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.

Absolutely the adverts are definitely trying to subtly encourage an erotic relationship with the cat, the same with the dog, they want you to be in love with it fetishize it etc 😬🤢🙄

People have had domestic cats for centuries in Britain and they are a vital part of our culture. There is no comparison between that and slavery of humans.

While I agree it’s not comparable to slavery, how are cats a vital part of our culture? Only if you’re a cat person!

I love dogs and have two myself , but whenever we’ve taken them to a dog friendly place we find a table as far away as we can and the dogs are sat on the floor under the table. If they weren’t trained, I wouldn’t take them. Sitting in high chairs is just ridiculous

My apologies as I meant to say domestic dogs. Sorry for the confusion

Not going to happen.

Which ads imply that? I think it might be a you thing.

Yes, I can imagine my little one being absoutely fuming about having a warm house to live in, not having to go out and hunt for his food everyday and being generally spoilt. Muttering to himself how undignified his life is.

Why do you feel it’s your place to assess how much your friend feels for her dog? Not sure why you don’t think it’s lovely for her to enjoy her pets company so much. Some mothers are horrible to their children so I’m sure she loves her dog more than those.

That’s not what said at all 😅 I mean humans think the planet belongs to us alone to the detriment of all other living creatures. I said nothing about being eco friendly.

@lieselotte Some dogs have mobility issues or breathing problems, I expect it’s more to do with that.
A dog in a high chair, would be almost impossible as they’d slide around. I think OP is having a laugh lol

I think that poster had a point though (I love dogs and really want a rescue one btw and have no problem with dog friendly spaces).

But, dogs have been bred purely for humans - as pets or working dogs. Having dogs for our own reasons really is encroaching on wildlife, so the "the planet isn't just for humans" argument is usually one used against having pets.

The only clothing stores I see allowing dogs in are outdoor clothing stores in hiking areas. They allow dogs in because it increases their sales.
Dog thefts have been a game changer because you can no longer leave a dog tied up inside while you pop in to buy some new socks.

Why are you so offended when someone says they love their dog as much as you love your child? Do you think they are suggesting you don't love your child as much as you should? There is no 'who loves what most' Olympics - you love your child she loves her dog - neither of you understands by how much and it doesn't bloody matter.You sound like you are still carrying a lot of baggage which you expect your friend to make allowances for - shame you can't do the same for her.

I think she understands normal people. Dog-obsessed weirdos, maybe not. Who can hope, or really wants, to understand those?

I’m so sorry that you have had such an awful time having your little one. He or she must be especially precious.

My husband is terminally ill and we also have an autistic adult child. We all love our dog like a member of our family, she brings us huge comfort and joy and we love her accordingly. She is truly a beloved and precious member of our family and why not? It doesn’t harm anyone and isn’t ‘infantile’.

You put that dog lovers don’t ‘get it’- get what through? It’s just a different opinion and different priorities.

These days, everyone seems to think that their opinion is the ‘right’ one but we are all different with different priorities, experiences and opinions. I can totally understand why you feel as you do, but it doesn’t mean that your dog loving friends are wrong, albiet insensitive. To be honest, I’d often rather spend time with our dog than some of my friends children.

That said, I think some of things on here, like high chairs and Santa visits are crazy and cruel.

All the best to you OP

The more shops/restaurants/cafes/etc that allow dogs, the more life gets restricted for those who are allergic.

In my experience, people minimise dog allergies and how dangerous they can be. When I tell them my son is allergic they immediately think he’ll sneeze a bit, maybe get a bit itchy, take an antihistamine and he’ll be fine.

I wish that were the case. His last reaction was a life threatening asthma attack. His lips went blue, his oxygen sats dropped to 85% and I had to call him an ambulance. This was from being in the same room as a dog. God only knows what direct contact with a dog or allergens left behind on train seats (he’s too old for high chairs now!) would do. I’m terrified that one day we’ll find out. Every trip to the park, every walk by the river there’s dogs off lead and owners who’ll call out “Don’t worry! He’s friendly!” as the dog runs around and he cowers behind me. Your dog could have won prizes for being the friendliest dog in the world, heck it could shit rainbows for all I care, it’d still put my son in hospital.

Finding dog free restaurants is becoming harder and harder to do. Cafes and holiday accommodation almost impossible. Now it seems shops want in on this too and dogs are turning up in even more places they wouldn’t previously and places we wouldn’t expect. So those who say people have a choice to go somewhere dog friendly or not, we have no choice. When the options on the table are dog friendly or go home, we have to go home.

I think this is an excellent point. I work in hospitality and we have small proportion of bedrooms which allow dogs and they are never allowed in the other bedrooms. They are allowed in a part of the hotel. This means that sometimes we have to say- 'sorry there are no dog friendly rooms available,' and we don't take the booking. That makes some guests fed up and leads to the inevitable- 'but they are only small/they are very well behaved.'

We equally have guests who call up with allergies and ask us to re-assure them that a dog has never slept in that particular room. We are able to do this with confidence. We can also say that they can eat in a certain part of the building and be confident that this area is 'no dogs.'

I think perhaps people forget that people can be allergic to dogs.

I live near a farm/farm shop that has two cafes. One is dog friendly and one is dog free.

Where space allows it would be great if eating and drinking establishments could have dog friendly and dog free areas like they used to do with smoking and smoking free areas.

Is somebody employing you to read every thread on Mumsnet? If not, you really don't have to read it.

Yes. And the dog friendly areas should be outside only.

BTW, objectively, owning a pet is to the detriment of other living creatures, that was my point.

I love my dog more than lots of people on my extended family but she is a dog . The closest to humanising she gets is a warm coat in winter as she hates the cold . People don’t even realise they are hurting their dogs by doing this . Most of these dogs people treat as babies have massive anxiety and separation issues

Which living creatures? I don’t think you quite understood what I said. I never commented on whether pet ownership is eco friendly. The point is, as things stand, if humans didn’t have pets we would barely see any other species

I love my dog and chat to her like she is one of my children. She sits next to me on the sofa and generally the best friend anyone could wish for BUT people should not be putting their dogs anywhere but the floor in public spaces. I will take my dog to a dog friendly restaurant but only when there is no other option. My dog doesn't enjoy crowds. Generally if we are having a day out she goes for a long run on the beach or through the woods and then she is settled at home. We have never left her for more then 6 hours and rarely leave her for more then 2. I'm lucky I work from home. She's us a lucky dog but much happier at home on her own then being dragged through a town surrounded by strangers.