To wonder why the UK became so dog friendly?

[LancelotsLeftArm]

I have had several dogs in my life but I'm finding recent events in the last 2-3 years baffling.

Local ice cream shop lets dogs in - no longer go there as last time there was a massive dog blocking serving place where DC choose flavours, not sure what breed but size of a Labrador. 2 year Old's face ended up getting licked and knocked over,now DC doesn't feel comfortable around dogs. Always dogs there now but usually not that bad.

Family member has 2 labs that hate each other (no idea why) plus a history of "nipping" each other (?!) and recently they were growling at each other, teeth bared, lips rolling back. Toddler right between them with a toy. Heard the growling, got worse for about about 2mins, decided to tell toddler to move away quietly and calmly. Put myself between toddler and dogs. In law Relative went ape shit , offended. FFS. Decided we're not welcome in future if we don't accept that the dogs would "never harm a child" (like that's a reassurance).

School (primary school) is dog friendly and allowing dogs on leads in playground at pickup times which would NEVER have been accepted in my school. Including larger ones, not terriers etc - more Pointers etc.

I'm a dog owner but totally agree with you .
Cafes with dogs in are rank and schools are being foolish allowing them in playgrounds because they are in trouble if a kid gets bitten 🤷‍♀️.
My child is dog phobic (took a lot of work and money to get her to accept ours) and refuses to go to school on time because of the zoo playground!

I was in Edinburgh recently and saw a sign for a doggy grotto at the St James Centre. Mucho intrigued.

I'm of the persuasion that prefers dogs to humans. However, your relative was probably rabied from a dog bite batshit, @LancelotsLeftArm.

I live very rural and love my dogs. Pubs, cafes, shops etc are all dog friendly but I do tend to go on my own and not take my dogs. They have alot of exercise everyday so they would prefer to be at home rather than in a cafe with me.
I did take one of my dogs to meet my youngest DC at his primary school when the children went back to school after lockdown. We were allowed to bring pets into drop off/pick up. My working cocker is normally a very calm dog but he was so excited to see my DS when he came out of his class room, that he cocked his leg and did a wee up the netball stand.

It drives me mad! I have a fully trained assistance dog through a very well known charity, he was trained for 2 years before he came to me and we engaged in further training for another 6 months after I got him. He’s my lifeline to going out and about on my own. I’ve lost count of the number of badly behaved dogs in various places. I’m not for one second saying no dogs should be allowed but they should know to behave.

I’ve also noticed an increase in imposter assistance dogs ie people slap an Etsy/eBay assistance dog lead wrap/patch/vest on the dog and the dogs certainly aren’t trained to the required standard a lot of time. Some of the owner trained assistance dog Fb groups make for interesting reading with people adamant that they can train a pet to assistance dog standards on their own.

I’ve had dogs lunge, growl, bark etc at my dog while the owners try to control them and seen many children scared by badly behaved dogs in different settings.

Where I live about 80% of people seem to get a dog once their youngest child reaches about 7 or 8. I guess because dogs are a lot like toddlers so it's easier if you don't have actual toddlers as well?
I notice way more people have dogs now (including pre-pandemic) than had dogs when I was a kid, but the area and demographic is different so I'm not comparing like with like. The hairdresser I go to has a resident dog, and loads of places (including the bank) have dog treats and water bowls for visiting dogs.

A country pub near us has a no child rule (they are allowed to sit outside) but dogs are allowed in. We went to a pub recently for a Sunday roast and we were virtually the only people without dogs. They were all barking at each other and pulling on their leads, it was pretty chaotic and not v relaxing at all.

Some people will love it (like me) and some will hate it. But only some are dog friendly, not all, so there is a choice.

I wish this was true. Sadly smelly wet dogs are everywhere.

It depends on your perspective. I have an assistance dog, and I get fed up of explaining to people that having an assistance dog does not mean you are blind, nor that only blind people have assistance dogs.

This is ridiculous. You have to get your daughter comfortable around dogs because they are everywhere. She has to learn they are not to be feared but respected.

I think in the future, the only shops that won't become dog-friendly are those where the owners either don't like dogs (for different reasons) or are allergic to dogs/know those who are allergic, therefore are mindful of that.

We were having breakfast in our local garden centre last month and a couple came in with a Great Dane . He sat quietly whilst they ate but was the centre of attention. So many people went up to say hello they could barely eat . No one tutted or left etc dogs are now accepted .

OMG why didn't I know this !! Next year hopefully

I go to loads of dog friendly places and other than the odd bark haven't seen them cause any trouble. Dogs are generally much nicer than people

@Sparrow80 I think you’ll find a lot of children do behave like that and worse.

I wish this was true. Sadly smelly wet dogs are everywhere.
I must admit I hadn't really noticed so much around here - there are still a lot of places where dogs are barred too so maybe it's a regional thing. We have a big slobbery lab but we only take him to dog friendly pubs or beaches. We have taken him to a cafe that sold dog ice cream but we automatically assumed he wasn't allowed in so someone waited outside with him while we got the ice creams (turned out he was allowed, but it was very small and he'd have taken up a lot of space)

A small shop near me had a sign on the door saying please don't bring dogs in because they were phobic (at least I think that was what the word meant) assistance dogs were allowed I think. The shop is tiny, glass fronted and the sort of place you'd be in and out in a minute so owners would be able to keep so eye on their dogs

Thanks for your helpful comment. I actually really like my daughter being terrified of dogs so have actively encouraged it and not bothered to try to help her overcome her fear. It’s great constantly calming a child down when out in public and avoiding certain places.

I am not a dog lover, there are a few cafes in my area that let them in and most of the time you can't hear anything because of dogs barking or fighting, it is also a kid friendly cafe and I have seen a small child be jumped up on and knocked over by a dog. Personally I think they should either only be allowed outside or there should be an area within the cafe where it is dogs only. I also don't agree with them being let in a school playground, leave your dog at home, you will be gone less than an hour ffs!

because dogs are nicer than people… but unfortunately dog owners are people and many are knobheads

We have an autistic child who is terrified of dogs. National trust gardens are one of the very few places we can go to where we won't encounter dogs, so it is quite frustrating to still see them in the cafes.

We wouldn't have shouted at you but why do you have to take your dog to a NT cafe when you can't even enjoy the property or garden? Can't you go somewhere else? This is a bugbear of ours because there is literally nowhere else we can go that is dog free.

Doesn't it have something to do with this trend of 'emotional support animal?'.

A youngish woman refused to put her dog on the floor (a Labrador) on a busy train where it was the only seat I could find because it was her 'emotional support animal' so I had to stand for 40 minutes (I'm 55). It wasn't even a guide dog in a harness.

It was the arrogant, entitled way she refused to give up the seat that bothered me more than the animal, although I'm not sure I would have appreciated the doggy smell on my clothes.

What's that all about?

When I first came to the UK many years ago, I was shocked to find dogs weren't allowed in restaurants and shops etc, as it's the norm in my home country.

@pharaohrocher we’d been out on a walk for the previous three hours and fancied a scone! Would have sat outside but there were no tables.

I thought all NT properties were dog friendly (other than in the properties)? Might be wrong!

Nope, all the gardens are assistance dogs only. It's a godsend for us!

Dogs are less annoying than other people’s kids!