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.

Fair enough, but what I meant is they are human. They’re not the same or comparable to a pet. I don’t ever hear people compare fish or cats or hamsters to children, yet they do dogs. I just find it odd.

I'd have taken a sneaky photo of the dogs in the highchairs and emailed them to environmental health.
I can absolutely guarantee they weren't then wiped down afterwards.
That's rank.

That’s what it boils down to@Bladwdoda. My dog is currently snoring away behind the sofa while I work. He’s a pet and we love him, but he’s not comparable to a human, and he has different needs to humans. Putting him in a high chair or taking him to a crowded place would be cruel.

I found it desperately sad... especially when you see it's full of women or couples in their twenties,/thirties queuing up with their dressed up dog and taking photos....talk about substitute for a baby. Birth rate is going down and dog ownership up...I don't think that's a coincidence. People are not having babies for a variety of reasons but even if it's a conscious, positive choice, the truth is that a lot of people yearn to have something to nurture. It's very sad.

@Comedycook you are so judgemental.
So what if they are pouring nurturing feelings onto the dog?

Surely it must be just for social media!? If not I have no words.

It's not sad at all that women are choosing not to have babies. I'd much rather nurture a pet than a child. Your posts on this thread have been really bitchy.

Would the high chair thing have been less irritating if a child had been in it, too close to you, breathing child breath at you?

I'd have been annoyed either way, tables need to be far enough apart so that high chairs, wheelchairs, whatever reasonable stuff needs to be at the table, is not infringing on others personal space. I can't get aeriated about dogs in a high chair, their germs die just the same with an antibac spray and a wipe.

The train thing would annoy me, but its not the dogs fault the owner hasn't taken the time to habituate and condition her dog to travel on the floor, and too tight to buy the dog a seat for itself. Being on the floor under a table around a load of feet, particularly if the owners of the feet are unaware there is a dog there, IS pretty fucking scary for dogs and something that needs working on.

Not sure what this has to do with humanisation though - both situations are avoiding dogs on the floor where they're at risk of being stepped on and harder to interact with for their owners. Did the high chair people also order a full meal for each dog and expect them to use a knife and fork and eat off a plate? That would be humanising!

I would much rather a couple only have a child they can properly raise. If they can't or don't want to why would you want to force them to have a baby?

It's an observation. But the state of society means more and more people are not having children or are having fewer children. Cost of living, state of the planet etc. It is sad because people's biological urge is the same.. it's just society and way of life makes having children feel so unobtainable

And I really do not see the difference between a dog meeting santa and a baby meeting santa. Neither have a clue who santa is, and the experience is for the adults.

Very odd that you seem to think I am suggesting people be forced to have children

It is sad if their reasons are no decent available men, cost of living or the cost of childcare.

@Comedycook I am not a fan of biological urges. They push us to reproduce even if it is a bad idea. Like many women approaching menopause I had an urge to have another baby. But it would have been a disaster for my family and not in the best interests of the child.
You should not always do what an urge says you should do. Most people are more objective.

Do you think reading to a baby is pointless?

You don't have to be a fan of them or not. And virtually all of us suppress them. I have two children. If I was very wealthy and had lots of support....I'd probably have had more.

Would the high chair thing have been less irritating if a child had been in it, too close to you, breathing child breath at you?

Yes. The child would have been using the highchair as intended, for one thing. Child breath is also nowhere near as smelly as dog breath.

@Comedycook how is that question relevant?

I do not care if parents take a baby to meet santa. But I think it is for the adults benefit rather than the babies. The same as with dogs meeting santa.
But if everyone is happy, who cares.

But I have learned not to judge unimportant stuff like this, and that people who do usually feel superior and slightly arrogant about their choices. Not a nice trait.

Dogs don’t wipe their arse after they’ve had a shit so why anyone can think that they should be sitting on a train seat or a high chair is beyond me. If anyone thinks they can counter against, I’d love to hear!

Based on past dogs, here's my take on some of the dog entertainments I've seen referenced here.

Restaurants: no. I've never had a dog that would have enjoyed being in a restaurant. Too many people, too much noise, not sure where to put themselves, I don't want to be worrying about my dog all the time. If my dog had eating problems that meant they needed a high chair to be safe eating, I'd be feeding them at home and not bringing them out to a restaurant.

Pawsecco: No. Dogs drink water and occasionally my late dad's coffee when he wasn't looking.

Doggy ice cream: Maybe? I used to give my dogs a bowl of ice in the summer to cool down with, so if they liked it, why not?

Santa: No. I've never enjoyed standing in line for anything, and nor has any dog I've owned. Crowds, noise, people, stress. There's nothing Santa could give my dog that I couldn't get a better one of myself.

Handbag lift: Yeah, I'd put a dog of mine in a handbag if it fitted in there and needed to be carried. Why not?

But we do all sorts of things for babies which are they are fairly oblivious to but ultimately help their development.

Fwiw I think taking a tiny baby to see Santa is pretty pointless but your comparison of taking a dog v taking a baby doesn't really work. Most people take older children to see Santa. They do get something out of it.

And I don't think it's particularly judgemental...more an observation. It's an interesting shift in society. But also the falling birth rate will have knock on effects for society. Dogs may fulfil a person's desire to nurture but they won't grow up and work, pay taxes and contribute to the economy.

@RedVanYellowVan
Agree with you about dogs. They have their place in the world, but was minding my DGC yesterday & had to clear dog mess up outside front door and inside house after the dog's accident, completely gross. Was there to help with kids, dog should not be my concern. The dog is allowed on the sofa & chairs too, but not on my watch, ugh !

Dogs may fulfil a person's desire to nurture but they won't grow up and work, pay taxes and contribute to the economy.

Tbf many humans don’t do this either nowadays. And dogs do contribute to the economy! Think of all dog food, accessories, an employed Santa and dog groomers etc. It’s big business!

Actually I refer to my dog as my second baby and pour lots of love into her because I have unexplained secondary infertility. Conceived easily with DD, not a sniff of a second despite there being so reason docs can find. Decided 40 was my cut off for trying (and crying every month when my period turned up) so got DDog for my 40th birthday. But yeah, keep judging.

I'm not judging you but from what you've said my analysis is correct. That's literally why people have pets...the urge to nurture.