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.

I am taking our dog to the polling booths this year. I will put my voting card on the floor and whichever box she puts her paw in will get my pencil cross. Because I have sod all clue who to vote for this time.

Dogs are rank in general IMO. I've seen a lady on tiktok who really cleans her dog, like she would clean the dog's paws after walks and everything, brush it's teeth etc...Unless you're doing all of that for your dog, then they're just rank.

I love dogs. I would probably find the idea of a dog in a high chair more amusing than annoying but I'd definitely find it odd. Not too worried about the hygiene aspect of it as high chairs should be cleaned properly between occupants anyway.

I like big gun dog breeds. My dogs come many places with me, including the occasional pub, but he's never done anything other than lie on the floor under the table.

I'm quite a tolerant type so don't really mind kids being noisy or dogs drooling but my main concern with all this is the stress on the dogs. They are not people and treating them as people rather than dogs is one of the reasons we seem to have such an epidemic of poorly behaved dogs IMO.

Totally agree

Why would a dog owner not clean their dogs and keep the home clean. I assume you have never heard of dog grooming parlours?

As people have said, it's also unfair on the dog. I was on a commuter train into London last week, absolutely rammed, barely room to move while standing up. And a couple brought their medium sized dog on and were standing in the busy vestibule bit with it. It was fairly obvious that it was not happy.

These type of high chairs are specifically designed for dogs who need to be upright to eat as they suffer from a condition called megaesophagus.

Am I dreaming, but whatever happened to hygiene/health and safety rules and standards in places where there is food supplied or served now? I remember the big signs in food establishments/supermarkets etc. saying something like "No dogs allowed, assistance dogs only" or similar (due to hygiene regulations). I'm sure many of you do also. Has someone decided that's no longer an issue?

Now it's the other way around, may as well just ban non dog owning people from cafes, pubs and public transport etc. They have no rights but the dogs and dog owners have all the right in the world now to bring Fido or Fida everywhere. I bloody hate it TBH. That's not because I hate dogs, it's because I become second in line to the bloody dogs and am expected (often) to coo over said dog. I'm so fed up with trying to find somewhere to eat/drink and sit down in peace and be dog hair free, that I don't bother much anymore.

I absolutely love dogs, but I hate that dogs are everywhere- cafes, shops etc. I feel sorry for anyone with an allergy or a phobia. And I don't want hair in my food, and some dogs stink 🤢

Yes, exactly. They need a pack and a pecking order. If they’re doing something wrong, they need to be told at the right time and in the right way - the same goes for rewarding good behaviour. But people think they can get a dog and it will just fit in and behave! They don’t research how dog brains work.

I remember the big signs in food establishments/supermarkets etc. saying something like "No dogs allowed, assistance dogs only" or similar (due to hygiene regulations).

They are still NOT allowed in most supermarkets and everyone should call it out. Tell a manager or security guard and refer to their dog policy or if you don’t feel brave enough to do it in person email them with date , time and branch location info.

No, I'm definitely not his mum! I have heard lots of people refer to themselves as mummy and daddy though....

How many people have seen dogs in a high chair? Did you really see that? I can’t imagine any reputable restaurant would allow that. People believe anything!

Mumsnetters do like to be polarised in their views, for sure.

I go to dog friendly cafes and pubs, and my large dog lays at my feet, and my tiny dog sits on my lap or I have been known to put my coat down for him to sit on a chair. The coat fully covers the chair and only once has a waitress objected (her manager actually came over as she was objecting and over-ruled her!😅). That's in a specifically dog friendly designated area of the cafe by the way, which has it's own entrance so if you can't stand dogs you wouldn't have to park your oh so clean I'm sure arse on a chair at a table that had been entirely covered by my coat and had a dog sit on it once, before being wiped down like the table and chairs should be after every occupant because as an ex waitress let me tell you it's the people who leave gross stuff on chairs, not dogs.

High chairs in restaurants can be dirty as fuck and I wouldn't subject my dog to one

I’m not sure why so many dog owners feel the need to prove to people like you how ‘good’ they are. I’ll do what I want with my dogs…I’m not justifying myself to you.

Incidentally, some idiot almost kicked my dog out of the way today. Was that you spreading kindness and making the world a better place?

Totally agree. I hate the term fur baby, or people who refer to themselves as dad or mum when talking about a dog!

I have seen a dog in our local Aldi bit all the staff were very young and I think nervous about approaching the owner.

OK, but what about cafes/restaurants etc. that now call themselves "dog friendly"? Seems to me that food safety regulations don't apply there for some reason, and I wish I knew why.

Not asking you to answer BTW, I'm just thinking out loud!

I understand where people are coming from but I find humans so much grosser.

Most shops are ‘dog friendly’ now. Seems that owners are incapable of leaving their pets at home or secured outside shops 🤷‍♀️

My local supermarkets allow dogs on leads now

I went for a lovely meal in small local place a while back. Two separate people, in separate groups, came in with dogs in baby sling type things and then passed them back and forth throughout the meal. I wasn't that bothered by them but thought it was ridiculous

Yes, but you live in a human society and will no doubt have had to come to terms with that. Dogs are some people's personal choice.

I’ve said for years now that after my current girl goes, I’m not getting another. I’m a life long dog owner but the whole “dog” thing has just gone nuts, along with the people owning them. It’s not the dogs; dogs when handled considerately are amazing, but their thick as mince owners. I can’t STAND other dog owners. Self absorbed, in their own little worlds, inconsiderate of anyone around them.

I try and avoid restaurants that allow dogs inside. I know how filthy and heavily shedding mine is. Why on earth would I want her hair floating onto someone’s lunch? I don’t think they should be allowed inside anywhere that serves food. Outside is fine.

You would NEVER see a licensed assistance dog sitting in a high chair or misbehaving, they are working dogs and earn the respect they deserve. Assistance dogs are completely irrelevant to a conversation about bad dog owners.