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.

It’s irrelevant of how properly trained the dog is. You said they prioritise the disability of people who need assistance dogs.

My point was the disability some have AD for is often anxiety.

I don’t believe the law prioritises that over someone’s severe allergic reaction.

A few service/guide dogs allowed everywhere are not much if any problem for allergy sufferers because there aren’t enough of them to build up dander. It’s all the others added to the mix from fake “assistant” dogs to pets of many kinds.

Also as I have said upthread no one was complaining when it was actually only guide dogs for the blind allowed places in the 90s etc. So guide dogs aren’t the issue when people say dogs are everywhere!

The issue is mostly pet dogs and to a lesser extent “assistance dogs”.

It’s all about the bottom line, if I was a business owner that allowed dogs in my premises and saw my profits go up I wouldn’t suddenly decided to not let them in and earn less money.

People cannot even shop in clothing stores without their dogs. I encountered 3 in John Lewis the other day. Wtf is going on that you HAVE to take your bloody dog clothes shopping.
Just WHY?

I'm not allergic to dogs but I am really very pissed off when I'm in a cafe or restaurant and someone rocks up with a dog. I do not want to smell your dog when I am spending my hard earned cash and precious time to relax.

I do remember a time when dogs weren't allowed in cafes and restaurants and this was considered unhygienic. Not sure what happened there.

Exactly! You’ve just summed up what I’ve been trying to say all through this thread far more concisely than I’ve managed. Lol

I feel posters keep bringing up “assistance dogs” to deflect from the main issue of pet dogs everywhere.

We won't use Wetherspoons because they do not even allow dogs outside!!!

We did use them occasionally before we got our rescue dog but not that often as their food is not very good

I was abroad in an Eastern European country and a large dog ran up to me in a cafe. I asked the staff member to move it away from me which she did using her hands. I was grateful for help but she didn’t wash her hands afterwards , nor did she find the owner and tell him to leash it she just shooed /pushed it away and it went around the corner where presumably the owners were.

I knew if I ordered anything I wouldn’t be able to sit there for fear of the dog returning. It was probably friendly but you can’t be too sure! And either way I didn’t want it jumping up on me or worse.

So I just made my apologies and left again to somewhere else. Sometimes it’s unavoidable but where possible I’d rather not spend my money having to eat next to a dog, especially in the UK given how expensive a lot of places are nowadays.

I hope you aren't using that as an argument for dogs' arseholes to be anywhere near where people eat food?

I have a dog free cafe on the inside, they're only allowed in the outside seating area. We're mega busy, dogs would pose a severe risk, especially because many (not all) dog owners just let their dogs do as they please regardless of the environment.

I love dogs but I don't like dogs on soft furnishings in any public place, especially eateries. Although I'm not allergic so public areas wouldn't matter, I wouldn't want to book a hotel room that had had dogs on the furniture, but such is the trend at the moment

^This.

If you don't like dogs in cafes/pubs/hotels, don't use those ones. If enough people agree with you, businesses will lose profit and will stop allowing dogs.

I don't think people understand you don't have a right to dictate how private businesses are run. If these businesses see a profit increase by allowing dogs, obviously, they will keep allowing dogs. It sucks for people with allergies, but it's how business works. No one has a right to eat out or stay in a hotel.

Animal dander allergies are surprisingly common and can be very serious. It’s an accessibility issue. People’s health should be a higher priority than the convenience of dog owners. Registered assistance dogs would maintain access to shops, cafes etc.

Try air b&b. I think they have a pet free selection. We have the same issue.

I am a dog owner and we have holidays where we take her with us, but this is usually to a pet friendly cottage/lodge. We have to pay extra for the privilege which is fair enough, I would never take her to a hotel though.

I agree there should definitely be pet free options. If we are going away without her then I would prefer to stay in pet free accommodation.

*Edited to say sorry for quoting original post I keep doing that by accident 🙄

Me too 😩. My son is 7 and autistic and is terrified of dogs (think running into the road screaming if he sees one of the lead. We have just managed to persuade him that dogs on leads are ‘safer’). Dogs are EVERYWHERE these days, can’t even take him to many parks and playgrounds, let alone cafes, shops, holiday parks etc.

It's not about the convenience of dog owners. It is about a business's profits.

I wonder if Northern Ireland is similar to the Isle of Man? A more traditional attitude towards dogs, with higher expectations that dogs need to be very well trained to live in largely rural areas and not over-accommodated (for want of a better term).

No idea where you are trying to book - but to book a genuinely dog friendly hotel is just not that easy.

Oh my goodness, I just popped out for a couple of hours and have come back to see this thread is trending. I've read through all the comments and I'm so relieved to see that it isn't only me who is concerned.

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow right at the start of this thread you mentioned Allergy UK. I'm now going to email them and link to this thread. I do think there are things they could do - lobby government for one. Granted, it won't change things overnight but it could start to raise awareness.

I think what we have here is a situation where the 'market' has responded to rising demand from dog owners. However, the rest of the population (including dog owners like some on this thread who don't want dogs everywhere) hasn't really spoken up. Instead, we've gone along with it and I'd imagine if you aren't allergic, it's an annoyance rather than an actual threat. For the rest of us, we're just supposed to book somewhere else. For those saying this is money driven, imagine if 'the market' decided it was too expensive to accommodate wheelchair users, or that their bookings from under 60s meant they could exclude older people!

Off the top of my head, I'd like to see the following:

A system equivalent to food labelling. A PP suggested some sort of symbol for websites to indicate pet 'friendliness' or otherwise. Ideally I'd like any hotel advertising as pet friendly to have some pet free rooms but suspect this might be difficult to implement. Either way, clear labelling would be helpful.

Better search engines for holiday accommodation. Some have a pet free option, with others it's more a case of 'how many dogs are you bringing?'

Food establishments (over a certain size?) should have dog free areas where food is being served.

Finally, I'd like to emphasise that I am in no way suggesting limiting access for those with assistance dogs. As an aside though, I haven't actually thought about what happens now when a hotel says dogs are not allowed. Do they have to allow assistance dogs in these cases? Obviously an area that would need working through.

I'm with you op.

I'm a dog lover and until recently a dog owner.

I loved my dog, but I didn't feel the need to take him everywhere and definitely not to anywhere that people are eating.

I find it very odd, that people expect other people to be okay with it.

I've lost count of the amount of times I've seen dogs poo and wee on the floor where people are eating and in shops. It's completely unhygienic.

It’s not necessarily mild if you have asthma.
And a lot of people do. Prolonged exposure to dogs and cats leave me short of breath and wheezing. If it’s bad, I might need a course of prednisone and I’ll likely feel tired and unwell for days.

They would be staying in the disabled rooms though probably so maybe an allergic person could avoid those?

This could be a problem at work as well - I had an old boss who wanted to get an office dog. I think/hope that in reality it wouldn't have been possible as we worked in quite a bureaucratic place, but if it catches on I can see this becoming a similar problem to what smoking in the office used to be for employees.

I agree with this. They are absolutely everywhere. Barring service dogs, I'm not sure why dogs need to be taken to restaurants and cafes. But it is a numbers game, and at least I'm saving money by not going out much.

This thread is certainly making me rethink GB as a holiday destination!
(We have dog allergies.)