Where can we visit that is definitely dog free?

[loubielou31]

Sorry this is a bit of a thread about a thread. My mum has quite a bad dog phobia, and it is becoming more difficult to think of places to visit with her because more and more places are dog friendly. I don't need to discuss the merits of this just suggestions of places that will definitely be dog free please. Visit to the beach in summer is spoilt for her (and consequently us) because even when there are no dogs allowed on the main beach, owners don't stick to the dog friendly areas.
We live in Bristol if people have specific places they know but general suggestions would also be great.
The zoo is one place we often visit.
Thanks

Thought of another one!
Whitby Museum and Pannet Park around it. There’s a lot of dogs in Whitby though, so hard to avoid on your way to the Museum. I think there’s parking on site, however.

A long time ago I visited Slimbridge, well worth a visit, hope that and other suggestions are of help OP.

As for a dog-free directory, I can imagine places would be reluctant to be listed, because some dog owners would be abusive towards the staff there or deliberately take their dog there. Notice I did not say dog lovers.

There are FB groups for dog owners wanting dog friendly places to visit or stay. Are there not equivalents for people who want dog free places?

It's funny you mention Esher and Claremont, as Garsons' Garden Centre is also in Esher and they ban dogs. I go quite a bit and have not seen one there, so it is upheld, afaik.

I was at Garsons on Monday and to my astonishment I saw a little bichon frise in the Christmas department! I had seen the "no dogs" sign on the way in so I was really surprised. It was on a lead, I guess staff just hadn't noticed.

Damn. That's awful. I am SO sick of this damn dog epidemic.
Staff everywhere seem too afraid to confront these entitled arseholes.

Theme Parks should generally be safe from dogs, but sadly our last visit was spoiled by someone bringing their fake service dog in. I did complain, and was told it was a service dog, but I absolutely do not believe for one second that it was.

Oh, and to the people suggesting therapy. NO. Howabout the dog people and the dogs have therapy so that the dogs can stay home and not bother the rest of us? I don't need therapy. I just don't like dogs.

🙌🏼 yes!

If someone started taking their pet snake everywhere, or playing bagpipes anywhere they went, nobody would suggest that all the other people had therapy so they could put up with it.

Exactly. It is the entitlement of dog people that think we should all accommodate them that annoys me nearly as much as the proliferation of dogs everywhere.

I do think service dogs should have certification.

You need to show your blue badge to park in disabled bays, you need your Nimbus card to get adjustments in theme parks and the like, so why not show a pass to certify that your dog is a trained service dog.

Dogs have fur and are cute (in the eyes of their owners at least). Snakes, well, not so much.

I think it's bizarre that shops let them in. Staff are retail workers, they are not there to clean up dog poo and wash products if they get weed on!

Thank you all, there are some really good replies with lovely suggestions of places that I hadn't thought of at all, I thought I could tag and thank those people but I can't work out how, please know I am grateful.

The merits of where dogs should and shouldn't be allowed is not really what I needed from this thread. I'm afraid it is entitled and irresponsible owners that have created this problem for us and made it necessary to give this extra thought. Annoyed as this makes me I can't fix that. I can find places that will be relaxing for us to visit so thank you for the ideas.

I was in a WH Smith in Central London once and a woman was walking about with a parrot on her shoulder!

There's often a snake charmer on Westminster bridge.

Newport wetlands only allow very limited access for dogs

www.rspb.org.uk/days-out/reserves/newport-wetlands

Threads are like dogs - once you've set them free then you can't really be completely in control of what direction they take 😂

I hope you manage some lovely relaxing days out with your mum.

You are quite right. And to be fair the sidetrack directions that threads take can often be very amusing.
My next thread will be complaining about having to change tables at said (dog free) coffee shop even though I checked twice if this table was okay before sitting down. My mum will be perfectly relaxed and I will be losing my patience. 😂

Just found this thread - so helpful.
Does anyone have specific suggestions for Yorkshire - I know thats a big area but although we are in South Yorkshire - would be prepared to travel🙂

I sympathise with the OP but those saying dogs are everywhere these days, is it really new? In my youth people let their dogs wander the neighbourhood freely, no-one used leashes, there were no rules at all. This was Ireland mind you.

I think the difference is that they weren't in cafés or wandering round John Lewis. We were in a restaurant last week and someone's dog shat on the floor. I mean they cleaned it up quickly and looked pretty mortified, and luckily it was a tiled floor, but 10 years ago people didn't take their dogs out to dinner with them.

The Moon?

In the UK as well but there weren't many of them. As the pp said hey weren't in cafes and shops and people walked them at 7am and 7pm and not generally inbetween.

And there were guards' vans on trains.

When DC were young I used to like petting farms and their playgrounds/picnic areas because there'd be no dogs (or dogs' mess!)