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.

This is mental behaviour! I have 2 tiny little rescue dogs who I love to bits. OH says it's because they're girls and my 3 actual human children are much older and all boys so I'm projecting my unfulfilled daughter love on them. Or something. 🤣 Anyway, yes I absolutely adore my little girls, yes they sleep in our bed but I'm fully aware that they're dogs! We live abroad in a very warm climate and sometimes take them to a bar/taverna etc which is outside and dog friendly but not often. If we do they're on leads and stay on the floor. The idea of putting them in a fucking highchair in a restaurant is beyond weird! And shopping? WTF?!

I love dogs so much, but forcing a dog into a high chair when they’re clearly uncomfortable is cruel. They’d much rather lie down on the floor. It’s what’s natural to them. If they got up onto a chair by themselves then that’s a different story, but you can guarantee they’d get straight back down again

This honestly just sounds horrible for the poor dogs :/

i can understand a little more about the dog on the train wanting to be near their human as a lot of dogs don’t like trains because of the noise and the floor vibrates more than the seats, and sometimes travel can’t be avoided (though of course I don’t advocate anything that really stresses a dog). A lot of dogs hate cars too, so I’m not really sure on the answer for that one. You can’t necessarily be sure the dog’s distress is a result of bad training or being ‘humanised’ when so many hate travelling full stop. We couldn’t put our dog in the car when he reached a certain age because it utterly traumatised him (though he used to be completely fine with it) so there’s a lot more factors to consider when it comes to transport

the dogs in the high chair thing and a lot of other things I can completely understand though. And a lot of people don’t realise that humanising is distressing to their animals

Dogs often prefer to sit somewhere higher up, it feels more secure for them (assuming they aren't sliding off the seat), gives them a better vantage point to view the room from which again, makes them feel more secure (much as we'd prefer to sit on a chair and not the floor).

Feral and wild dogs often pick higher spots to rest, particularly in more stressful environments.

I don't particularly think dogs should be on high chairs in cafes/restaurants, but nor do I think children will suffer from having to sit in a clean chair a dog once touched, or that it is necessarily cruel for a dog to sit in a high chair.

My dog sits in my wheelchair when I am not in it, and will pick it over the memory foam dog bed in a nice spot on the floor, or the sofa!

I adore our dog and spoil him to bits. I buy him souvenirs on trips. But the hell if if I'd take him to a restaurant much less put him in a highchair. You can love dogs and not be batsh$t. Because that is completely batsh$t

I think the batshit people here are OP, for making up this story and those who believe it or pretend to. 😬

What do scented candles for dogs smell of?
Other dogs' bums?

Well that's settled then, you have not witnessed such behaviour therefore it never happens.

This thread is discussing the humanisation of dogs in general, not just the highchair thing.

Exactly.

@Houseplantmad please come back and tell us.

I think so too.
And where cats and single women are concerned, some of the ads are really creepy and appear to imply some sort of sexual connection with the cat.
I am really against dressing up dogs, other than breeds that need extra warmth. It's purely for the owners.

🤣 Me too.

Humans just want planet earth entirely to themselves. There is barely any space for other living beings as it is. Stay at home and drink if you don’t like it, no one is forcing you to go to the bar where the owner clearly doesn’t mind dogs. Or set up your own dog free pub business and see how it goes?

Interesting responses, and I’m glad I’m not the only one who views this as a type of cruelty.
For those doubters, bot incidents did happen - in the first we actually got up and left as we hadn’t ordered and I didn’t want to sit next to two dogs. This was the most extreme example I’ve ever seen. I live in an area where it’s not uncommon to see dogs/puppies in front carrier packs, pushchairs or dressed in costumes (not anti-mud outfits) but for me this was ridiculous.
The woman on the train clearly had no concept that human needs trumped those of a no doubt much-loved dog, but I feel people are doing a disservice to their animals by treating them like this.

You say that as if being a pet lover is synonymous with being eco friendly. In fact owning a pet is incredibly bad for the environment.

The restaurant refused them though

I've always been fond of dogs, horses and cats. Animals I've had in the past were wonderful, welcome additions to a family and much loved pets. What they are not - can never be - are 'family'.

Like you OP I'm out of patience with the infantile anthropomorphism from an increasing number of owners. I have a few friends who have dogs and no children, and I very much appreciate what those dogs mean to them. Unfortunately at least one of them does not appreciate that telling a mum her dog means as much to her as my child does to me, isn't going to go down well. I've had dogs and a child. I'm able to make that comparison. Adds insult to injury too, when she knows I had a decade-long struggle to have my one and only baby and lost multiple pregnancies in the process. She's otherwise a sensible, kind woman and it's something I'm willing to overlook and wouldn't consider trashing a good friendship over. I just don't think these dog-lovers really 'get' it.

If a friend had a dog with them I'll visit, for instance, a dog-friendly cafe near the beach, but I wouldn't be with someone in public who was ill-mannered enough to plonk their pooch on a railway seat, covering it in hairs for the next customer. As for shops allowing dogs in clothing stores, same applies. I will not buy from those stores and will happily tell them why.

But didn’t actually stop them.
The owners did it anyway and the restaurant did nothing. I can’t believe that it’s not a health violation.

I like other peoples dogs, but I wouldn’t have a pet of my own. I don’t really judge people treating their dogs however they want as long as they’re treating them well but I do have one relative who I do judge (along with her husband). She and her husband live in a three bedroom house, they have two kids and the kids share a bedroom so their dogs can have a bedroom as well. The kids would like their own rooms but they’re always told no and have said they’re moving out as soon as they can and they won’t be back to visit but the parents don’t seem to care.

Bully for you. Some of us don’t prefer the company of humans. Good job we’re not all alike.

Dog people are the new plague on society. I cannot understand why they need or want a dog. To be your friend? To fill in an otherwise empty life? Imagine if aliens enslaved humans in this way. Bred them for characteristics that they like, even to the detriment of their health. Castrated and sterilised them, or forced them to breed, and then sold their children? It's abuse of an animal, born of their own vanity. Dogs that have a job, I understand, but a dog as a pet is an affront to its dignity.

Or set up your own dog free pub business and see how it goes

not sure about pubs but dog free cafes do very well (especially if they are screamy toddler-free too)

Yes I hope that in a few years time people will realise that keeping pets is exploitation. Nobody has a pet for the animal's benefit, it's for their own. And yes, it's bad for the environment too.

Also not just dogs. For example, I hate seeing photos of any animal on Instagram dressed up in clothes. It's horrible.

I am surprised people don't think this can happen - after all, I see dogs in prams all the time.

Well, not all the time, but often enough to make highchair sitting by dogs more than plausible.