To think this cafe needs to rethink their message to customers?

[GunpowderGelatine]

Seen this on Facebook today from a cafe -


So we are a dog friendly cafe which is completely acceptable by health and safety as long as the dogs don’t cook your food or enter the kitchen 😡 so don’t give us a hard time if you don’t like dogs because we like dogs better than humans - note don’t give Vicky a hard time over happy dogs because Vicky will always defend the dogs

Now I have a bit of a fear of dogs and wouldn't expect to see one in a cafe and I'd be a bit pissed off if I paid good money for food and drink only to be bollocked by "Vicky" if I didn't like a dog in my face AIBU to think it's not a good message to tell your paying customers that they come second to another species?

[labazsisgoingmad]

like a previous poster i would avoid a cafe that has kids welcome simply so i can have my coffee in peace. chances are its a place that families will head for.
to me a dog friendly cafe would be heaven in our town there isnt one which was a shock when i moved here as where i lived before several cafes i could go in with my dog. i certainly wont tie her up outside at the risk of her being stolen etc so it means here i have to forego a coffee if i have the dog with me.
there are lots of cafes these days i heard of a cafe that has cats roaming free in it the other day so people can fuss a cat while they have their refreshment

[IamPickleRick]

Do pet owners not realise this?

Yes and don’t care. My DM has a dog, we ask him not to come in our house as DP is very allergic. She carries him in every time. She’ll “just put him in the garden” but he’s in our house within minutes sitting on the furniture. The hair is everywhere. She just says “oh well”.

She’s happy to smoke 40 a day around a baby though, so maybe it’s just her.

[Designerenvy]

It's a cafe for dog lovers and their dogs. If you have a fear of dogs, why would you go.in there?. It's not your type of place, there are a plenty of "dog free" cafes you can go to.
There are very few cafes where people can bring their dogs.
Just don't go there if it's not for you.
That sign is perfect.

[LaFreaka]

Vicky sounds like one of those people who prefer dogs to humans - fair enough her choice. No worries about Vicky's business she's onto a winner when it comes to business though - all the dog friendly cafes local to us are bunged with people out with their dogs...but there are still plenty of places for the non doggie people, are you struggling to find one - is that your beef?

[evaperonspoodle]

Vicki sounds unhinged and I suspect I have visited this place as dogs were slabbering over table tops and the female manager thought this was lovely [boak]

[PrivacyPolicyYeahRight]

Dog owners will love it and I guess they have enough dog owners to keep them in business. I must say though, the rude way the message has been phrased would put me off going, not the dogs. They sound so unprofessional and like the kind of business where if I had an issue with the food or something they would do nothing to sort it. Even small cafes need to sound like they give a shit about their customers. Dogs aren’t paying are they! So although I like the idea of a dog friendly cafe, I think their wording is enough to put me off taking my dog in there.

[Tink1990]

Their cafe, their rules! Just dont go there as its not for you. That's it!

[Westiegirl3]

It's certainly not a cafe for you then, but it's certainly right up my street.

[PrivacyPolicyYeahRight]

I’m genuinely stunned at the amount of people who think it is a brilliant sign. The message behind it might be but the way it is worded is awful. It sounds so bloody rough.

[TestingTestingWonTooFree]

Good of Vicky to spell out that this is not a cafe for you or me.

In reality with dogs in public it’s a lottery whether they’ll be well controlled or not, all depends on the dog/owner. I wouldn’t expect much intervention from management in a dog friendly cafe even if they were more rational/customer focussed than Vicky.

Our local cafe is dog friendly. It’s fine. We try to sit downstairs where they’re not allowed. If we end up in the dog bit, people generally have good control over their dogs, better than over children

[AndhowcouldIeverrefuse]

Vicki is rude and has no customer skills. Good job that she is warning people what to expect!

[AJPTaylor]

Presumably the numbers that go elsewhere are outweighed by those that come because of it.

[PutyourtoponTrevor]

Nuttier than squirrel shit but I'd still rather a cafe full of dogs than a cafe full of screaming babies and toddlers

[Mymycherrypie]

I agree, it sounds almost unsafe. Like, my dog could have your baby’s severed leg in its jaws and Vicky “will always defend the dog”

I’d just avoid though, not make a fuss.

[funinthesun19]

Hopefully they’ll lose quite a bit of custom.

[GunpowderGelatine]

Hold the phone - there are cat cafes?! Where?! I love cats but DH is highly allergic so we can't have one

To clarify - I have no problem with cafes being dog friendly, I just wouldn't go in if there was a dog, strange dogs in small spaces make me very nervous. But surely the message that we like other people's dogs more than you is ridiculous? And I agree with a PP two "excited labs" sounds like the kid of "excited labs" who jump up and snap in my face on walks while their owners bleat "he's just being friendly"

Disclaimer: NADOALT (not all dog owners are like that )

[CookPassBabtridge]

I think the delivery of the message and Vicky sound a bit over the top, but I love that there are dog friendly cafes. It's not the place for you, problem solved.

[DisrespectfulAdultFemale]

I am not a dog person (#TeamCat) but have no problems with the cafe's message.

[HoraceCope]

i dont hope they lose custom.
they have obviously had people complain.

why are you making a to do about her facebook message, seems ok to me
if you dont want to go there because of the dogs, then dont go there

[funinthesun19]

Oh I’ve been to a cat cafe in Manchester. It was quite nice. It’s super clean as well. You just sit and have a drink/cake or whatever and there are cats roaming around. Only a certain amount of people can be in at a time as well I think.

[IamPickleRick]

There’s a cat cafe in Shoreditch. It’s lovely, very sanitary, they have 2 doors and rooms between cats and kitchen to stop contamination in the kitchen, they make you wash your hands upon entry and you can’t harass the cats or pick them up so they don’t get fed up of being touched.

[Mosschopz]

They DO need to rethink their message to customers. All they need to say is: Well-behaved dogs are always welcome in our cafe. We request that patrons are tolerant of this. Thank you.

Without all that aggressive, mad nonsense. I wouldn’t go to any cafe where the owner promoted dogs as somehow being ‘more’ welcome than people as I’d assume they’d rather be petting a poodle than making me a brew.

[IamPickleRick]

Oh and no under 16’s so that they can try and limit behaviour that might get someone clawed in the face.

[LunafortJest]

I've found that some dog lovers are very aggressive and hostile - a bit like some dogs. Some of them are very nasty in the way they come across. That message and the Fb post is an example of that attitude. Don't give them a cent in patronage and just know that this Vicki will one day get in trouble with a dog mauling a child and her nasty language won't be defence under the law.

[Roussette]

Vicki sounds like a pain in the arse and even though I actually like dogs, I would hate this cafe. Anyone who prefers dogs to humans has something wrong with them... when you're a human yourself, it's just daft saying that...

I'm in my 60s. I grew up with dogs. Why is it now the thing to take them everywhere you go out? When I was younger, we took dogs to the woods, to the beach , out on long walks but wouldn't dream of taking our dog to a cafe. What's in it for them, so bloody boring cramped in a room while it's owner is nattering and sipping coffee. Leave the dog at home FFS.

I went to a restaurant in Spain and there are often dogs on the outside patios. OK fine, but stay under the table please whilst I'm eating my meal and don't come sniffing and licking my ankles! One couple had their dog sat up on a chair with its paws on the table being fed by its owner. When they paid and left I pointed to the chair the dog had been sat on, it was filfthy with food and hair and paw marks. Yuk.