Dogs are everywhere?!

[LadyMonicaBaddingham]

I took DS to a university open day today. Two separate families had brought their dog with them! Is this someone I've missed?! Why is this necessary?!

The cafes around my area don’t say no. Or at least cave in very soon after the Facebook intimidation starts.

I agree with you about responsible owners. Sadly there’s quite a vocal minority who simply won’t accept no for an answer.

There are definitely more and more dogs appearing in pubs, shops etc. Two dogs in a pub the other day / one lunged at the other who shat on the floor ! Really? I don't like dogs sniffing at me and I am reticent when walking past some dogs with my hands hanging at my sides.

Mumsnet dog bingo completed half way down page one 😂I can’t believe it’s just me who isn’t wading through dog shit every time I leave my house or tripping over dogs in supermarkets even though only assistance dogs are allowed in supermarkets.

Times I’ve walked my dog: thousands
Times I’ve been lunged or jumped up at by another dog: zero

I don't have pets. I will choose not to eat at a dog friendly cafe. I don't want dogs in shopping centres and the few that allowed it have reversed the decision around here at least because of irresponsible dog owners. I appreciate i have to naviage aroind dog poop out and about at parks etc but i shouldnt have to whilst shopping for clothes. I have seen an elderly woman shout at a mum with a newborn baby expecting her to move her pram and fold it away to make room for the woman's with a dog in it. The mum stuck up for herself as did the bus driver.

Maybe they had no-one to look after them eg if they’d travelled to Manchester from Motherwell 🤷‍♀️

There's* also plenty of evidence that some dog owners *can add to other people's stress levels.

No, your comment is.

They are everywhere.Iam afraid of dogs and always worry that they will bite me.I don't like them in public places.

I think that it's become banned to leave dogs in cars which means you can no longer pop into the shop etc. We rented a dog friendly holiday let only to find we couldn't leave the dog there alone and had to take the dog everywhere. It was a pain.

We leave our dog home alone and the faff of taking my dog shopping is not one I want to face. Plenty of walks and dog friendly outings too!
But the benefits of having a dog are immense, it's really got our family through tough times.

Why do they need to be there exactly?

A fur baby is a made up term.
What you mean is that you prefer other animals to people.

It’s part of a broader dumbing down of society - the anthropomorthism of animals into ‘fur babies’ etc.

Dogs have their place and it’s not in urban or semi urban environments.

The ‘happiest dogs’ I have seen are gun dogs in the field during a shoot.

Oooh yay, a dog bashing thread.

Has it occurred to you OP that the drive up to the university was a few hours long and they didn't have someone to walk the dog or take it out whilst they were out of the house all day?

Mine too. He settles down with the owners two dogs quite happily.

I don't mind dogs within reason. I often look after my sisters two dogs when her and her husband go travelling.

However I don't like that dogs seem to be everywhere I go. I was on a train yesterday and a dog sat on it's owners lap across from me. However the poor man she was sat next to, started to sneeze and was too polite to say something. The train was packed too, so there was no option to move elsewhere. She wasn't going a short stop away, we were on the train for the best part of an hour.

The dog was calm, but I did think, why can the dog not just stay at home.

We have an 11-week-old puppy and I can't think of anything worse than taking the dog to a supermarket with me! Or my hairdresser's or clothes shopping! Don't these people need a break to just do human stuff?! We're training ours to be happy being left at home for a couple of hours or we'll be paying a dog walker to come in. We might go to a dog-friendly pub or cafe but for her sake she'll be trained to settle under tables and the time there will be limited. I suspect some owners can't be arsed to put the training in and don't leave their dogs at home because of them chewing the place up. They also don't want to pay for care or can't afford it. Keeping a dog is so expensive and I think people do underestimate the cost of it.

But I don't agree with the perception that our streets are overflowing with dog crap. It was far worse when I was growing up in the Seventies and Eighties!

Well we all have different experiences and this swings in roundabouts. My dog doesn't come everywhere either me, j definitely agree shopping centres would not be a suitable place, but mine will come to a coffee shop whilst we are out on a walk. I keep her on a short lead but without fail someone will come over to smooth her. And for those with toddlers, last week an unaccompanied toddler came over in the coffee shop and started trying to smooth her and grab her ears. It was a while before her dad came to retrieve her. So it's definitely not all one sided.

You do realise the two aren't comparable don't you?

A £1000 per annum dog license that was used to find dog control would sort out the shit owners. Compulsory euthanasia for any unlicensed dogs or those that have broken the strict rules that could be introduced and enforced.

The problem is when you start letting dogs in shops is that they try to leave their scent. Imagine that x however many dogs visit.

A few weeks back I walked past Pets at Home on a retail park and it absolutely reeked of dog piss.

Not to mention the skid marks on every. single. pavement.

Yes they are.

Times I’ve walked my dog: thousands
Times I’ve been lunged or jumped up at by another dog: zero

Oh well @Trambopoline has decreed that it has never happened to her, so everyone else must be lying? Dreaming? Exaggerating?

It has happened to me a ridiculous number of times. I was physically pushed over by a dog once. The other dozens of times have been less dramatic, but occasionally painful (scratches) and often muddy. I have also been chased while out (what I laughingly call) running. Maybe I'm a dog magnet. And my partner. And my kids. And my cousin who was bitten. And my nephew who was also bitten. Maybe the dog owners where I live are less inclined to train their dogs properly. But Christ I'm not making it up.

Admittedly none of these things have happened in cafes or shops - yet. There was a dog wagging its tail perilously close to a display of china mugs in a kitchenware shop a couple of weeks ago. And two in Costa at the weekend when I took my highly allergic eldest son in for coffee and a sandwich. It isn't even close to a dog walking area, but right in the middle of a built up retail park. I mean why? There's a dog friendly cafe on the tow path near us, which seems rather more understandable, given that loads of dog walkers are passing by. And it has a decent outdoor area. So yeah - there's a logic there. But why do they need to be in Next or Boots sniffing around the merchandise?

Oh good grief. Is this a joke about the cafe 🤮

I really don't get the attitude to dogs I read about on here. It is so far removed from what I see in real life.
I live in a town in Northumberland, millions of dogs, easy access to plenty of countryside. The vast majority of shops, coffee shops, pubs, restaurants etc allow dogs because nearly everyone has one. This was going on long before COVID.
I've never seen a dog do any of the things mentioned on here.

I also work in Newcastle city centre and I hardly ever see dogs there. Certainly not in shops or restaurants. The only dogs I see tend to belong to the people begging on the streets and they just lie there good as gold.

I've never seen dogs chase a jogger, eat food off a strangers plate, jump at small children, piss in shops, be aggressive, push people over etc.

Then they shouldn’t have a dog in the first place.