To be totally fed up with dogs?

[dogtroubl]

When we moved in, neighbours had an old dog that used to wander into our garden and leave poo everywhere. Couldn’t use garden with young kids due to mess and large dog.

Complained (politely), after quite a bit of unpleasantness fence finally fixed, dog died and they got 2 new dogs that were loud but contained.

Neighbours moved, new neighbours also have 2 dogs and fence is in a bad state of repair again due to the constant barking, snarling and scratching that happens every time we go outside. I always make sure I’m out there with the kids in case it breaks because they don’t sound friendly at all.

Their neighbours also have 2 dogs so the 2 sets are always setting each other off barking.

Family members also have dogs. One very old who soils everywhere and one very large, young dog who is very playful and jumps up and licks and dribbles all over you.

My daughter is terrified (the dog is easily as tall as her) and the family member always says dog will be shut away when we go over, but dog is always let or gets out soon after. I can tell my daughter’s fear of this dog irritates the family member but she’s genuinely scared after an incident when she was a toddler, plus this dog is like a horse to her and could do serious damage even with just a nip.

We’ve been to a few kids’ playgrounds over the holidays, dogs off lead and running all over the place at each one. Chasing kids in a “playful” way that scares them.

Dog poo all over footpaths and verges everywhere. Kids tread in it, I tread in it, buggy goes in it because I don’t see it until it’s too late.

I know it’s bad owners not the dogs’ fault etc but AIBU to just be totally fed up with dogs?

I don't think YABU either OP. This last couple of years has seen a ridiculous increase inuseless tw*ts deciding to get a dog (thanks Covid).

We live rurally and we have a number of dogs and have done for 40 years. I feel very lucky that I can walk my dogs and not encounter any other dog walkers. Ever, not decent ones nor wanker ones. If I ever had to live in an area that I had to deal with other dog owners, it would be the day I gave up dog ownership.

We seem to be living in the era of the idiot. And the idiot continues to get away with being an hapless idiot whilst decent people suffer.

And 3 deaths of children this year (and the poor 10 year old boy killed in November) is 4 children too many. Completely appalling and unacceptable.

@Florenz

Bring back the dog license and enforce it. There should be stringent restrictions on who is allowed to own a dog, just like there is for other animals, and those that break the law should be sent to jail for a long time.

That will sadly never realistically happen.

The responsible owners would licence their dogs, and microchip them,
But there are many idiot owners who just wouldn't bother.

Dogs don't have licence plates, so checking up is hard.
In cruelty cases, some feckless owners are banned from keeping animals for say 10 years, but who would ever know if they went out and bought yet another dog to abuse by neglect?

Pit Bulls are so say ''Illegal'' but definitely exist in UK.
They have a different look to a Staffie.

Children are killed by dogs every year, and nothing is ever done, probably because enforcing laws would be too costly or difficult.

Smuggling/importing dogs in to UK has got very easy, too, with attendant problems.

A Dog licence at say £500 p.a would bring in a lot of money for extra Dog wardens and hence enforcement.

Cornwall has ONE Dog Warden, pointless, may as well have none.

500 sounds a lot but dogs can easily change hands for '000s, so why not?

Could be introduced at a lower level then ramped up.

This did make me chuckle..

We seem to be living in the era of the idiot. And the idiot continues to get away with being an hapless idiot whilst decent people suffer

...considering who is running the country and also bought a LD puppy.

So yes, it's the fault of the owners and all that, but how does knowing that help when some mutt has it's nose up your backside

I used to know someone who found this sort of thing pretty unbearable due to a history of SA.

Agree with pp. some parents allow their children to cause a nuisance to others, and I'm not talking about children being children, but just letting them run feral. I don't blame the children, I blame the parents for poor lazy parenting. Same with dogs. There are a lot of people who just don't know how to look after them, which then causes a nuisance to everyone else around them.

@Alexandra2001

A Dog licence at say £500 p.a would bring in a lot of money for extra Dog wardens and hence enforcement.

Cornwall has ONE Dog Warden, pointless, may as well have none.

500 sounds a lot but dogs can easily change hands for '000s, so why not?

Could be introduced at a lower level then ramped up.

And all the people that have dogs but can't afford this new "tax", what about those dogs and owners? You're going to tell an 70 year old that's had their dog for 5 years, that if they can't afford it then she can give the dog up?

"And all the people that have dogs but can't afford this new "tax", what about those dogs and owners? You're going to tell an 70 year old that's had their dog for 5 years, that if they can't afford it then she can give the dog up?"
Yes. Just like at the moment if someone had had a leopard for 5 years, you'd take the animal from them.

All my neighbours have dogs and they bark a lot. My neighbours dog barks every time we leave or enter our house. I try to remind myself that at least we wont get easily burgled ( our house is off the road on the end so the only who have business going past neighbours is to get to our house) so thinking of the positive there makes it more bearable.

