Do you think there will ever come a time when business need to take account of the needs of those of us allergic to dogs?

[Wonkypictureframes]

OK, so I don't want this to turn into one of the many threads where huge rows erupt about the number of dogs around. I accept that this seems to be the way of the world - for now anyway - but some recent experiences have made me question the implications.

I'm in the process of booking a UK touring holiday and have spent the last few weeks trying to book some medium range hotels in various places. Mainly countryside locations which might be part of the issue.

I am allergic to dogs and prone to fairly serious reactions, including asthma attacks if exposed for a prolonged period.

The problem is that I'm coming across so many places I like only to read that they are pet friendly. This is often accompanied by photos showing dogs running around the hotel interior, sitting on the beds and couches in rooms etc. If I were to stay in this room after a dog had been there it's highly likely I'd be quite poorly. When I've rung these hotels to ask if they have any designated pet free rooms, they have replied that no, they are 'pet friendly', as if this somehow makes them morally superior and those of us who have allergies are some sort of animal hater!

Given the legislation on dietary labelling that came in following some tragic incidents, I do wonder if we're going to end up in a situation where someone is likely to come to harm through inadvertent exposure. This is probably more likely to be a child as grown adults will be able to spot early warning signs.

I'm just interested in views on this as it's increasingly feeling like I'm being denied access to a service in a way that would not be acceptable in other situations.

But that's a totally separate issue to a parent not wanting a dog to lick their child.

& I'm sure that poster would know if it's required in her area.

I've not seen it anywhere as general as that tbh. Only that dogs must be under control, this does not mean they have to be on a lead, and that posters dog is 'under control'.

You can have different rooms in a hotel. Preferably with the dog free room having a dog free route to the reception.

Where you would run in to difficulties might be an accessible room, you would have to make that dog friendly for assistance dogs, but you might have someone who needs that room who has an allergy.

Pets are not allowed on the Eurostar so this will have been an assistance dog.

The problem is doing that tends to bring up dog friendly places, not dog free!

Theres a cat hotel in Yorkshire where people bring their cats along, it may become a thing 🙄

I was in Matalan the other week and 1 dog went for another at the tills and there was such a racket, my GD got so scared. I know they are peoples pets, and I have a dog myself, but I feel there is a time and a place.

I am totally with you. My local college where I work got an emotional support dog who wanders around the site, off lead with his owner (the caretaker). The dog runs around, jumps up and everyone loves him (no).Then the counsellor catches on and brings in his dog. All trained (no).

The thread seems to have predictably moved on but going back to the originally question, if I’m looking for a holiday I always have to click if I want to take a pet so presumably you just don’t click in order to find the places which don’t allow dogs?

We have a lot of cafes and pubs round here which don’t allow dogs but they’re in towns not rural areas, once you get into rural areas it’s a bit more of a free for all and at that point it’s a numbers game I guess.

The only coffee shops around me, and holiday lets as part of the cottage company I use, that don’t allow dogs…have all closed or been sold or are massively struggling.

When I first got my holiday let, the cottage company told me I was likely to get about 50% more bookings if I allowed dogs - and it’s now booked about 40-42/52 weeks a year. The non dog friendly ones are booked perhaps half that if they’re lucky.

There’s a reason for that.

You might not like it - but businesses that allow dogs appear to be far more likely to survive the current economic climate than those that don’t.

I guess that people with dogs are more likely to want to holiday in the UK. That’s one of the reasons I holiday here, I don’t want to holiday without the dog.

Most of the cafes in my town that currently allow dogs could quite feasibly have a dog free area and a dog friendly area.
One cafe has 4 rooms, 2 upstairs and 2 downstairs; Costa just has one space but it is long and thin and could do ‘no dogs beyond this point’.
The cafe at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park does this, with tables at one end of the cafe designated dog friendly. That way everyone is catered for.

I am a dog owner and dog lover and I am 100 per cent with you - you should be able to have trust that a room will be dog hair free for your safety and comfort. You would t relax “just in car”, even if it didn’t trigger an attack.

I think some people treat their dogs as security blankets. Heaven forfend they should actually have to have an adult conversation with another human being. It’s quite pathetic really and I don’t see it with any other type of pet/owner relationship.

