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?!

I have no words!

I have absolutely nothing against dogs or dog lovers. My issue is regarding the fact there is no consideration for people who are allergic to dog dander. There is obviously nothing wrong with people walking their dogs in the open air. There is everything wrong with taking them into bars & restaurants where the dander is left on the seats etc. We take cognisance of food allergies yet allergy to dogs is dismissed as irrelevant. I don't agree with taking dogs into public eateries,hotels etc with the exception of assistance dogs.

I must admit, I spent my evening commute comparing the dog that was sitting in the train with its owner, and the kids who were there with their mum and I’d rather have the dog!
He didn’t wipe snotty, sticky, crisp crumb covered hands on everything. He didn’t shout the entire way home, he stayed sitting in one place rather than running about touching everything. He didn’t try to shove in front of me or budge me aside to get to the door button. And he didn’t barge me into a muddy puddle upon exiting the train. The kids did all of that.
So whenever these frothing anti dog posts come up, I can’t help but question, if we can’t have dogs because they are unpredictable and dirty, who’s letting these feral kids roam. 😉
I have neither child nor dog and don’t particularly like either so I’d say I’m a relatively unbiased observer.

@AgileGreenSeal what do you mean about buying for a vet appointment?

my dog cut his paw and couldn’t walk and he had a pram - including to get to his vet appointment

The dog sees the family as its pack and generally dogs are happiest with their people. I'm sure a lot of the dogs seen in cafes/shops also spend many happy hours running around in parks/the countryside.
Also, not all dogs get stressed by lively surroundings....you only have to look at the pile of sleeping dogs in front of the fire in lively country pubs to see this.

My dog goes all sorts of places, but only if he's welcome. I think it's great when a cafe etc will welcome him, I'm much more likely to go there. I try to put him in a corner, keep him off the furniture. I did let him clear up after a baby threw food on the floor in the week. I can leave him, 5 hours at a push, but he's happier with me and the businesses are welcome to say no and opt not to.

I had a staffy 25 years ago who was petrified. There wasn't the social media or as many dogs.

I can tell you, dogs have always been scared of fireworks. Some aren't obviously. But lots are.

…And yet still they’re everywhere getting on people’s nerves and causing problems and allergies. Settle in. This isn’t going away until the problem does.

@MaidOfSteel the dog was very probably ill and unable to walk. Why would you not use a pram?

exactly Hannah!
That sort of lazy comparison of children with dogs really bothers me. The dehumanising of our own species and the elevation of these canines to human levels drives me bonkers.

There’s something really sinister about it.

Oh, and the allergy point, those disgusting children smeared their crisps all over the hand holds…allergies be damned. I had to make sure to only touch things up high cause I knew the contents of the snacks they were eating and that it was now unsafest contaminated.

Completely agree! You feel like you aren’t allowed to say you don’t like dogs. As long as they “won’t bite you” you should just like having them in your space. I don’t want them near me because if I follow one down the street they have their nose in everything I avoid stepping on. When owners then let the dog lick their face it makes me want to vomit.

I am a little confused about the relevance of children being on this thread, was the poster not talking about dogs being everywhere?

I went to visit my son who is at Aberystwyth University.

The town was lovely and I really enjoyed it, but I’ve never seen so much dog poop in my life. People are so lucky to live in such a great place, and spoil it by letting their dogs shit everywhere.

It did mean that a lot of the time, I was walking around looking at the floor instead of the ocean and gorgeous scenery.

I’d rather my dog live in my little house with us than being kept in barn on its own. No vast acres of land make up for family interaction.

And not dragged around shops and cafes.

But most dog owners aren't an Alpha these days so the dog will ultimately do as it pleases everywhere it goes.

There's a massive difference between well-trained and socialised dogs like Guide dogs and 99% of the other dogs I see pulling at leads, pissing in doorways and even sitting on cafe chairs licking tables.

Dog prams are a whole new level of human insanity imho. I've seen a few recently with obese dogs being pushed around in them.

Reminds me of that cartoon Wall-E where the humans on the space ship can no longer walk.

When my dogs have got to the point of being in too much pain to walk then a decent owner would do the right thing. If it's obesity, then the dog need exercise.

we take our dogs with us out often. Today to the grocery shops ,but they stayed in the car with my husband while I went in. They do this twice a week and get very excited when we say "car ride" The guy that brings my groceries to the car in the one has got to know that they are there every sunday and wed morning and now always has a treat in his pocket and when I open the hatchback for him to load the shopping they get a fuss and a treat. Yesterday we went to a remote beach with an amazing, rustic on stilts, seafood restaurant that we love. We went at lunch as the beach and restaurant are always empty weekdays until dinner time. This is the only beach that they we allow them off leash, and only if there are no other people. They have amazing recall and run like the loons they are. In the restaurant they have been welcomed about once a month for the last year or so. They stay on leash and the leashes are wrapped to our chair legs and they are instructed to a down and stay. They love eating our leftover fish and tostones in the bowl that we bring for them. Boy dog marks every bush on walks so we put a belly band on him just in case in any establishment. In this country it is normal to have your dogs out with you. Yes people have even taken pictures of mine often as they are very rare to see here. They are calm, are trained not to approach anyone, to ignore beach dogs, and they do. I still would not take them to shops or malls. I would not take them to an enclosed restaurant nor out at dinner time. Many people approach them when we are out for on leash walks and they know if someone asks to touch them that first they sit to heal. Not all dog owners are knobs. Not all dogs are wild and untrained. The ones that are, ruin it for everyone.

This thread again.

It's time to move on to cats shitting in people's gardens and annihilating the local wildlife.

Did you buy the pram after he hurt his paw? Or did you already have one?

This is a whole new world 😐

And the landlords of the local pubs where I take my dog would prefer my custom than yours.

The poor dog was probably enjoying his only bit of peace and quiet for weeks.

But if we’re talking about something not being allowed somewhere cause they’re dirty and gross…well, that’s toddlers in a nutshell. If toddlers are fine and we survive their germy existence, I think we can remove the ‘dirty’ factor from dog complaints.