But dogs and dog poo in kiddies park and dog poo everywhere? No to the that. Play parks are spaces for kids. It's not a dog park. It's a play park so no excuses and people let there dogs poo in the green spaces around the park they have zero respect for childrens safety or their fellow humans.

So yanbu. I know it's bad owners but that doesnt mean you cant be upset. That's like shrugging and saying stabbings are down to poor parenting. It's not ok and shifting blame or laying blame doesnt make something ok. Good dog owners should be upset too not shrugging it off. "Its no MY fault so yabu" is a weird thought process to me.

I like dogs but I dont want to dodge their crap or be barked at constantly. Our kids play park bin is also overflowing with dog poo bags. No room for any rubbish. Its grim.

And all the people that have dogs but can't afford this new "tax", what about those dogs and owners? You're going to tell an 70 year old that's had their dog for 5 years, that if they can't afford it then she can give the dog up?

Same with everything, what does the 70yo do when their dog has a £1000 vet bill?
But with everything, exceptions can be made, just as we used to do with TV licenses plus i did say it can be introduced at a lower level, say £100.

Or do you think its acceptable to have so many children and adults killed and bitten by dogs each year with no enforcement?

I'd have thought any responsible dog owner would welcome more enforcement? & that needs paying for or should non dog owners fund our choices?

@Florenz

"And all the people that have dogs but can't afford this new "tax", what about those dogs and owners? You're going to tell an 70 year old that's had their dog for 5 years, that if they can't afford it then she can give the dog up?" Yes. Just like at the moment if someone had had a leopard for 5 years, you'd take the animal from them.

All the un~chipped dogs that turn up shows that even the ''Chipping'' requirement isn't working. A licence won't solve the problem of antisocial dog owners, as they'd never comply, anyway.

YANBU OP. I don't like dogs and can't see the appeal at all ( apart from that dog owners seem to enjoy being slavishly adored). The slobbering, the poo, the smelliness. I've no wish to be licked or to spend a millisecond of my life picking up and carrying round a little plastic bag of actual dogshit. No, you may keep dogs as far as I'm concerned. I'm for humans.

I also cannot stand dogs

@HELLITHURT will the Royal College of Surgeons do or don’t you believe that either? I mean what will you believe?…only the facts that suit your own narrative? www.rcseng.ac.uk/news-and-events/media-centre/press-releases/be-dog-safe/

Well, I would have to agree with you. I would prefer for dogs to only be kept by people who have enough space and time to dedicate to their well-being, preferably in the countryside . I know that this means that dog ownership would be only for those who are able to live in a certain way, but I think that would be better for dogs and for society.
However, it seems that the majority of people think differently to me, or at least are more vocal in their beliefs, so dogs seem to be encroaching on almost every area in life, whether we like it or not. I don't like it but I understand that if so many people do, then there isn't too much to do about it besides campaigning against it. I really believe that a tax should be a minimum, alongside mandatory training courses.

But dogs and dog poo in kiddies park and dog poo everywhere? No to the that. Play parks are spaces for kids. It's not a dog park. It's a play park so no excuses and people let there dogs poo in the green spaces around the park they have zero respect for childrens safety or their fellow humans.

Dogs should not be allowed in play parks. Why isn’t the play area fenced off? They are in the parks I go to.

@Livelovebehappy

Agree with pp. some parents allow their children to cause a nuisance to others, and I'm not talking about children being children, but just letting them run feral. I don't blame the children, I blame the parents for poor lazy parenting. Same with dogs. There are a lot of people who just don't know how to look after them, which then causes a nuisance to everyone else around them.

This is one of the most balanced posts on this thread, which has deteriorated into ridiculous hyperbole like every dog thread I see on here.

I don’t own a dog (I’m a cat person and don’t want the responsibility of a dog), but I’m very fond of dogs as a rule. I don’t like dog shit, which is everywhere sadly, but I know that responsible dog owners aren’t to blame for this. (I have friends and family members who are responsible owners and hate dog shit lying around as much as I do.)

I can’t say I’ve experienced out of control dogs all over the place, but I have heard the line ‘He’s just being friendly’ in the past. MyDDs did use to be scared of large dogs. But spending time with well trained dogs helped them to eventually overcome this. I also made a point of making a fuss of the dogs myself.

I do think that children should be helped to overcome their fear of dogs. Not that irresponsible owners aren’t to be blamed for their out of control dogs, but there are millions of dogs in this country and hence they’re impossible to avoid. And also, it would be a shame for them to miss out on play dates and parties because the friends who invite them happen to own dogs.

