To wish this country was more dog friendly?

[lesley33]

I know some dogs are badly behaved, but surely not all dogs should be tarred with the same brush? My dog is a very well behaved labrador. On the continent dogs are allowed into lots of pubs and cafes and in places like Paris dogs are regularly walked along City streets. But in the UK, lots of people do not seem happy to let dogs share their space anywhere, which I think is vvu.

Gorgeous BTP. Damn scary looking gingerbread man though.

YABU. What Towndon said.

And just to say that I accept that not everyone will like my dog so I keep him well under control if I am near other people until I know that they like and accept him. And I often get thanked for holding him back out of the way so people can get passed on pavements and footpaths so that the pedestrians don't get a wet nose against their hand or wet fur against their clothing. Which indicates to me that other owners don't always do so perhaps.

I now accept that almost anything I choose to do will piss someone else off so I act accordingly - I feel like I wander round in a cloud of unspoken apology these days

I guess I can thanks MN for that.....

Bloody hell seeker, heaven help the world's human population if they are prepared to judge all dog lovers by this one person's opinion.

Funny though, isn't it? It's okay for MrBloom to say s/he hates dogs but not for me to voice my oponion.

Yet I'd argue that there's something terribly primitive about being concerned with one's own species above all others.

BTP, does the harness work? Do they pull less?

DBF, I can't see your profile.

YANBU. My big bouncy goldie is allowed in restaurants and pubs over here in France and behaves impeccably. We pick up his crap and he is friendly with everyone if a little drooly .

I worry more about taking DD out as she is far less predictable

I defy anyone to be scared of him, as even people who are dog phobic, like most of my family, end up loving him good job else they wouldn't be invited back

My handsome boy is on my profile. My girl isn't but she looks exactly the same apart from being slightly more rotund.

Try again, Milly. :)

Milly, I'd recommend a halti for a pulling, over-excited dog too. Works a treat on GSD1, who has a "full steam ahead" attitude as he bounds out of the door at the start of each walk.

Don't be fooled. He'd rip you face off in a nano-second.

Tell me more about gardeners 1,2 & 3 please Kladdkaka

Today I got the usual weekly bunch of advertising material delivered by Royal Mail. In it there was an A4 double page full colour flyer from Battersea entitled "Staffies: Softer Than You Think" featuring all kinds of people that have rehomed staffies. There are so many staffies and staffie types abandoned yet no-one wants them. The leaflet tried to dispel the view that they are savage dogs. Maybe some will be rehomed on the strength of this?

I am not allowed to keep pets in my flat, btw!

Yeah, I did, really cute Westie.

I got distracted by the gardeners, but... Westies! I have always wanted a Westie but somehow keep ending up with great lumbering beasts instead.

I read in the paper that a lot of the terrier breeds are now in danger because so few people choose to own them, even some quite lovely ones like Skye terriers. So I am determined to get terriers next time.

We have got one Halti. One of the dogs hates it and scrapes its nose along the floor the entire time it has it on until its nose bleeds.

Sarah gardener 2 is my reason for moving to Sweden

DBF, your dog is on the bed! This is DH's main gripe as he tries to squeeze in among the dogs to get into bed at night. He tells me that he did not sign up for this.

MillyR I now get my westies from Many Tears Dog Rescue. They're great because they don't trigger my husband's allergies and asthma.

Mandy - Whilst I agree with Battersea on that statement, it's a fecking disgrace that given that SBTs are softer than thought Battersea kill so many of them.

The organisation makes me cross. It claims to be a rescue but is really a dog pound, it kills hundreds of healthy dogs each year and it goes begging to a guilible public to pay them for the privilidge. And all the while genuine rescues like the no-kill one I help out at take in as many of the dogs which Battersea would kill without having Battersea's huge income to fund their work. My poor lot currently have £27 in the dog's bank account and approximately 70 dogs to care for.

I don't care how much some of you take the piss out of 'hysterical anti-dog people' - I am fed up of the way some owners allow their dogs to behave.
I can't stand it when dogs run up/jump up on you and the owner's say 'oh don't worry he's really friendly'.
No piss off, I don't like dogs and I don't want them jumping up on me or my kids.
Some people, like me, are afraid of them, rightly or wrongly, and owners should respect that.
My in laws have always kept dogs and love them but think they should always be on leads in public places where there are loads of people.

DBF: you have a lovely cat.