First date - guy bringing dog

[Macaroni46]

So I've been chatting to a guy online who seems very nice etc and we have arranged to meet for the first time at the weekend.
We are going for lunch at a pub I a village half way between where we both live.
I am aware he is a dog owner and very fond of his dog. Talks about him a lot, sends pictures of him etc.
Through the course of our message exchange it transpires that he is bringing his dog to the first date. I'm not sure how I feel about this?
AIBU in feeling it's odd? Or should I just embrace it? After all, a plump middle aged woman can hardly be too choosy!

What do we think about horses on first dates?

I would love this and I’d take my dog too to see if they got on - no point otherwise 🤣

However i really don’t think you are going to be compatible if you are questioning this before you’ve even started or met. Are you going to be expecting him to ask every time you go on a date whether he can bring his dog ? What about going about for the day ? Are you going to accept you’d have to go to a dog friendly place, or otherwise he’d have to find day care for the dog ? It’s not going to work for you I think OP - best cut your losses now IMO

Fenella i wasn't even there and that first date anecdote made me laugh

He will be a lovely person because he loves animals. I would love my date to bring his dog because I would feel more trusting of him.

A plump middle aged woman= a woman with tonnes of life experiences, who understands her worth, and who enjoys the greatest things in life.... delicious food and great wine/gin.

Please don't put yourself down like that. You have choices. You can make your own decisions.

If you aren't keen on dogs, then maybe he isn't for you.

If you don't mind dogs, then this date does sound perfect to bring a dog along, especially as he talks about the dog so much. I would most likely bring my dog in this situation even if I was meeting friends, going with family, or going with husband so probably would on a first date too.

He will be a lovely person because he loves animals.

Oh dear. That really isn't a fact.

crispy - or cats?

Aglet - owning a dog does not mean you are 'a lovely person' - not round where i live!

Especially all those 'lovely' dog owners who leave dog shit every where

@OtherVoicesOtherRooms

Haha! Imagine - you can’t exactly tie a cat up can you? Maybe if you brought several and they roamed around, a game could be “catch the cats” at the end of the date

What's not to love? I especially like Number 1 😄

Crispy !
It would be fine! Pop it in one of these pet carriers. Not weird at all!

@crispysausagerolls

Horses are fine as long as you wear period costume and arrange the first date after a drawn out period of exchanging handwritten correspondence.

This won’t work OP, you should cancel. It’s obvious that he’s a major dog person and you are not. In fact, you’re a cat person so this won’t have any meaningful future Back to swiping!

I'd love that!

@pluiedeprintemps

Sounds very unfair! Why can’t I show up stinking of horses in grotty clothing as per (optimally with actual horse shit in my hair) and just tie her up next to the table outside a pub? All seems very horse-ist

@OtherVoicesOtherRooms

The cats face in that spaceship carrier has really tickled me. Someone will have received aggressive scratches upon releasing

Some of these replies are hilarious!
I'm not a nice person because I'm not mad about dogs
He must be lovely because he owns a dog
We both are who we are and we will see how things go when we meet!

@Macaroni46

If it makes you feel better, I used to LOVE dogs. Now I have a spaniel... 🤪

@Macaroni46

I hope you have a lovely date all round - a comfy pub, good food, conversation and laughter. And I hope you drive home smiling to yourself. And if that isn’t the case - I hope they at least have delicious deserts!

Macaroni
I really hope you have a nice time!
Will you be sitting outside with the dog or does the place allow them inside?
I can't see someone who loves his dog that much tying it up outside.

It would make me very happy if a guy brought his dog on a date

I’d love it.
I’d guess he’s bringing the dog to see whether you’re a doggy person, because frankly, doggy people and non-doggy people are usually a very uncomfortable mix.

I’d guess he’s bringing the dog to see whether you’re a doggy person, because frankly, doggy people and non-doggy people are usually a very uncomfortable mix.

Or the other thing he could have done is made this clear on his profile, or, you know, asked the OP if (a) she likes dogs and (b) if she'd OK with him bringing his dog on their first date, rather than blithely informing her he's rocking up with Fido.

And yes, I agree @Macaroni46, it's completely mad to infer anything about someone's niceness purely because they do or don't like dogs.

But I hope it goes well, even if I personally would share your misgivings about the basic manners someone who announced he was bringing a pet on a first date.

It might be nice to have a dog walk on a first date, but I had no idea until I went out with a dog lover, what a big deal they are for their owners. The fact that you think it is odd that he 'presumes' it's OK to bring the dog on a first date, shows that if you did carry on seeing him, you might start to find the whole dog thing a bit of a trial.
20 years ago I went out with someone who had a dog. We couldn't go on long car journeys because of the dog. If we went out on a hot day he was completely preoccupied until he made sure the dog had had a drink; we couldn't go for a walk without the dog, and on the way home in the car the panting, huffing dog (it was a big one) would steam up the car windows and I was surrounded by that doggy SMELL - I just don't like that smell !! Of course holidays would have to be dog-friendly, and his tiny back garden was perpetually dotted with dog poop like hidden landmines, so I didn't go out there. If we got a bit carried away in front of the telly, he would call a halt because "the dog is watching" ( !!) If we went out in the evening he would fret constantly in case the dog wasn't OK.

After two years I'd had enough of playing second fiddle to an afghan cross. Having said all that maybe this guy you've met is great, so all I can say is I hope you have a great time on your date! And of course not all dog owners are the same... but I would personally have deep inbuilt prejudices reservations because of my previous experience.