Or was this bloke in the cafe totally over reacting

[NicoAndTheNiners]

I'm in a very dog friendly cafe with my well behaved dog. Who is on a lead and has spent 99% of the time under the table. She ventured out from under the table and sat between our table and the next table sniffing the floor.

Bloke at the next table jumped up, got right in my face and told me in a very aggressive manner to stop my dog sniffing round his table. I don't think she was but said sorry and pulled her under my table. He carried on and said it was the second time (it wasn't, though we had to walk past them at one point so he may have meant that).

He carried on ranting at which point I told him there was no need to be so aggressive and that he could have mentioned it in a far nicer manner. Which shut him up.

Photo so you can see the space dog had ventured into. Dog wasn't touching the woman's purple coat. Small spaniel who was sat in the middle of that space.

He was definitely not in the right for being aggressive however I know someone who is austistic and has a bad dog phobia. She possibly would have reacted like this if she hadn’t realised it was a dog friendly cafe, and it had frightened her. It doesn’t matter how small/cute/relaxed the dog is, if she doesn’t know it, she is afraid and sometimes the irrational fear comes out as anger.

Not condoning his reaction in any way, just a possible scenario from the other side!

Your dog is gorgeous and I absolutely love her jacket!

Alienspaceship

In case you’re wondering, I hate the crotch sniffing, drooling, moulting, general sniffing and smell of dogs

We weren't.

He's clearly a dickhead. If he's going to behave like that then he shouldn't be in a dog friendly cafe! I go to dog friendly cafes mostly for the dogs 😂

Dog friendly cafe or not, your dog should not be hanging out between tables. Keep it under yours; staff still have to navigate the cafe with trays of food and drink.

However, I don’t think dogs should be in retail or areas where food is served, so I wouldn’t go into a dog friendly cafe because I wouldn’t want to eat near animals. If he feels the same he shouldn’t have been there either.

What a clown. Your dog looks sooo cute! He must have had a dreadful morning and took it out on you

I wouldn't choose to go to a dog friendly cafe as I am not keen on strange dogs, no matter how friendly their owners say they are, also I think it's a bit unhygienic to have dogs around where food is being served.
If he didn't realise that dogs were encouraged, he might, like me, not feel thrilled by their presence. I think he could have spoken a little more civilly to you about it though as it sounds as if you were considerate.

Cute dog!!
I don't generally want to sit in a cafe with dogs (even if they are adorable) so I go to places that are not dog friendly. Easy. He is being U.
You should have mentioned his behaviour to the staff incase he makes a habit of speaking to other customers like this.

Personally OP I would've been livid...that your very stylish and adorable dog wasn't climbing in my lap for a fuss and a cuddle and maybe a morsel of biscuit.

I LOVE other people's friendly dogs, mainly because mine is a massive arsehole and I can't take her anywhere. If another dog shows me any interest or affection at all I'm virtually sobbing with gratitude, my dog hates everything and everyone.

The guy was a twat, forget about it. You did nothing wrong and neither did the dog.

Tell me where it was and I volunteer to be sniffed by your doggie. She might even get a biscuit or two.

Lol, when you said your dog was a spaniel I imagined a crazy springer or cocker jumping around. S/he looks so peaceful and cute.

Aww she's gorgeous! Wish she'd come and sniff round my table.

Never had a problem with dogs in dog friendly cafes. I have had problems with miserable joyless pricks over the years though. They seem to be quietly raging around all over the place unhappy with life in general. Someone should invent them their own cafe where they can meet like-minded grumpy fuckers and grunt and tut at each other.

Look at her she’s beautiful!

He’s clearly Satan. What a loon.

You let her sniff away and buy her a cake for the inconvenience of having to come across such a twat.

I love your dogs little jumper

I have family members who would be pretty stressed and miserable if they ended up in cafe with dogs getting close to them. He shouldn't have been rude to you but was it clear that this was a dog friendly cafe from signage? Being close to dogs can be very upsetting for some people and it isn't that usual to have pets in cafes in the UK. That said I'm sorry he impacted your outing.

This is a stealth boast about owning a cute dog, isn't it?

Oh total stealth boast. Shame on you op .

I have family members who would be pretty stressed and miserable if they ended up in cafe with dogs getting close to them.

I’d be pretty miserable if those family members got close to me but hey, it’s a free a country!

Thanks everyone.

Cafe is clearly dog friendly. Big sign on the door saying dogs welcome but please use one of the provided towels to dry them off. So massive towel stop with a side for clean towels and dirty towels. Big box of dog biscuits at the entrance. Water bowls everywhere. Must have been ten dogs in there.

I think the people who have said that he picked on me being a single woman are right. After they'd left I noticed the table on the other side of them had a dog who wasn't under the table. So just as close. He didn't say anything to them but they were two blokes.

If he'd politely said to me, excuse me, dogs make me nervous/don't like them/I have an allergy, could your dog move back under the table I would have happily obliged and thought no more about it.

But the fact he got up, in my face, with one hand on the back of my chair and the other in my table, leaning into me is what angered/upset me. That and coming out with bollocks that the dog was sniffing his wife when she couldn't be within touching distance and saying it was the second time when it wasn't! He was shaking with rage when I told him he was being rude and aggressive. I guess he isn't used to a woman talking back to him.

We left about ten minutes after they did but caught up with them dawdling on the path. Dog was off her lead by then but she's very well trained and walks to heel without being told so we shot past them with our noses in the air. Dog behaved herself impeccably and I was very proud!

'Sorry, do you mind keeping your dog a big closer to your table? I'm not keen on dogs and he's getting a bit too close for comfort'. How would you have found that?

As a cafe-frequenting dog owner I would find that very acceptable (though I might wonder in the very depths of my heart why you chose a dog-friendly venue for your coffee). Like the OP I keep my dogs under my table/close to my legs.

The "problem" I often encounter is that people lure my dogs to their tables with enticements - crumbs of scone etc, and the greedy pigs have not loyalty; if they have to choose between me and a morsel of cheese, the cheese will win every time!

It’s hardly the OPs fault if the cafe doesn’t make it clear it’s a dog friendly place. OP did their research, rude man didn’t.

We are in the middle of the Lake District so most cafes are dog friendly so guess they might struggle to find a non dog friendly one. In which case they're going to have a miserable holiday if it upsets them so much!

In my opinion YANBU. He was VVVU

staff still have to navigate the cafe with trays of food and drink

Rogue - Dog-friendly places usually make allowances for this with wider-than-usual aisles - they realise that many dogs won't fit under a table - and nor will multiple dogs.

he got up, in my face, with one hand on the back of my chair and the other in my table, leaning into me

That is very threatening and aggressive OP - I wouldn't have liked that at all - totally unnecessary.

sniffing his wife

Ooooh! Would be so tempted to suggest that she didn't dab cowpats behind her ears in future . . . .

He was shaking with rage when I told him he was being rude and aggressive. I guess he isn't used to a woman talking back to him.

Well done for defending yourself Niners

Someone should invent them their own cafe where they can meet like-minded grumpy fuckers and grunt and tut at each other.

Human - I LOVE that idea. You could have a sign over the door "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here".

I'd be thrilled if that dog came up to me, what a cutie 😍

staff still have to navigate the cafe with trays of food and drink

They wouldn't have come between our tables to do that as we were the last row of tables. Please don't make me draw a diagram but I promise we weren't blocking a walkway!