Entitled behaviour of some dog owners

[Jsonwbia]

I am on holiday in the UK. I accept that the area I am in is popular with dog owners and I accept the presence of dogs, but the sheer number of them in some spaces and the thoughtless behaviour of some dog owners is really starting to grate.
I'm in a cafe - restaurant place for lunch. Most other people in here have their dogs with them...fine. But some people have brought in clearly reactive dogs which are intermittently barking loudly at each other, whining, flying into a rage when other dogs go past their tables and growling. It makes me jump out of my skin when they loudly go off and set a baby off crying in shock. There is outside seating available and it's quite a nice day so why they can't sit outside I don't know.
Add to that, dogs sitting on the seats, being allowed to reach too far on their leads making them a trip hazard, and sniffing around my legs as they go past on leads with owners making no attempt to remedy any of this.
The staff are young and very polite and seem a bit ill equipped to deal with any of this.
I'm not out to spoil anyone's day so am keeping quiet but it is not relaxing. I feel like I'm in a minority these days though with not finding this enjoyable.

Why do you have a dog in your house if you are this aggressive about them?

Becuse I was outvoted by other family members who love the thing.
I made it very clear from the start im having no part in it , they will feed it,.walk it , pick up after it and water it . Im not doing any of it

I grew up on a farm so we had working dogs, guard dogs and pet dogs. I love them. But they all need their own training, and they need to be treated with a bit of respect. They aren’t just your pet - they have their own feelings. If a dog is shaking, pulling, lunging, barking or growling whilst you’re sitting in a cafe then it is not happy or comfortable in that situation. Take it home. If your dog cannot behave, or sit quietly then take it home.

Oh living in a democracy didn't really work out for you did it !

I was in a forest.

No one else around, kid you fucking not.

Out of nowhere, a Maltese just mauled my face.

Shit on my shoe.

Licked my earlobe until it bled whilst I screamed for help.

All the dog walkers just ignored me as I lay there crying and bleeding out!

I started frothing. Nothing. No help.

I was 12 at the time.

To this day, I am traumatised.

A similar thing happened to my grandmother, her neighbour and a mum I knew from my DC school.

True story.

No one else around but all the dog walkers ignored you? What dog walkers - no one else was around?

Not all dog owners! I don’t take mine everywhere and I certainly wouldn’t allow the behaviour you mentioned if I did.

Dog walkers are no one's. Anyone who has a dog is a no one because they are entitled.

But yeah, true story. 😃

I'll back you up - I have a dog and have had dogs all my life - big and small.

I don't ever take them to a restaurant. They are never off lead. I don't let them sniff peoples legs and I am very conscious that some kids/adults are scared of dogs. They don't come shopping with me (John Lewis mens changing rooms last week ffs - someone entitled).

Dogs before humans isn't ever right. They are dogs.

And yes, our dogs are loved, well taken care of and have happy lives.

Still here in the cafe. I'm chilling while my partner is in a museum. Next to me is a pleasant couple with a well behaved westie sat nicely on the floor next to them. Dog seems happy and not stressed unlike some of the other dogs that have been in here so far. That's more like it.
If a dog is stressed - whining, barking, straining on the lead, reacting, unsettled, surely it's just selfish to make it try to cope in an environment it clearly is not happy in? I think some dog owners don't actually care much for their dogs well-being in reality.

I adore dogs but some dog owners are truly awful, I agree.

I also believe that dog owners need to respect that some people are afraid, allergic etc.
So don`t just let your dog sniff someone, walk up to them etc. EVEN if the dog is absolutely lovely.

I sympathise OP.

I’m looking into getting a support leopard. I don’t see why other people shouldn’t have to put up with her being around them.

She’d be trained to fully respect people, but obviously it’s more difficult to stop animals reacting to each other.

When I take her to the park or into a dog friendly cafe, if any untoward savaging of dogs happens I’ll be sure to say “aww, don’t be like that, she was just being friendly”.

Having posted on a previous recent dog thread I was surprised at the level of anti dog hostility there is out there. It doesn’t tally in with my real life experiences in fact the complete opposite.
Anyway it wasn’t my dogs they sat beautifully under the table in a cafe this morning.

