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.

My dd is petrified of dogs because a large, ugly looking dog off a lead came bounding up to her in the woods while we were walking to the park minding our own business one day, was jumping up at her trying to get her Apple, owner who could not get the bloody thing under control. How can I teach my dd not to be scared when things like this happen? It scared me so totally understandable that a six year old would be Afraid every time a dog comes close. Not the first time this has happened either but this was the worst.

Meant in kindness but it would be an idea to get whatever support is needed to help your dd overcome her fear of dogs. As you say, it is hard to avoid them and your social life is ever dwindling. Rather than struggling to avoid dogs, would you consider seeking help if necessary to assist your dd?

Nobody wants their child to have a phobia. But the onus is also on dog owners to control their dogs. It's pointless "getting help" for a child when the original cause - uncontrollable dogs - is still ongoing.

I assume that the child with the phobia is going to be scared of all dogs, not just out of control ones.

Agreed. What is it with the dislike of young children out and about? We were all kids once.

In a garden centre recently, which is dog friendly and has a whole welcoming section in the restaurant for dogs, a couple with a dog walked down the centre aisle and the dog stopped, did a massive wee and they totally ignored it. I told an assistant, who didn’t seem surprised.

A child could have slipped, anyone could have slipped in it, which is not what you want when you’re looking at plants and things. If a child had squatted and pee’d there would be outrage. Why is it alright for a dog to do it?

My dog loves coming with me places and I avoid going places without her.

Dog phobias and must be quite debilitating.

“I will never get my head around people not liking dogs, I am very suspicious of non dog lovers.”
is what someone said a few pages ago. I am petrified of dogs, and not helped by an uncontrollable one jumping up at me & child a few months ago. Owner meekly said “he’s just being trained”. Well fucking don’t take him out if he doesn’t answer to your calls, near kids and others who may be petrified.
Whats there to be suspicious about with non dog lovers??! We are human after all and exist.
it is sad that people get annoyed by seeing kids/hearing kids, but get so excited and happy with dogs. I don’t get that at all!

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.

🙄🙄

It's really bad and getting worse. You can see some of it on this thread. Some owners think their dogs are people and many many people are more tolerant of dogs than children. I hate them. In my school there is talk of the next head getting a dog, I'd probably leave unless it was clearly locked safely away!

Not everyone has a phobia. Some people just think they're revolting, noisy, irritating and disgusting and don't want to be around them - in the same way many people don't want to be around cows or spiders. I have never understood the attraction of dogs. They are revolting to me.

And don't get me starting on the dog shit everywhere these days. It's like being back in the 90s again.

Is it so bad that someone does not give your toddler attention, or smile at them?

Our dentist has a 'therapy dog' that is in actual fact the practice manager's own fig, that he probably just doesn't want to leave at home all day.

Nobody wants or needs this dog while they are in the dentist chair, but yep, there it is.

*dog, not fig

Speak for yourself. A therapy dog at the dentist would help me a lot.
Therapy dogs are used in a lot of settings.

I'm not phobic either, not in the slightest. Just never liked dogs much.

@XenoBitch it doesn't seem very hygienic at a dental surgery though? 🤷🏻‍♀️

Dogs at the dentist?! I've heard it all now

Because animals inhabit the earth as well as humans.

Tell me about it! That was exactly my reaction.

“I’m suspicious of people who don’t like dogs” is not something I’ve ever heard a decent dog owner say. Often it’s said by those dog owners who are on the defensive.

OP I’d be very unhappy about dogs being allowed in my child’s school playground. I don’t mind dogs, quite fond of my friends’ dogs, but it’s not appropriate for dogs to be on school grounds unless they are working dogs.

I haven’t read the full thread so this might have been said already, but I’d be asking the Head why this is being allowed.

There was a Facebook post on our local fb page a while ago from a dog owner complaining that their dog had found a child’s poo (no idea how they knew it was from a child) and had eaten it and that parents had to be more considerate of dogs in the area. There were loads of other people ageeing with them. I felt like I was on a different fucking planet. The amount of dog poo in our area is ridiculous and people were more bothered about their dogs.

Oh good, you won't mind lions in John Lewis then or therapy snakes slithering around whilst you get a filling. We all inhabit the earth after all, why just stop at dogs

Nope I certainly don’t expect people to give my children attention, however my 4 year old,like most, enjoys interaction from adults and will often smile at people and I can’t see why it’s so difficult to throw a smile back! I guess there are just a lot of miserable people out there who like I said, forget that once they were that small child

Such helpful advice - perhaps you could pop round and do it yourself? I'm sure it wouldn't take much to simply 'get her comfortable round dogs'...🙄

if you’re not keen on dogs there is absolutely no respite from them - and worse, the increasingly amount of entitled, inconsiderate owners.

This is how i feel. I was at an open area today where there is a fenced playground where dogs arent allowed. I went over only to find 4 people with 3 very large off lead dogs hanging around the gate. The people weren't watching the dogs at all, who immediately bounded over and were nosing my 3 year old straight in the face. As soon as we got to the gate, the people just let these huge dogs into the playground. I can't escape dogs, i don't love them and they are bloody everywhere, i hate it.