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?

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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.

Which is irrelevant
People can chose from many hotels and restaurants to visit and they aren’t there every day for many years

I don’t know if it’s discrimination or not but it is annoying! I’ve taken to eating out at hotel restaurants because I can do a quick search on booking dot com to see if it’s dog friendly or not. Some hotels do stand on business and will only let guide dogs in as opposed to assistance dogs.

Where a place allows guide dogs there’s far less likely to be a dog present although of course it’s possible.

pre-2010 I saw the odd guide dog here and there very occasionally in restaurants, theatres etc but pets weren’t allowed so that was all you saw.

now post- pandemic, when pet/assistance dogs are allowed in these places its an every day occurrence to see one there.

My local pharmacy has a no dogs please sign,the other day I watched this woman bring her dog inside to pick up her medicine. It kept pulling hard at the leash at one point it would not move from the door way then it was sniffing at sweets on the bottom shelf. So annoying. Wish the staff had said something.

Good luck finding a dog free hotel in the lake district.

I do think businesses need to be more public about their acceptance or not of pets.

That said im so severely allergic to cats that I can’t even sit near someone on public transport who has a cat or I’m wheezing to the point of needing hospital treatment and my eyes swell shut.

I’d love to expect people to keep cats and jackets/jumpers separately but it’s unrealistic and so I can’t use public transport without carrying EpiPens and can only go to restaurants where there’s a decent distance between tables. It’s a real pita but the cat doesn’t even need to be there.

i’m also a dog lover who is allergic to dogs and I don’t want them in restaurants. Not so bothered about cafes as long as they publicise it. As for hotels? That ought to be clear as can be that of pets are allowed they offer rooms where pets aren’t and never have been. Got caught out once before when pregnant with an apartment-hotel where they allowed cats and dogs .

Is it discrimination to have 30 options on a menu you can eat compared to others that may only have two choices
It’s unreasonable to say this is discrimination
Some hotels are dog friendly, some not. There’s a choice so there’s no discrimination
If all dogs were to be banned then equally dog owners could say it’s discrimination.

Where? All the coffee shops near me allow pets. I have struggled to find one that doesn't allow them

No because you are being offered alternatives.

There is no alternative to pet friendly. Just more pet friendly. And as for meals only dairy or gluten issues would count for discrimination.

I’m a dog owner but I think it’s vile that people take dogs inside to restaurants especially those who sit dogs on their laps when eating and pass bits of food to the dog. 🤢 Our dog comes with us to woods, forests, lakes etc NOT out to dinner. Sitting outside in a pub or cafe, sure but inside should be a no.

You’ll never win though. There was a thread on here a few years ago where people admitted they’d save their dog from a fire over someone else’s child!!! WTAF! 🤬 They’d save an animal over a child. My dog is a much loved pet but no way is his life more worthy than that of a child; anyone’s child. The tunnel vision of some dog owners astounds me.

The only dogs allowed on the eurostar are assistance dogs, I very much doubt assistance dogs are becoming an issue on the eurostar.

The problem with this idea is that you might have animal free rooms, but corridors and communal spaces will have had dogs in them. They can’t guarantee just because a room hasn’t had a dog stay in it, it’s free from animal hair. (If it’s been carried in on the air or on the clothes/bags of other people).

Bit like there’s so many food items that don’t have nuts listed as an ingredient but say “made in an environment that contains nuts”.

No they couldn’t claim discrimination due to not being allowed to bring their pet. That would make no sense. What form of discrimination do you think that would come under? Sex, race??

If you’re talking guide dogs yes disability discrimination, but we are talking about pet dogs which are the vast majority of dogs you find in cafes and hotels etc

A pet is not a part of someone the way an allergy is. They are not joined to their dog so any ban against a dog is just that. A dog ban. It cannot constitute as discrimination against a person based on the legal understanding of discrimination.

No problem
Booking.com for hotels in Lake District
There are 190 hotels with 96 that are pet friendly
So 94 to chose from

quick search based on availability for this coming week

Read back on the poster I tagged
I was pointing out the ridiculous thought that people could claim discrimination

Yes, I was going to say this too. It doesn't help the case when people exaggerate the issue. Banning assistance dogs would be actual discrimination and since they are allowed everywhere it's impossible to create guaranteed dog free places.

I don't have allergies, but I will not stay in a pet friendly hotel. It would be just gross to me. I know dog lovers/owners will berate me for this, but the attention the dogs get drives me insane. I want to talk to a human not human via a dog thanks. And as for possible hairs and barking, and moulting and oh look, it's not for me.

I can be choosy and am.

Plus the eurostar limits each train to four dogs and provides the dog with a ‘seat’ so no one is sat next to them.

This whole post is spot on.

Wish more dog owners had your mindset!

Sympathies OP, I have allergies which means I have to look at the fine details of the room. Didn’t have to until about 2/3 years ago, now pet friendly (dogs) everywhere. Like you I would struggle to breath after a few hours and would be very uncomfortable.

It makes it unclean to me.

I think there must be increased pressure to be 'dog friendly' as a business.

It is annoying and you'd hope the majority of places would refuse them.

I think dog allergy is statistically much less likely to cause a fatal reaction though it certainly is possible.

Does your dog not come inside your home where you eat, sit, wash up etc. Why is it vile to have a dog inside a pub, but not inside a home?

I don't find animals any more disgusting than humans.

This will tell you the hotels who explicitly stated that pets are allowed. Many places will allow pets but don't make it a big deal, probably so they can turn away anyone who walks in with Cujo. I'd love there to be a explicit pet free option in the filter. That would be really helpful.

Welcome to a world where dogs still sit above people with disabilities in the great scheme of things.

I have mobility issues, DH is allergic to dogs and the accessible rooms are also the dog rooms. The last time we stayed in a dog friendly room ie ground room, his skin and cough flared up. We voted with our feet.

On the Eurostar to/from London?

If so, it must have been an assistance dog as otherwise dogs are not allowed on the Eurostar in/out from London.

@Lolights- no it wouldn’t be discrimination to say you can’t bring a dog unless it’s a service dog. Then it is discrimination. So all “dog free” hotels would have to allow service dogs. It would’ve a risk someone with an allergy would have to take.

That said, it’s worth think could you force hotels to not allow dogs? So may have only started allowing dogs in the last few years, its a combination of the increase dog ownership but also the extra costs of going abroad when you have a dog. Kennels are around £350-400 for a week now. In the past you could easily take your dog with you abroad but now it’s around £200-300 a time to get the paperwork to travel (thanks to Brexit) and you have to find a vet to give you dog a worming tablet 24 hours before you return to the uk. As such sometimes it’s just easier to say in the UK. If you are a hotel in part of the uk that’s dog friendly in the summer (not all areas allow dogs on the beaches in the summer), it’s going to be a big part of your market and most importantly more likely to be people who have money to spend (as families with higher budgets often go aboard for guaranteed weather).

and yet a very quick Google will give lists of hotels that very clearly state no pets in the headliner
So plenty to chose from

Its just a matter of choosing within your needs and priorities and accepting that not everywhere is suitable