Dogs in coffee shops?

[fedupntired]

Is this a thing now? I've previously seen dogs in clothes shops and today am in a coffee shop (which sells food) and two dogs have been welcomed with treats from behind the counter.
I own two dogs - but ew!

As a Lake District resident, I don't find dogs particularly friendly, in turn.

I live there too and I love seeing families out with their dogs! I especially love it when they bring said dogs into where I work so I can fuss them and give them a biscuit!

@donkeyshrekmom hate to tell you but your childs existence is 'of no consequence to anyone else' either....

Donkeyshrekmum, possibly a class thing although never really thought about it before. My family background is working class rural although my mum moved to a town - she was the only one of her generation who did so plenty of rural relatives. I was brought up thinking that people who have dogs in their houses are dirty and, well, a bit soft in the head.

I mean, there were always dogs, but they were working dogs and they stayed outside. You certainly wouldn't take them into a shop! They're animals.

Personally i don't trust people who don't like dogs. Says a lot about you imo. As for the whole 'dirty people have dogs in their houses' crap 😴

Lol shock horror a mumsnetter dismissing rural working class who'd have thought it.

I don't give a shit what your background is, what social class you belong to or how big your house is. If you act like a twat, i'll treat you like one.

This shirt popped up on my FB feed. Anybody?

You certainly wouldn't take them into a shop! They're animals

Oh for crying out loud, we're ALL animals. Every single one of us, including you AND and any children you might have. And what's more, we are primates. Damn dirty apes! 🙉

I have a dog an I'm eternally grateful Cafe Nero allows dogs. Only 'one' place allows me to take my dog with me for a coffee. I have never seen a dog misbehave, bark jump on the table, run around the cafe, make a mess or disturb people. Every dog seems to lay by their owners feet on the floor.

Sadly in a nation of dog lovers we are becoming less and less dog friendly. This means only ever being able to take your dog out for a park walk then home, no socialising in public because dogs aren't welcome practically everywhere. Unless it's summer and you can sit outside which is very small portion of the year.

I'm hygiene conscientious, no face licking, always washing hands before eating etc and I don't have a problem with this.

Cat Cafe's on the other hand where cats are all over the tables, scratching the furniture and spraying makes me want to puke. However these are springing up everywhere and people think it's lovely.

smackbang the town I live in (coastal holiday town in SW) allows dogs in pretty much every cafe in town. Even in the Costa there’s always dogs under the tables.

This is probably a really daft question but I don't have a dog so I'm curious.
How does a dog know not to pee in a shop? If they sniff around the bottom of a clothes rail for instance and just happen to pee on the clothes hanging on the rail? I was once enjoying a picnic with my children when a dog came over and done a pee all over my cool bag full of food!

Gallagher
I'm sure many don't. Hence the wee incident in 'White Stuff' I mentioned in my last post! 😂

How does a dog know not to pee in a shop?

Most dogs will be house-trained so will know not to pee inside. However all dogs show signs when they need the toilet - sniffing, circling, pacing being the main ones, and a good owner should be paying attention and taking the dog out if that happens.

Teaching your dog to pee on command helps too. Mine will pee if I say "toilet" so I can make sure he empties his bladder before a long car journey, for example.

I suspect a Harold-free coffee shop would be quite popular too.

Carrying on with the kid/dog analogy. I can clearly remember my son sat in a high chair in a restaraunt about 1 year old toltal poonami poo all up his back, all over the chair at table height. My dog has never done anything remotely similar

