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.

Well perhaps to resolve this argument, someone here could actually name specifically those places where dogs are in high chairs. I look forward to it very much 😀

No , they aren't. Fucking hell 🙄

Yes. This was Dobbies Garden Centre. Ludicrous, but people will pay to do it 😌😌

That's rather rude and unnecessary, maybe I touched a nerve?
Just go to YouTube and look at Sheba adverts. I don't know if there are any currently but I remember 2 of these, female owners in silky pjs, high heels etc, one with a male voice "she knows how to give a guy what he wants".
It's worse than the parent/child/best friend relationship implied in other pet ads imo.

Wow you are unlucky. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a dog in a shop let alone to the levels you describe.

Most dog owners I know want to shop dog free. It would be a very rare occasion I’d drag our dog along on a shopping spree.

I’ve seen them in pubs and cafes which is great as so many owners combine them both with a walk. Pub and cafe owners know what fills the tills which is important in these cash strapped times.

Yep. I love dogs. I have two, both rescues. One is handbag sized. But i would never ever treat them as anything other than dogs. They sit on the floor, their needs don't eclipse other humans needs. They are dogs. So high chairs or allowing them to take a seat on the train just no no no.

There is a woman in the park where I walk my dogs - she has two small terrier type dogs, both very young. She pushes them in a trolley and clearly treats them like babies. On the rare occasions they get out of the trolley, on their leads they are vicious little buggers which are clearly unsocialised with other dogs and immediately go on the attack if another dog is in the vicinity, which of course usually ends up in a bark off. The owner always always makes the 'oh my poor girls, is that dog being mean to you' narrative (I kid you not), and back in the pram they go.... I would feel sorry for them if they weren't so bloody horrible.

We also want to combine a pub or cafe visit with a walk. This isn’t just a thing dog owners want to do. Allowing dogs may fill the tills but unless dog free sections are also provided it discriminates against anyone with allergies or asthma triggered by them. Making more £££ is all well and good until it excludes people.

I love my greyhound but she is a dog & likes doggy things. I also respect that not everyone loves dogs so don't put her in situations where she would upset someone.

And just imagining her gangly legs in a highchair! 😂😂😂

Social media is the cause of this.

Love this thread. I am not a dog person. Born in the late 60s when German shepherds roamed the streets of London untethered like they owned the streets, terrorising anyone who dared to look them in the eye. Does anybody remember what a kennel is ? Ha. Structure for dogs which was kept in the garden back in the day. Nowadays, I hear they share some people's beds. 😂😂😂

No, they should not be allowed to sit on the seat in the train, plane, do what you like in your own automobile. Not in a high chair, no no no. Yes, the humanisation of dogs is an absolute nonsense. Get out of my space, just like small children running around the pub. Tie thee up on the lamp post outside (JOKE)

Having said that, I went to Sardinia a few years ago and they do love their dogs who are allowed everywhere including restaurants, but they are very very well behaved and sit under the table, not at the head of the table with knife and fork.

We were eating at an outside table in a cafe last summer. A man sat down and put his small dog on the table! A customer asked him to move it so huffing he put it on the ground. Then another dog started yapping and straining on its lead. It was pandemonium and we were forced to get up and go. I was so annoyed that dogs were allowed to ruin our quiet coffee morning.

The owner of the yapping dog should have taken it outside or otherwise made it calm down, in the same way you would if your toddler was tantruming. I have removed my child from a cafe in the past when they were distributing other customers. It’s common courtesy.

That said, I don’t particularly like dogs in cafes and restaurants, but times appear to have changed and we have to adapt or go to dog free places.

Urgh this really annoys me! I'm a dog owner, grew up with dogs and have always been around them, but I don't understand this new thing of wanting to take your dog EVERYWHERE YOU GO! But putting your dog in a fucking high chair is really too much, WTF!

Fatface, Crew Clothing, John Lewis, White Stuff all allow dogs inside, and not in hiking areas.

dog owners want to do. Allowing dogs may fill the tills but unless dog free sections are also provided it discriminates against anyone with allergies or asthma triggered by them. Making more £££ is all well and good until it excludes people

Discrimination is bad until it affects dog owners, and then it's good.

My dog came home from Daycare yesterday with a handmade valentines card. The Daycare has about 70 dogs each day.

DH and I don't bother with valentines day so the only one in our house who got anything was the dog.. ..

I am a dog lover and have a dog, I do take her to dog friendly places, but she tends to just lie under or very near to the table and apart from size wouldn't know she was there lol. You are not being unreasonable though as its a lot of people with small dogs( not all) that think their dog is entitled, shocked about the highchairs, that's insane😲 My dog didn't like the train either the one time we took her but would never expect a dog to be on a seat anywhere on a train, restaurant etc

I agree with this wholeheartedly it started with the clothes for pets that is such a huge market now . Animals are animals and need to be treated so . The reason there are SO many unruly, badly behaved dogs is because they are treated like humans and spoilt humans at that . It’s animal abuse really .

Love my dogs. And yes they’re better than most people… BUT they’re dogs… yes they are allowed on our furniture and laps in our house!… but a BIG fat NO to taking them out out…. A day out for our dogs is a long walk in the forest (daily outing) or a long walk around the block, up the village and back…. They’ve never been to town, in a clothes shop or in a pub…. I hate that every where you go now there’s dogs… dogs don’t like
shopping!! I’ve even seen dogs at huge firework events.. just ridiculous!
Our local costa coffee allows dogs in while you queue but aren’t allowed in the seating areas…. My daughter still waits outside while I go in to order!
People should walk their dogs in wooded areas then leave them home while they do their shopping!
We were out the other day and 2 dogs had a massive scrap in the middle of the high street, and then continued to bark as the owners dragged them away from each other. LEAVE THEM HOME!

bakewellbride regarding dog friendly food - took my three year old grandson to a cafe recently. He has a SEVERE dairy allergy but nothing was available for him (I'd brought some stuff for him anyway as I always do) but there was ice cream especially for dogs!!!

Dog owning is a choice. Allergies aren’t.

I’m sure compromises can be made in respect of allowing working dogs, but there aren’t so many of them so unlikely to be as much of an issue for allergic people as allowing pet dogs.

They’ll sell it because people are silly enough to buy it.
same with dog advent calendars, stockings etc…. I have friends who make their dogs a birthday cake!!

Dog day cares know that the more they treat your dog as a human the more you will spend money on it and the more they profit

I disagree, parents can talk to their children about this when they are older and share experiences that they took them to and show photos and look back on memories. Surely no one is doing that with their dog. I was waiting in the queue last year with my child and some friends to see Santa and a woman in front, with no children was waiting with her dog. It’s bizarre.

And I have been on a train when someone standing next to my seat held their dog over my head for the entire journey. I used to have a severe phobia of dogs as a child as a result of someone thinking they could put a puppy on me in a pushchair (for a cuddle!). To the point that I would bolt across a road if I saw one coming on the path. I am not keen on them now and will actively avoid dog friendly places but I have seen dogs with paws on tables and sitting on chairs. And they do make a beeline for you when they know you don’t like them and the owners say oh they’re just saying hello. I don’t want to say hello and I certainly don’t want a wet nose on my leg. And yes they do smell even if you don’t think they do!