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.

I just don’t get why people like dogs. You have to follow them around picking up their faeces and (if you are a good person) carry it around in a bag. Any house I go to that has a dog stinks to high heaven yuk. Any you have to content with barking etc

Pet ownership has a great deal to offer. It seems unfair that animals are being vilified for the failings of some, not all owners.

Thats very true and it’s a British trend that shows up in many areas. We are all criticised, emotionally blackmailed and bullied, and made to obey draconian practices and laws that are put in place to stop antisocial behaviour, which however they don’t even begin to stop. Worth remembering.

There's plenty of UK and US research stretching back decades showing that Labradors are the breed most likely to bite and/or be the subject of a personal injury claim.

Maybe some people need to read the thread about the empathetic dogs by instinct fetching cuddly toys for their upset family children, reassuring people in physical pain, and emotionally supportive to their owners. This is the flip side to dogs.

I’ll take all that for the pleasure, exercise, sanity and absolute joy my dogs bring to my life.

I had dogs growing up and they were 100% acquired in the pub, so perhaps Gumtree is an improvement. Main dog was a lab cross who we had for 12 years. He used to take himself for walks. It was fairly common in those days 80s.

No. There are too many homeless Dogs. Hundreds of rescues have thousands of unwanted dogs. Yet breeders are still breeding. Backyard or otherwise. It breaks my heart that there are already too many to be homes and more are added. People care more about the money. Sickening.

I completely agree.

Is that because there are so many of them though. Every other dog is a lab round here, including mines tbf.

I can see a lab nipping or causing an injury claim by jumping up and knocking someone over. Can’t imagine one mauling a child or adult like the cases you hear in the news.

Ah well. All the labs i know are lovely so 🤷🏼‍♀️

Yup, me too.

yes I got attacked by a Labrador as a child. It basically bit me on the ankle and then leg go. Not nice but That was it. I don’t think a lab would maul. They are gun dogs so trained to retrieve I think?

Oh my god this. 🙌🙌🙌

@Bs0u416d

This has happened more than once, beaches, parks and lakes. So fed up of dog owners.

I used to go to lots of farms when I was younger and dogs tended to be well behaved or tied up. I don’t remember any dogs jumping on me at the beach but I did have a neighbour with terrifying Alasations who sometimes escaped and we had to run for our lives. (He had been severely attacked and had them for protection which everyone accepted).

Why are people making such wild generalisations. Yes, lots of people got dogs during lockdown. For sure, some of these acquisitions were poorly thought out and have led to dogs that have been left poorly catered for but this is not a universal rule.

I don't know if it was rare in my area as a child not to have a dog. Most people I knew did & they were really a part of the family.

I work with dogs & am shocked at some of the people who are passed to adopt dogs, some are completely irresponsibility owners.
I had one lady who handed a dog back after a year, she was away several weeks at a time, leaving rescue dog with dog sitter & low & behold the dog needed proper training but never received it. Dog turned aggressive, probably didn't know who he belonged to. Just rubbish.

Another customer had adopted two dogs, both as puppies. One was clearly a working dog, wanted to be busy & active. There people were older generation & just couldn't give this dog what she needed.
He's now, after 2 years, looking at giving this dog back to rescue. He said she was fine when they got her, had great recall, not possessive about toys & things she got hold of. Now she is, & he has to 'twist her ear & make her squeal' in order to get her to give the toys back. He did that to her by not continuing the training. He then said his wife didn't even like dogs.

Seriously not only did I find this upsetting. But what on earth are these rescues rehoming dogs with people whom they've not thoroughly checked out & assessed.
Yes I know that people put on a front & their best self when being assessed but those values are just shitty & abusive. I don't think it would be hard to discover if the right questions were asked.

Rescues are desperate to house unwanted animals but this can often lead to them being more damaged.
This poor dog is in the wrong home, could have been placed with people who would have continued the training & care. Now someone is going to have to start all over again with her.

I've got everything crossed that the rescue will do right by her.

NB I don't work for any rescue I'm a dog groomer. So have contact with lots of owners & dogs. Most are fine good owners. Some are really awful.

I think that is a fair gripe and it is a reasonable expectation that you are able to enjoy the outdoors without a dog bounding up to you. Personally, my dog is only off lead in safe and open spaces and has a good recall but it in doubt, he goes back on. I know not all owners take this approach so perhaps a blanket ban on dogs off leads is appropriate? With designated areas where off lead exercise is allowed. The problem is, who would police this.

I don’t get it either, it’s hard enough keeping a house clean when it has just humans in it,
can’t imagine the added work having a dog would be,and the idea of its bare bum on my sofa or even floors is not appealing to me and some sniff poo so I don’t even want their noses or drool near me tbh but …each to their own and hats off to the people who do dog ownership well. I’m glad it helps some peoples mental and physical health and adds happiness to their life …as long as their choice of having a dog doesn’t impact me.

The problem is depending on the owner it is increasingly affecting others - dog mess, ( thankfully my current area isn’t so bad for that)allowing dogs to jump on strangers (which increases the risk of dog bites /scratches) dominate parks and cafes or snap/growl/bite at delivery people etc

and a lot of people are talking about “nips”?sa bite is a bite. If you’re the owner training a puppy I assume that’s part of the hit you’ll have to take, but me as a stranger if your dog “nips” me I’m reporting it as a dangerous dog who is a biter.

Someone I know has just got a puppy, the couple both work full time, one on shifts, one 9-5.

I asked what was happening with the pup during the day and was told they were home alone, from day 3 in the house this little pup is home alone for 9 hours and will be indefinitely up to 5 days a week.

Right now it's small but this is a big energetic breed. I was told that they'll be used to it early and people always used to leave dogs home alone all day so it wasn't an issue.

I just can't agree that it's good for the dog to have this lifestyle.

I have a rescue dog from oversea’s and she is genuinely special. Both dogs that we have are lovely but everyone we meet gravitates to the rescue dog, all dogs are special souls but some are exceptional and she is that. Im glad we saved her from an awful kill shelter in a country that may not treat dogs quite so well as ours does.

And me. My lab is just a darling. She was so easy to train, so placid and well behaved. My 2 DC adore her and she them. She is a huge part of our family.

As a dog owner, I agree, there are too many dogs.
I think cat ownership has got out of hand as well, and it has had a detrimental effect on wild bird populations. We used to get loads of different birds in our garden - tits, finches, wrens, songbirds - but now it's just the odd blackbird and or dove. It's definitely a consequence of covid lockdown and people rushing out to get cats and dogs to ease their boredom/loneliness.

Its not a wild generalisation... you yourself admit some were poorly thought out choices.... generalisations are just that.. not universal.

With so many people needing dog walkers on a regular basis, imho they are not in a position to own a dog.

We all see it, dogs with very poor on lead control, let alone off lead, its also cruel to have dogs locked up whilst the owner goes to work, even if they do get a 1hr walk in those 10 hours the dog is left on its own...
why are people getting dog crates? if the dog was happy it wouldn't need one, they have the crate because the dog will wreck the house otherwise....

A lot of people buy dogs based on cuteness rather than thinking about if the dog's breed characteristics are compatible for their lifestyle. Why anyone would have a working breed as a housepet is beyond me.