@waterboats

Well, I would have to agree with you. I would prefer for dogs to only be kept by people who have enough space and time to dedicate to their well-being, preferably in the countryside . I know that this means that dog ownership would be only for those who are able to live in a certain way, but I think that would be better for dogs and for society. However, it seems that the majority of people think differently to me, or at least are more vocal in their beliefs, so dogs seem to be encroaching on almost every area in life, whether we like it or not. I don't like it but I understand that if so many people do, then there isn't too much to do about it besides campaigning against it. I really believe that a tax should be a minimum, alongside mandatory training courses.

I totally agree with you and would really like to get a dog, but don't feel our home set up or lifestyle at the moment would be fair on a dog.

I've been amazed by so many of my colleagues who got dogs at the tail end of lockdown and are now saying,
"oh dear, what do I do now I'm not at home all day."

I mean really? Couldn't you just foresee this issue??

And several of them live in flats 🤷‍♀️

@CounsellorTroi

But dogs and dog poo in kiddies park and dog poo everywhere? No to the that. Play parks are spaces for kids. It's not a dog park. It's a play park so no excuses and people let there dogs poo in the green spaces around the park they have zero respect for childrens safety or their fellow humans.

Dogs should not be allowed in play parks. Why isn’t the play area fenced off? They are in the parks I go to.

See once again, people have to alter their behaviors because Dog owners cannot or will not control their pets.

Keep your mutts on leads and keep them out of play parks... its not rocket science and stop being entitled twats expecting others to pander to your desires...

It's truly amazing, I'm walking out and about most days in a variety of locations (city, town, country) and yet somehow I've managed to avoid the obstacle course of dog shit and hordes, nay, swarms! of unruly dogs barking, growling, jumping up at me, scratching my tights, getting muddy paws on me, or sniffing my lunch at a cafe or pub that seem to plague many posters on here.

I suspect some may be being hyperbolic in the extreme.

I do sometimes see dog crap on the pavement, left by irresponsible owners. But I step around it. It doesn't even register as a minor inconvenience.

Well, I would have to agree with you. I would prefer for dogs to only be kept by people who have enough space and time to dedicate to their well-being, preferably in the countryside . I know that this means that dog ownership would be only for those who are able to live in a certain way, but I think that would be better for dogs and for society

Totally agree, a nation of dog lovers my arse.. more like a nation of people in love with their own selfishness.

@Lockheart I suggest you spend a day in the Lake District.

[quote Trixiefirecracker]@Lockheart I suggest you spend a day in the Lake District.[/quote]
I've been there on holiday four times. My point still stands.

YANBU!

YANBU @dogtroubl I used to quite like dogs (and we always had a dog when I was a child.) But apart from the odd pleasant, cute, friendly dog, I do find them largely a pain in the arse now.

SO many dog owners are utter arseholes. They're right up there with the lycra clad twats who ride 3 abreast on the main roads on cycles. Arrogant, entitled, and thinking everything should revolve around them, and everyone should pander to them, and they can never be wrong.

I have two 3 foot high gate posts at the bottom of my driveway, and I am SO sick of people letting their fucking dogs PISS up them. Ditto my black recycling bins and my wheelie bins. Always a stream of dog piss up them when I go to get them. I am ALSO sick of going out to bring my bins in, and there's fat lump of DOG SHIT by them. Filthy fucking arseholes! (the owners not the dogs!)

And they needn't tell me that they can't HELP where the dogs 'go' because when I am standing by the front door looking down at the road (my house is 6 feet higher than the road,) they never EVER let their dogs piss and shit in front of my drive/up the fence posts then. The dogs attempt to stop, and the owner pulls them away. So they DO have a choice to let them do it there. (Or not!)

The other week, this one woman was letting her dog PISS UP my wheelie bin, and she didn't see me on the driveway watching. He was most of the way through it and she spotted me. She went flame red, muttered 'ooh sorry!' and pulled him away sharply. I just glared at her. I felt like saying 'no worries. I will just come and piss on your front door step later OK?!' If it's acceptable for her mutt to piss up MY wheelie bin, then it's acceptable for me to PISS on her doorstep!

Also, dogs are clingy, whiny, dirty, noisy, messy, and smelly, and your house always stinks of dog (YES IT REALLY DOES!) Also, they're a tie, and they cost a fortune to keep. Vet bills are extortionate for dogs.

AND, as has been said, I am SICK of stupid, stupid bloody dog owners letting their mutts off the lead when they're on a field. Not only can they terrify cattle and sheep (even make them miscarry their young if they're pregnant,) but they also scare people!

I have had many a time when someone's beastly fucking mutt has run up to me and jumped up me, or chased after me, (barking his head off,) and got bloody mud all over me. SO many dog owners have NO control over their dogs, it's shocking! It should be made MUCH harder to get a dog!

Nah, dogs are not for me. Fuck that. And so many dog owners are SUCH arseholes, that it's put me off dogs! Thankfully, my nearest neighbour to have a dog is 7 houses away. You can still hear the fucker yap yap yapping in the back garden some days though!