to think that the keeping of dogs for domestic purposes should be banned.

[AKMD]

That?s it really. I am sick to death of having to watch my feet to make sure I don?t accidentally tread in dog muck left to steam by some selfish, lazy dog owner. I resent not being able to take 2yo DS to the park directly opposite my house because it?s used as a dog exercise ground and you can?t play toddler football without the ball and toddler falling into said dog muck. I hate that every time we go to the slightly nicer park there?s at least one dog without a lead who decides to come and sniff DS and that while he backs away the owner stands there laughing that ?he?s only being friendly?. I loathe and detest the particularly ?friendly? dogs who lick DS while I drag him away, probably just after eating another dog?s poo or a dead rat or some other disgusting thing they just found. I have personally seen the scars left on a young child by a ?friendly? dog turning savage and ripping the toddler?s cheek off. The problem of people getting bored of their dogs and dumping them in rescue centres is sickening. The stories of dogs being bred to fight, being neglected, being bred for ?beauty? despite the ?beautiful? characteristics causing the animals pain and suffering are beyond belief.

IMO domestic dog owners as a general class have proved that they are irresponsible and selfish. Fear of treading in dog poo on a pavement or in a park is common to everyone and I am so, so sick of people blaming it on a tiny minority. Domestic dog owners can?t be trusted to be responsible so they shouldn?t have them, end of. People should only be allowed to keep dogs for working purposes ? guide dogs, sniffer dogs, police dogs, sheep dogs etc. - if they are licensed.

AIBU?

generally I think people who don't like dogs smell.

Well, the majority don't but a significant minority do.

YABU and I can't even be arsed to tell you why. You just so ARE!

I don't really like dogs very much. So I don't own one. Problem solved.

Re the clearing up after dogs, things are soooo much better now than when I was a child in the 70's. Nobody seemed to clear up then, there were no poo bags or dog bins.

I think dog ownership can be a great thing - for families and for all sorts of people. I don't think my FIL would have coped at all after the death of my MIL without his dog to keep him busy and keep him company.

I would welcome dog registration, compulsory chipping and restrictions on breeding though - ours was a rescue dog, and days from death in a dog pound before Many Tears rescued him.

Theresa you forgot autism and ADHD is purely down to poor parenting, when are we due one of those?

Sorry, AKMD, a couple of people have asked this and I'm sure you must have replied but I seem to have overlooked where you've explained what you propose to do with all the dogs owned as pets given that the shelters are already full.

Could you link to your explanation please, preferably with accompanying supporting evidence?

First nice day in ages = AIBU dog rant

I think that the keeping of cars for domestic purposes should be banned. They pollute the environment, cause traffic jams and frequently result in people being killed and injured in accidents. AIBU?

Uhmmm, cats crap in other people's gardens. Then bury it. And lie in wait and laugh. Then innocent home owners come out to do a spot of weeding or let their dc play in the garden and get covered in crap.
I think you will find that many many people do not like free roaming domestic cats.

Madness! OP there is no argument apart from slagging dogs and owners, sticking up for dogs and owners then the cat issue blah blah !!
I will send you some flowers as you must be having a boring day

HereIGo - do you think your ds is so scared of dogs because of your over reaction? A big stick? Really ?

Cats don't generally cause a public nuisance though. Unless they adopt you...

Have you got your uninformed hat on today? My dogs don't crap in the sandpit next the school playground across the road. That public service is carried out by the local moggies.

Wow YABVVVU.

Can't even be arsed argue with you.

"Clearly you live in a shit area."

Even people who live in shit areas (boom, boom :o ) should not have to walk on streets covered in shite.

YABU. I agree with all your arguments, but not your conclusion. We should ban the keeping of dogs not personally vetted and approved by ME (or maybe you :)) cos, yes, a great number of them are primitive, cruel, aggressive and I also and absolutely Fed The F Up with getting stinky yucky shoes that are impossible to clean because some lazy-arsed sht head think they're too special to clean up after any other living creature.

Had a stand off with some stupid women the other week. She had stopped and watched while her two hounds took a dump and then continued merrily on her way, pursued by a very cross me. She maintained that they hadn't done anything even while I pointed at it, at which point she shrugged and wandered off.

I have opinions about what people like that should be forced to do with the mess they leave that probably shouldn't be expressed out loud...

YABU

ban the cats instead for shitting in my garden then my dog eats said catshit and ends up with hiccups and smelly farts for days

So will you be denying your child the joy and responsibility of pet ownership then?

I dont like dogs, and i dont like their poo more.

Id like to agree with you, but i thinks iTS a abit UR

dog licensing will not stop the problem. I was a dog owner when everyone used to have to have one many years ago. But just like with picking up your own dogs poop the responsible owners did it and the irresponsible ones did not.

As to you logic about the mess AKMD .. There is FAR more mess on the pavement that I have to avoid stepping on that is the result of humans than dogs. Chewing gum, vomit, litter, discarded food etc. And as for sections of our walks in parks and fields ... beer cans, broken bottles, sometimes used syringes, used condoms etc ..... these can injure animals as well as kids)

YABVU ..... first time I have ever typed that !

I agree that there should be large and ENFORCED fines against those who dont pick up dog poo.

I am in favour of bringing back licensing.

I do not find dog poo in general a problem. I don't have to watch my feet round my way. Most dog owners I see have poo bags.

I always intervene if I see my dog is upsetting a child as I accept child could have had previously bad experience.

But it is pretty sad that a child should be terrified of a friendly dog for no reason and I fail to see why that child's parents wading in and beating dog with a stick is going to help situation, if dog is manifestly not a threat.

I think you are unreasonable. On thelogic of your argument, we have to ban cars and parents, because a sizeable minority of both do enormous damage to others and their communities.

That's true about cats. They can go off to Elba too...

Obviously can't be banned.

But I have a lot of sympathy with you. I saw DH's small dog being killed by a larger dog in the park. In front of my children. We both tried to pull the larger dog off but couldn't. It just took her in its mouth and bit. It was off the lead and without a muzzle. It was utterly horrible. DD1 is still really scared of dogs 4 years on. I cannot look at a large/scary-looking dog without worrying it will approach the pram and do something similar to DD2, who is a baby.

I would favour all larger breeds (could be done by a height from floor to shoulder?) being required to wear muzzles in public.

Also hate the dog dirt thing, but there are also a lot of responsible owners who wouldn't dream of leaving it lying around.

Yes, YABU.

I would love the return of dog licenses though - particularly if it meant that owning any unneutered dog over x months old (past a medically sensible time to have them done) required a breeders license that was 10x the cost of an ordinary one.

We live in a country where 1000s of people drive without a license or insurance and get away with it though, so it's a pipe dream. And the people who don't bother to clean up after their dogs are exactly the same type of people who wouldn't bother with a license.

You can't ban cats! My cats kill rats