How to say 'No dogs'?

[LadyPamelaH]

I belong to a local friendship group for women. It works on the basis of anyone arranging events and putting up the announcement on our social media page.

I may arrange a walk (I did a survey and there was some interest.)
However, I've seen that when another member arranged a walk, some women took their dogs along.
I noticed from the chat that one dog was 'lively'.

The venue allows dogs on leads only but nevertheless there is a cafe etc...for a drink afterwards.

I'm not scared of dogs and I don't dislike them, but I admit I don't like them jumping up, slobbering over me, or barking. Is there are nice way of saying 'No dogs' because it may not just be me who feels like that.

I want a relaxing walk where we can all chat and get to know each other, not women trying to control their dogs.

I do think it's gone a bit silly now in this country. I'm a dog owner but I really don't agree with dogs in cafes or shops.

@ViolinsPlayGentlyOn I do see @Twointhehand1 point though. Choosing an activity that would usually lend itself to bringing a dog and stating 'no dogs' is acceptable and I don't think anyone is saying it's isn't. It's up to the OP however why not simply avoid confusion and choose somewhere which isn't dog friendly? It's like arranging a visit to a play park and saying 'no kids'. Imposing restrictions will seem unfriendly no matter how reasonably worded and would limit attendance IMO. Choose somewhere which wouldn't lend itself to bringing dogs and no one will!

Which would be fine - but this isn't the OP's life she's arranging, it's a group whose main purpose is to foster friendship amongst the members. Now, unless the group is very small they won't walk or sit together as a large group anyway - so to close off the group to certain members who could use the same walking route and cafe if they came along as a dog walking group or as individuals who wanted to do the same seems a bit silly and short sighted.

But yes, if she is organising this one and wants to implement this rule then she has every right to do so - although the most sensible thing in order to achieve her aim imo would be to simply organise an activity where there won't be other people's dogs present and where they can all chat without having to worry about the group of dogs at the next table or not being able to hear the conversation because a dog is barking. It's like my Bookbug analogy in my earlier post.

If the walk isn't the main focus I wouldn't call it a walk - you could say 'have a wander around the grounds followed by coffee in cafe'. Then people may be less likely to think about bringing their dog anyway.

It’s nothing like arranging a visit to a play park. Play parks are intended for children, and it would be very weird for an adult to be there without a child. NT places may allow dogs, but dogs are not their primary reason for existing. It’s perfectly reasonable for people without dogs to enjoy a day out at an NT place.

Which would be fine - but this isn't the OP's life she's arranging, it's a group whose main purpose is to foster friendship amongst the members.

I think we may be interpreting the group differently here.

I’d assumed it was like some of the groups we have in our area - 100s of members and people post events for others to sign up to. Often these have maximum numbers, for whatever reason. I don’t see an issue with someone organising a “no dog” event in that context, and I can’t understand why anyone would mind.

If it’s a group of, say, 20-25 and everyone’s invited to everything then that’s a bit different (although I personally still think it’s fine for OP to set up a no dog event, I can see there’s more room for discussion,)

What's wrong with making it nice and clear ? As far as I am aware owning a dog is not a protected characteristic. A simple "No dogs except assistance ones please " makes it obvious to everyone.

Yes they may encounter other peoples dogs at the cafe as they are mostly dog friendly these days. But - as a reluctant owner of a dog myself - not everyone wants dogs around for various reasons, and there's no reason why they should be automatically included.

I would just rephrase the invite to say

'meet for coffee and a walk around the gardens. NT places don't always allow dogs in all areas of the grounds so we advise dogs be left at home on this occasion.'

what is it with all the mealy mouthing? I have been a dog owner all my adult life and loved it. I can't have a dog now but when I did have, I did things with and without them. Some of the places I went without them allowed dogs but it meant that I could focus on other things and not have to be responsible for them. What on earth is wrong with just giving the details and saying that this will be a no dogs event? Nobody HAS to come.

The trouble with people bringing dogs is that the topic of dogs will tend to dominate the conversation all day. It always does.

Maybe have some 'bring a dog if you have one' walks and some 'dog-free' walks as well.

Nope. This would say that you are fine with dogs, but based on the place's restrictions the owners might not be able to go everywhere with them. If someone knows the place, they can decide they would be fine and bring the dog.

It needs to be clear that no dogs is the organiser's intention, otherwise someone will try and find a workaround

Well, in that case OP just needs to say 'No Dogs Please'. I can't believe there have been 8 pages on this topic when that is the obvious answer.

I suspect that OP wants to phrase it in a way that will avoid dog owners querying why they cannot bring their dogs, and refusing to come, in which case I think she will be out of luck (as do many PPs) and she just needs to choose a different venue.

Agreed. And I've noticed most hotels are now saying they are pet-friendly too. So how do you easily avoid a room without a barky dog next door/above/below. The loud sex and loud TVs and loud arguments and elephant-imitating kids are bad enough!

I agree. If it’s a multiple event type thing where there are many organisers of different events then yes, it’s reasonable for the organiser to set out the rules of that particular event. If it’s a single group where everyone takes a turn to organise the activity then it would be less than ideal imo to exclude people on this occasion if the purpose is to foster friendship.