aggression is not on his radar. Our chihuahua attacks him from time to time and we have to pick her up and take her away from him because he thinks she's still playing and carries on with the game much to her annoyance.

YANBU. I'd love a dog but I won't get one as I don't have time right now.

With 100% oh that

What I don't get is people importing the ruddy things from abroad as well

I don't agree. Years ago when I was growing up dogs roamed around in packs. I remember my neighbours dog, who had practically every dog in the neighbourhood camped outside when her female dog was on heat.

You didn't see dog walkers, just dogs put outside to their own devises.

It was a common thing then to be bitten by a dog. Far worse then than it is today.

Nonsense, badly behaved dogs and owners, no recall, owners who work all the time, employing dog walkers... if you need a dog walker (subject to illness) you shouldn't have a dog

Dogs need human interaction and (most) need loads of exercise, which they will not get walking on a lead for an hour a day.

Despite wanting a dog for many years, i was working, it was just unfair to lock a dog up for hours on end, i never got one... But once i stopped working, i got a GSP, she needs hours of off lead exercise and gets it, i ve access to fields and woodland and foot paths for on lead stuff... she is oblivious to dogs people etc....

Unfortunately, 99% of the dogs we come across are barky, aggressive, have no recall and whilst i put the dog on a lead whenever we come across people, they do not, despite their dogs bad behaviour.

We need dog licencing with the money raised to pay for wardens & limit ownership to 1 or 2 dogs max.

@TarasHarp55 Assume you are UK.... AE figures do not back up what you are saying... nor do the numbers of deaths by dog attacks.

@Inastatus that’s why there needs to be some kind of regulation of the walking industry, most walkers insurance only covers them to walk 6 dogs at once. Personally I think 4 is as many as I can safely handle so I wouldn’t walk more than that. But in most parts of the country there is no law limiting the amount of dogs you can walk and as the industry is completely unregulated absolutely anyone can just wake up one day and decide to be a dog walker with no insurance, training or experience.

I like dogs and like the idea, but dog ownership seems stifling to me, more restrictive than having kids in some respects. I think the only time we'd seriously consider it is if we were to start reducing our working ours or retiring early 50+ if still fit enough and hopefully for the lifespan of a dog! Although I plan on travelling a lot then too so maybe not......

Yanbu op.

I was on a couple of large dog training Facebook groups. I had to leave them because I just couldn't keep reading the same thing.

So many posts asking for crate training tips as their dog is alone 8-6 when they're at work. So many posts asking if 8 hours is too long to leave a 3 month old pup alone for. And on and on.

What's more depressing that these posts was the 27 comments underneath them from people who were happy to give tips on how to safely leave your dog alone for 10 hours, 5 days a week. 'Give them a kong' is the solver to all problems.

'My girl loves her crate, she happily goes in it herself so I don't mind leaving her in it while I work!' is the worst delusion people give themselves. If you crate train a dog they'll be familiar with it and may happily go in themselves when they intend to have a nap...its a great sleeping size. But no...no dog gains enjoyment from being locked in a small cage during their waking hours and no, they don't 'love it'. Maybe they tolerate it which is great for YOU but not exactly giving your dog a good life.

@DonutsAreNotLunch - I think 4 should definitely be the limit and agree there needs to be some regulation.

@SuperPup86 - that’s awful, poor pups ☹️