hi fedupntired, I understand your feelings about dogs in cafes and I also understand from the dog owners that there is nothing nicer than taking your dog for a walk to the local coffee shop, for years it used to be 'dads' taking their dogs to the local pub, alas pubs are now few and far between so it may have something to do with this new phenomenon. But I did used to own a local cafe and I really wanted it to be a community welcoming space and in order to be that you pretty much have to welcome everyone, the nicest thing dog owners could do is to just check that their dog is welcome, and if the proprietor has any concerns for example that there are small children running around or their dog may be on the larger size (and when they lay down in the middle of the floorspace it can be rather bad manners not to make sure they are not putting others at any kind of risk - people as well as dogs) then I feel the proprietor should be trusted to allow dogs in, and also if they that feel a gentle reminder to keep dog off furniture, under tables and well supervised is necessary then there really shouldn't be a problem. unfortunately on the odd occasion when I have refused entry because I felt the dog 'looked' unfriendly, was far too big or young children were running about my refusal was never appreciated. unfortunately as proprietor of such establishments you have to trust your instincts, and whilst I am a dog lover, I am also aware that they do not always suit the situation.
Its a tough one, but if you are an owner or manager then you should be able to make the decision.

@donkeyshrekmom
"Problem is, it's nigh on impossible to reason with doggie people."
Said the person who is entirely unreasonable

"To repeatedly compare dogs to children (well behaved v not well behaved) is simplistic and tedious."

Is that supposed to be a 'reasoned' statement?

"Children grow up to be (hopefully useful, tax-paying) adults. Dogs are nothing more than one person's / family's pet - their existence is of no consequence to anyone else"

• Someone else's child is of no consequence to me, just as I don't expect the existence of my children to be any consequence to a stranger. However the existence of a dog in some people's life is as valuable as any child - that is a fact. Just because it's not something you have witnessed or something you understand doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

"Dogs in the country village shop, in a country pub, in a park cafe is one thing. Dogs in shops and banks etc is unreasonable and not fair on other customers. People should be able to go about their necessary daily business without being barked at, sniffed, slobbered on, tripped up. And NO It's not anything like fucking children, fgs."

• Children are really annoying. They scream, have poop accidents, pee on floors. Geeze, this is MN.... we've seen it all. Lot's of people who don't like or understand kids have to suffer kids every day. If you don't like dogs in shops... go and find shops that don't allow dogs. But since society as a whole is more accepting of dogs more than ever before, at some point you will have to get over yourself.

"Can't help thinking this is middle-class entitlement. I live is Chavsville and have never ever seen tattooed yob try to take his pitbull into any public place. But pop down the road to Poshsville, and it's a different story. Thinking about it, the only places I've seen dogs in shops has been in solidly middle-class establishments. I had assumed it was against the law, but no! I guess the more brassed-neck you are, the more successful you'll be at doing whatever you want."

• You live in Chavsville, apparently they don't allow dogs in shops. What are you moaning about then? Stay in Chavsville, it obviously suits you.

raffertyx define a dog that 'looked' unfriendly? Just curious...

Never really noticed until I went in Coffee#1 yesterday and there was five dogs in there. Not a problem per se but it just seemed to have happened overnight.

well that's difficult to say, but that is why I said to go with your instinct, I would not label any specific breed as looking more unfriendly than another and I am well aware that it is usually the opposite end of the lead to consider, but if I thought the dog looked nervous, energetic, or if the the cafe was particularly busy and noisy - perhaps a busy wet lunch time - it really depends on many factors and not just the dog.

I am fed up with dogs nosing into my shopping bags, roaming freely under my table, and putting their heads up sideways on my table top to sniff or snaffle something off my plate. When I express my annoyance, dog and cafe owners are bemused. There's a time and a place for everything. Dogs are fine in their own homes, not in cafes because in reality, many British dogowners do not keep their pets under control in the way our european neighbours do.

if the proprietor has any concerns for example that there are small children running around or their dog may be on the larger size

Totally agree with this. We have spaniels, but DD has a great dane - there's no way we or she would even consider taking him into even the most dog-adoring establishment. He'd very sweet-natured and trained to a word, but he is HUGE!

I've yet to have a problem with a dog in a cafe or restaurant so in my experience most British dog owners who take them into cafes seem to be able to keep them under control.