How do we ACTUALLY solve the rift between dog people and non-dog people?

[Talkingtomyhouseplants]

Inspired by yet another dog thread where all the SAME arguments are trotted out again and again:

The Pro Dog People say:

• The dog is my family, you need to treat it like family
• Why would I get a dog just to leave it at home?
• It’s just a dog, it’s not bothering anyone
• My dog is less annoying than your child
• I love my dog more than I love people
• The dogs are ALLOWED to be there so it’s okay that I bring them places
• If my dog isn’t invited, I would probably choose to stay home as I prefer most dogs to people anyway
• My house is my dog’s home too, I won’t be shutting it away for anyone
• My dog isn’t dangerous - he’s a bit softy.

The Anti Dog People Say

• I’m allergic/scared/don’t like being around them - please keep them away from me
• It’s a pet, not your family
• A dog is not a child
• I won’t have dogs in my house
• Dogs are dirty and unhygienic - they shouldn’t be in shops or places where you eat
• I’m sick of dogs barking and jumping up at me in public and I keep stepping in dog poo
• There are too many places that either actively allow dogs, or more often don’t challenge people who bring them anyway so dogs eventually become allowed
• Dog owners are entitled and pushy and this is why they are now suddenly everywhere
• It’s dangerous to have dogs around children
• Dogs can bite/kill people
• There are too many untrained dogs who are treated like people

Same arguments on both sides, every time.

In my personal life I can think of at least two situations where these opposing views are creating real rifts in families because the dog person wants to bring a dog, and the non-dog person doesn’t want to be around said dog. I can feel it becoming more polarising in society generally, anti dog people are more vocal about being anti dog and pro dog people are more pushy about full inclusion of dogs in human spaces.

So what is the actual solution?

Is that actually true though? Seems like everywhere around me allows dogs these days even when it is obviously totally inappropriate (carpet shop?!?)

They definitely do not ALL smell of dog. Some breeds smell, some don't. Many of my friends have dogs and some of their houses smell of dog and some don't. The ones that don't, on the whole, have the same breeds of dog.

I had my second Parkrun today and was surprised by the number of people who had their dogs off the leash on public paths.

The runners are constantly told to be considerate of other park users, but not all the dog owners were keeping their animals in check. Mind you, the only aggression that I saw today was between dogs.

I don't see it a binary.

I think it is more that there are some people who are unfit to be dog owners, and some dog breeds that are not suitable for almost all houses. What I would like to see are some breeds banned altogether, and secondly, the law say that if your dog harms someone or another animal, it as if you inflicted the injury or other harm yourself.

There are some dog owners in our street who do pick up dog mess that's been discarded by others, because they don't want their dogs running through it.

As for snack wrappings etc., I tend to pick those up in our street.

I agree that is sensible - It doesn’t seem to be that simple though unfortunately.

@Talkingtomyhouseplants why though?

Surprisingly, a lot of them seem to! It's a job that's fairly easy to get unlike a lot of others at the moment so I can see why someone might not choose it but rather end up doing it.

I had a police officer come round recently (I have what is classed as a stalker, albeit I wouldn't have called it that, another reason I appreciate my large dog) and I told them that I had a large dog, was that okay, and it was passed over to a different officer as the original was scared of large dogs. When she got her she told me that she knows several police officers who refuse to do jobs where there's dogs. Obviously they're not always going to know when there's a dog, how does that manage to work?!

i wouldn't pick stuff up without gloves on or using a poo bag as a glove. I did used to pick up the dangerous mank that humans dumped where I walked my dogs....syringes and stuff, broken glass, barbecues and barbecue leftovers, used condoms...you name it.

So far as picking up litter is concerned, I'm not a saint - I'm picking it up in my own area because of 'broken window syndrome': I don't want litter louts to feel that it's okay for them to drop their rubbish and I don't want it blowing into my garden or remaining in my hedge (like the empty cigarette packet that someone had thrust into my lonicera hedge this morning).

I don't disagree with this.

To be fair, I have done things like that too. However implying that it is something we all MUST do because other people don't, is ridiculous, same as dog owners should pick up random lumps of poo that other dog owners have left.

In my experience the people that want the dig there don’t want to accept no dog as the default

Just solve the smell, dog shit , barking , humanising animals ,having them in unsuitable places like where’s there’s food and lastly keeping them under control

that would go a long way to solving this

I don't touch dog mess, I admit. I know that the lady up the hill uses disposable gloves. I have on occasion used buckets of hot water containing Zoflora to wash it off the pavement into the gutter.

I have a pack of disposable gloves that I use for picking up litter (unless I'm wearing my gardening gloves anyway).

Houses with dogs definitely smell of dog.

Just like a house with any animal, whether it’s cats, hamsters, or fish, have a smell of that pet.
And a house with people living in it smells different to an empty house.

Exactly. I have encountered a few people in real life who hate dogs and frankly they seem like unpleasant people anyway. I’m not including those who are wary or are not especially keen, but people who are determined to make a show - theatrical flinching, glaring, squealing… and this I have experienced when my very well-behaved dog is plodding along on the lead!

Dog goes out and about but I wouldn’t take him to a restaurant or round the shops. He wouldn’t enjoy it! Nor would I ever take him to someone’s house unless expressly invited. What some people fail to realise, however, is a “Oh, sorry, have to get back for the dog ha ha!” is the best excuse ever for escaping…

Oh, I agree - I don't think that dog owners should have to make up for the sins of others.

I once had a mucky nappy dumped in my back garden. (The joys of being on a corner plot near a park.) I don't hold all parents responsible for cleaning that up.

I don't think it is always that polarised in real life I don't dislike dogs I grew up with them. I have had much loved family dogs as pets.
But they are not people and should never be treated like people , All people are more important than all dogs.
People who treat dogs as though they are people and think they should have the same rights as people are the annoying ones not the dogs themselves.

humanising animals

Humans would do well to realise that we're an animal like any other. We destroy the planet that is our home, destroy the lives of millions of animals, contribute largely to otherspecies to go extinct (up to 150 species per day )and cause a myriad of misery. We're not special.

My mum will take her dog with her if she is dropping something off at someone's house and she does not want to go in 😄

Simple. It's because they're selfish. (Before half of MN comes for me, I'm not talking about all dog owners, I'm talking about those who don't dispose of their dogs' shit properly.)

Most of the things you said about dog people is the way i feel about my cat; she is family, I like her more than i like most people, if you don't want cat hair on your clothes don't come in the house but I probably agree with less than half of your anti-dog list. I do not like dogs but my best friend has two and i respect that she feels about her dogs the way i feel about my cat.

I have two dogs. I adore them. If you come to my house, expect my dogs to be here...they live here. I don't allow them to jump on people and are taught to go and lie down quietly.
However, I wouldn't dream of even asking to take them to someone's house. Nor would I take them everywhere. I leave them at home, unless we are taking them somewhere like the beach/ park etc and they stay on leads . Somewhere they would enjoy.
There is a middle ground. And I appreciate that not everyone is going to love my dogs like I do, and that's fine.

There isn’t a single coffee shop or cafe in my area that doesn’t permit dogs. Not one. We have quite a few coffee shops and it’s the first question asked on the Facebook community page when a new one opens. We don’t have too many shops nearby, but I have seen plenty of dogs in the shopping centre four miles down the road. I kind of get it where we live as loads of people are out walking their dogs, but I can’t imagine it’s much fun for a dog wandering around Next or Boots.