To think if you go to the dog beach you should expect dogs

[Blackdogagain]

I took my pooch to the beach for the first time today. The beach is huge and split in half, one half is for dogs, and there were many of them. Most dogs were off the lead and playing freely.

A few families were also on the dog beach, but were without a dog. However, a few families were obviously irate with the dogs running and swimming everywhere.

Is it me, but if you sit on the dog half of the beach, you can't get huffy over dogs running around.

One father and daughter were on inflatables in the sea and 3 dogs were running into the sea next to them and the girl was obviously worried and scared of them. The owners called their dogs back and walked up the beach a bit, which was good of them.

Surely though, if you don't want dogs around, bloody well go to the dog free half of the beach!

"people who seem to wish they didn't have to share oxygen with such creatures."

Show me one person on this thread who thinks like that. And there are lots of fantastic human beings who do amazing things every day too. That doesn't mean I have to love every single human being!

If dogs are banned from most beaches, then obviously dogs and their owners will congregate on the handful of beaches that allow dogs. That seems inevitable. It's a bit like a few years ago when you had "smoking" and "non-smoking" areas in restaurants etc - if as a non-smoker you ended up in the smoking area you'd be subjected to far more smoke than if the whole restaurant was smoking.

We find it increasingly hard finding places to stay in the summer holidays because we have a dog. All holiday accommodation in our experience has a rule that says you can't leave the dog unattended in the cottage, so you have to take it with you, and if there are no dog friendly beaches nearby, you're stuffed.

I love the idea of my dog being bitten by another dog, and just saying "That's fine- one of your species that I know is a guide dog- that absolves you of all responsibility for behaving well"

If I'm ever burgled, I'll be cool with that because I was burgled by a human, and another human is the Dalai Lama.

Oh no - are we at the "dogs are better than humans" stage already?!

The other human being is Spartacus
I am Spartacus

I never said anything absolved anyone of any behaviour.

But these threads always result on people barely having a nice word to say about dogs and they are somehow in the wrong despite being in spaces designated specifically for them.

Thought it might be nice to actually remember the part they play in society and the good work they do and the lives that save. And that it is actually possible to have or meet dogs that aren't these snarling frothy mutts everyone seems to think they are.

"But these threads always result on people barely having a nice word to say about dogs and they are somehow in the wrong despite being in spaces designated specifically for them. "

OK- we've established that we are not talking about spaces specially designated for dogs- sadly there don't seem to be any. I would love a beach specially designated for dogs!

We are talking about spaces which are shared by humans and dogs. In such spaces, obviously it would be ridiculous to object to dogs being dogs. But I don't think being a dog includes being obnoxious, wherever it is. And the examples given on here are of dogs being obnoxious- peeing on rugs, jumping up at someone and spoiling their dress, stealing food, shaking sand and salt water over a stranger's picnic........ Nobody is objecting to dogs swimming, running, playing- just to them being obnoxious.

My dog destroyed a child's football once. The child was very upset. I apologised and bought him another one. I didn't say "piss off, this is a dog beach, what did you expect"

And a lot of those people have a choice as to what part of the beach they go on.

And others view any dog off the lead as "out of control" even if they aren't.

"And a lot of those people have a choice as to what part of the beach they go on."

NOT IF THEY HAVE A DOG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's like Groundhog Day round here!

I don't understand the view that if you have a dog you're fine with other people's dogs being obnoxious. Bizarre.

My dog destroyed a child's football once. The child was very upset. I apologised and bought him another one.

So your dog was obnoxious? Does that mean you keep him on lead all the time? You have consistently complained about other peoples' dogs yet admit that your own made a mistake and upset a child. While I'm not saying that it's ok, why can't you realise that some dogs make mistakes and the more dogs in one 'dog friendly' area the higher the risk?

Giles - did you have a look at the layout of the beach? It's no dogs allowed/dogs allowed/no dogs allowed/dogs allowed. If you have a dog you have to stay on the dogs allowed section (complete with the owners who are unable their dogs) - or if you have the temerity to walk from one end of the beach to the other (as that little girl and her parents did upthread) then again you have to accept - it would seem from some of the posts on here - that you have no right to complain if a dog jumps up at you or bothers you, because you're on a part of the beach which allows dogs, and dogs rool .

It is like Groundhog Day, isn't it?

"My dog destroyed a child's football once. The child was very upset. I apologised and bought him another one.

So your dog was obnoxious? Does that mean you keep him on lead all the time? You have consistently complained about other peoples' dogs yet admit that your own made a mistake and upset a child. While I'm not saying that it's ok, why can't you realise that some dogs make mistakes and the more dogs in one 'dog friendly' area the higher the risk?"

Yes. Absolutely. But you didn't C&P the bit where I said "I didn't say "piss off, this is a dog beach"

Or maybe instead of a goldfish get a dog that can behave itself and not run over your child's sandcastle and god forbid a dog might even pinch something from your picnic - because these dogs do actually exist. Lots of them.

VDog. On a beach :)

I am just grateful that our dog beach is exactly that - the part of the beach specifically designated for off leash exercise for dogs. People who get pissed off with dogs behaving like, you know - dogs, get directed to the dogs-banned-human-only part.

I remember when we had smoking and non smoking lounges at work - I used to hang out in the smokers lounge because it was where the most fun people and the best gossip hung out. I didn't complain about the smoke :) you get the most fun people on dog beach too :)

"I am just grateful that our dog beach is exactly that - the part of the beach specifically designated for off leash exercise for dogs"

Fantastic! Where is it?

All dogs shake when they get wet don't they?

Hardly obnoxious behaviour.

Hak

Why would I cut and paste that piece. That piece wasn't what interested me. I also didn't cut and paste that bit because I wouldn't say that to anyone and neither would my dog owning friends.

Sure get upset about the picnics but shaking is natural and and they hardly know what a sand castle is. That's not obnoxious behaviour they just ran through the sand and shook off when they got wet

I'm on this thread because I love to see you get wound up by uptight people without a sense of humour who don't like badly behaved dogs

VDog. On a beach

Get that vicious looking, out of control monster on a lead!

^or give it to me so I can have a cuddle! He's gorgeous!