It’s possible to like dogs and also be frustrated by the behaviour OP mentions. I am sick of people using long leads in busy environments where people can trip over the lead or the dog.

I actually agree with 99% of what you say but not the bit about never letting your dog off its lead. I personally don't think there's anything wrong with letting your dog off its lead in certain places especially if there are few other people/children etc or equally importantly livestock around and your dog has good recall.

I agree with you OP. I am not talking about assistance dogs though.
It isn’t often just one dog. It is now multiple dogs.
It all went bonkers when people decided they were ‘members of the family’. By labelling them so rather than dogs, they have been humanised. Meaning anywhere a human goes, the dog should be able to go too. Not quite, but not far off.
Years ago people might take one dog away. Or have a friend look after it. Or place it in a kennel for a week. Not anymore.
They are everywhere. Hotels, cafes, restaurants, hairdressers, parkland, beaches, stately homes, you name it. Railways - often sitting on the seats. Any pub you will get dogs.
And the dog owners do not always observe basics. Nesting birds on beaches. On a lead, nope. Leads allowed to extend hugely so they do become trip hazards.
I think many hotels and pubs cottoned onto things and announced they were dog friendly.
I wish some would announce they are dog free. I suspect a lot of people would go to the hotel or pub/ garden.

I have no hate for dogs. I am scared of larger breeds. I have no wish to try to walk past a Mastiff to get a pot of tea and a cake.

A big part of the problem is how many people use retractable leads which give you very little control. I would ban the damn things if I could.

Sadly some dog owners don’t ’give a shit’, @Screamingabdabz. But I don’t think this is unique to dog owners - these people exist in every group and walk of life, and unfortunately their actions or inaction often impact on other people.

We have dogs, and we adore them - but we wouldn't let them behave in the ill-mannered ways described on here. We have only taken them to dog friendly cafes a couple of times, and we made sure they stayed quietly under the table, and didn’t affect anyone else. Obviously, if someone had said they were allergic to dogs, we would have taken them out.

I do think that dog friendly establishments should make it clear on their doors and websites, so people who don’t want to be around dogs can make an informed decision - and there should be plenty of places were dogs aren’t welcome too.

I think its safe to assume that cafes/pubs allow dogs in because they make money out of it. My friend took me to this super dog friendly pub once. I was quite taken aback, dog treats as you went in the door, towels to dry them off, dog beds at each table, water bowls at each table, dog menu with about 6 different options on it including dessert, the waitress took our order but gave the dogs treats before, in fairness most of the dogs were well behaved. It was absolutely packed we had to book a table in advance and this was a windy Wednesday lunch time in November not in a particularly touristy area.

Someone will be along soon to tak about badly behaved children in public but the same principle should apply. Annoying loud disruptive children and dogs should be taken outside .

Oh yes how you going to enforce that!

I'm a dog owner and I agree with you which is why when I go out for a meal I always choose a place where dogs aren't welcome.

Whetherspoon's and Premier Inn only allow assistance dogs. Not so great for allergies/phobias but I can cope because they're there for a reason. Spoons will ask for proof if they think you're fibbing (it's an emotional support/therapy dog, I've heard that before. Means absolutely nothing.) Someone tried to bring their emotional support dog into the church I go to and was told no.

The thing is, is I've seen people with assistance/guide dogs say they don't go to dog friendly places because it stresses their dogs out, and people with assistance/guide dogs not being allowed into places where they should be able to go! So some places aren't letting dogs in willy nilly.

Yep! Usual disclaimer - grew up with loads of working dogs, we trained them, it was our responsibility to do so...

But due to a disability I have poor peripheral vision and I simply can't see if your dog is running a lead like a trip wire in front of me... I know, I should probably stay home in my room...

Of course there are some entitled/bad dog owners just as there are some entitled/bad parents.

We take our dog to eating places all the time and have honestly never seen any bad behaviour and never heard any dog barking. I am talking about going for coffee with our dog at least 4 times a week and out for a meal at least a couple of times a month.