I’ve never seen someone rock up to a cafe, pub, gift shop, clothes shop, the chemist etc with their cat or horse though - have you? I was once in a cafe where a woman with a dog sat at the table next to us (after we’d been seated) and the waitress was so busy cooing over this dog and making sure it had water and treats we needed to remind her that we were waiting to order and could she serve us before she served the dog. That’s never happened with a horse.

I always thought that was the case for some shy or anxious people and it’s a useful and positive aspect of dog ownership- why be judgy about it?
I’m not a dog owner or particularly a dog lover but it’s clear that people benefit not only from the relationship with the dog but from the way the dog promotes interaction with other humans.
As long as the dog isn’t negatively affecting others who cares? It’s only when it is that it’s anyone else’s business and in those cases we should just deal with the problem rather than judge the emotional state of the dog owner.

Sorry I bet someone upthread has said this but if allowing dogs suits your business model (i.e. you are a pub, cafe, garden centre or some other family friendly / casual place) then there is no point as a business owner banning dogs to cater for people who don't like dogs or are allergic to dogs when by law you have to accept assistance dogs anyway. And assistance dogs are very commonly labs and golden retrievers who are bad triggers for allergies.

Imagine you are very alergic to dogs and you come to my "no dogs allowed (assistance dogs exempted)" cafe and unbenownst to you there had been a guide dog there 30 mins previously (who by law I had to let in). You then have a terrible athsma attack and sue me because i hadn't disclosed, as you walked in the door or placed your order at the till, that there had been a dog in 30 mins previously. What is an owner meant to do? Put up a big sign saying "WARNING THERE IS AN ASSISTANCE DOG INSIDE"?

On the other hand if i advertise as "dogs welcome in the front bar" then you can avoid the front bar and hopefully the person with an assistance dog is not an arsehole who choses to sit in the back bar just because the proprietor can't stop them by law.

I think its a good idea to have dog free areas where a space have multiple zones. I can't think of many places locally that don't allow dogs (other than restaurants) but nor can i think of any places locally that don't have rules about where the dogs can go. They are allowed in the courtyard / patio / footpath only, or they're not allowed in the section where the serve food or whatever the rule is.

Do you have a source for that stat please? I genuinely can’t think of anyone I know who is allergic to pets, except me to cats.

But why should we or I have to deal with it if it is negatively affecting me? What about my emotional state? Be kind goes both ways, and there are plenty of people out there who do not want to live, shop or eat around dogs for whatever reason. I used to have a pet tarantula - would it have been okay for me to take him to my local cafe?

They often still bring up cottages that allow thwm

That happens in pubs with areas that are suitable for horse riders to stop at, depending on how horse affiliative the staff are.

I've been in a cafe where someone had their rabbit with them. I've stayed in a hotel where someone brought their cat. He appeared totally relaxed and they said he always travelled with them, and she was a jobbing actress there as part of the cast of a murder mystery weekend and travelled constantly.

And the cat and rabbit owners were both wrong to do so. I am assuming the horses aren’t allowed in the premises so can’t see the issue there.

I'm allergic to dogs. I do own a dog and I am ok to spend a Short period with a doggy place but high numbers would give me symptoms and I'd be very uncomfortable.

I agree that establishing pet free rooms and an absolute no dogs on shared furniture is a fair rule. In the lounges etc

For one it's more hygienic and dogs smell and will ruin furniture quicker.

Nothing is more annoying than a yapping dog in a cafe too. If it can't sit quietly then don t take it out.

Wow.

Try telling that to someone stabbing themself with an epi pen so they don't choke to death!

And please don't say that anywhere near anyone who has lost a loved one to anaphylaxis.

Or lost a job due to an inability to work when the pollens they are allergic to are high.

I’m not allergic to dogs, I’m scared of them as have been bitten by 2 and had a cat killed by 1. Society seems to be throwing them in our faces allowing for bad dog ownership. Not all dogs but some. I agree with you but with different reasoning.

Why were they wrong? Nobody around them was remotely bothered. I loved the cat being there, and I am mildly allergic to them.