This “humanisation” of dogs has got ridiculous

[Houseplantmad]

Had lunch in a chain restaurant yesterday. Two couples came in with smallish dogs. No problem with that as the restaurant is dog friendly however, they insisted on having high chairs for the dogs when their meal came as they had been holding the dogs on their laps until then. The waitress refused but they went and got them anyway so we had these shoved next to our table with a restless dog breathing and being uncomfortable in the high chair very close to us.
Today I get on an intercity train and a woman boards with a medium size dog and puts it on the seat next to her across from me at a table. The person who had booked that seat then turned up and the woman said what was she supposed to do with the dog as it couldn’t go on the floor! It did but was clearly distressed and couldn’t settle, poor thing.
I think putting animals in these situations is so unfair on them and also on others but it seems to be very common these days for people to treat their animal as if it is a human.

YANBU! At all

There seems to be no safe space away from dogs these days. My daughter is autistic and exceptionally anxious around them. Every single shop and cafe seems to allow them these days.
Also, people don’t seem to think the rule about ‘ no dogs in the supermarket’ applies to them.anymore .I work in customer services- the amount of dogs sneaking in now is ludicrous!
In bags / or blatantly just walked in/ carried.
All claiming to be service dogs of some sort?🤣

I have two dogs who I adore, would I take them to a pub or a cafe? Would I fuck? They’d be on the table! I do not class them as my children either

Yes, and you can't bloody say it these days. People literally treat their dogs like children.
When I was a kid we knew a few people that would let their dogs lick their plates clean. (After they have finished )
My father, who is a veterinarian, was appalled. He says, 'do they know that there is different bacteria in a dogs mouth'.
And... I know this is very common... But to let your dog lick you in the face or on the mouth. You do know that dog just licked its own anus.

That’s hilarious 🤣🤣🤣

Sorry the dogs visiting Santa post I meant

I don't understand why they can't be left at home. I grew up with impeccably behaved dogs and they were always absolutely fine to be left at home for a few hours.

It's just in the last few years isn't it?
I recall about 5 or 6 years ago being really pissed off that MIL had insisted on taking her 3 dogs on a shopping trip to Norwich as we had to eat outside in the pissing rain and I wound up standing outside loads of shops with them. Even parking was tricky as you had to walk through the shopping centre (where no dogs were allowed) to get out of the car.
MIL is absolutely the kind of person that would have taken her dogs anywhere (2 have died now) but you definitely weren't allowed to at that point.
Taking a dog into a shop or a smart restaurant just isn't something that was considered socially appropriate by anyone. British people used to laugh at US celebs with chihuahuas in bags but I guess it's just critical mass that has shifted the dynamic. It's quite a big social change to have happened so fast.

I take my labrador into cafes all the time but I don’t let him bother anyone (he just sits under the table waiting for snacks anyway), he doesn’t bark and I would never let him on any furniture.
He has been on a train and while he is too big to contain to my seat, he lay in the aisle quietly and when anyone wanted to get past I moved him. No bother at all. Some humans can be very daft over their dogs.

To add to this…

When a dog approaches my eager toddler and I tell my toddler not to touch.

“MY dog wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
“She’s soft”
“He won’t hurt your child”

etc.

Yeah, thanks. I wish I had as much faith in my kid to not stick her fingers in your dog’s eye and earn herself a bite. Just fuck off with your easily-offended-my-dog-is-a-saint bullshit.

See also: “My dog LOVES cats.”

That’s nice. My cats actually hate dogs though, so please respect my request to not take your dog into my house. Where my cats live.

Dog owner here and don't think they should be allowed in any cafe or restaurant or pub where food is served. It's just not hygienic. Trains are a different thing. Have often taken ours and she's fine on the floor under the table. They're not allowed on any seat anyway. That's the condition of carriage.

I hate the ‘oh he’s friendly’ when a dog approaches a toddler and the toddler is scared.

that Labrador is taller than the kid - how would you feel if a lion approached and people said ‘oh don’t worry he’s friendly’!

It's also the level of respect for their lives and comfort compared to the lives and comfort of actual human beings that fucks me off. My Auntie sews dressing gowns (yes really) for dogs at her local dogs' home yet she is a landlord and had no problem whatsoever raising the rent of a family with two severely disabled children by £500 last month, on a property that is totally mortgage free, has no sympathy for refugees, and thinks there should be no free school dinners or financial help for the children of low income families.

If you place animal life above or, frankly, equal to, human life then there is something wrong with you psychologically and I say that as an animal lover.

The person who had booked that seat then turned up and the woman said what was she supposed to do with the dog as it couldn’t go on the floor! It did but was clearly distressed and couldn’t settle, poor thing.

What did the Pierson who booked the seat do? I'm always interested in these little interactions on trains.

misses point of thread

I recently saw a dog sat on a chair, paws on the table in a coffee shop slurping on a cup of milk
I don’t mind dogs ,although I don’t have my own .

But any eating establishment that allows that is a no from me.

I have seen them in shopping trolleys and in a rucksack in a supermarket last week with Security guards in short supply many supermarkets leave it up to the assistants to deal with it and no doubt the resulting abuse they would possibly get.
I guess the potential spread of dog disease through feaces ,including E Coli , doesn’t count, even after how crazy we became with cleaning during the Pandemic.

People are idiots. They get a pet dog, but don’t understand how dogs think or work. This is why you get these dog behaviour programs with a dog deemed “problematic” when really it’s almost always the owner not having trained it properly, or are failing to send it the right message in a way it can understand.

If you want to pretend your dog is a baby, fine, just don’t expect the rest of us to join in.
There was a small dog being carried about a shopping centre yesterday, it looked miserable, they won’t even put it down when outside. Sniffing is important to animals. I feel like they don’t really care about them at all, just how they make them feel.

My BIL did the getting a dog in covid thing. Never had an interest in animals. After low contact he started sending us birthday/Christmas cards with the dogs name in it. Then was annoyed we weren’t excited and didn’t send it at a gift at Christmas. It’s a dog.

Why on earth would the owner let the dog sit on the train seat? That is so inconsiderate and really grim for the poor person who sits in the seat next. Surely it is against the conditions of carriage too?

I think the pandemic and COL has contributed to a general decrease in human behaviour. People bought dogs because they were home all day. The dogs weren't socialised or trained. Now people want to go back to their cafes or shopping centre and either have to take the dog or face a destroyed house on their return. So they take their dog.
Perhaps with people having less children and at a later age, dogs fill the void that having a child may have? Either way, sadly I think its a product of the times we live in.

I agree with you. I don't have one but I love dogs anyway, but they shouldn't be up on public seats and in baby chairs.

I've booked a hotel for half term and only realised after it's dog friendly so I'm really hoping there is no dog hair or dog smell. My fault for not reading the description properly in this case though.

@Bruisername

I admit I've taken my ddog for afternoon tea though he sat on the floor and got scraps not food of his own, I'm a bad dog owner that feeds her dog all manner of human foods, which I completely admit aren't good for me either! Mostly he goes to the pub, he loves a trip out

I know someone who actively rewards her dog for barking at people when she is out at cafes or whatever. She says the dog is 'keeping her safe.' These are random people not interacting with her or her dog in any way, just walking by or sitting on outside tables.

YADNBU. High chairs for dogs ? I give up!

You are correct. I was in a pub in the daytime which welcomes children and dogs. My dc sat quietly at the table... They were older primary age so not running round or shrieking. Literally just sat at the table having an orange juice and some food. A couple next to us sat there giving them dirty looks. Meanwhile my friend bought her huge dog along and virtually every other person stopped to admire the dog.

This.