To not understand the culture of taking dogs everywhere?

[Supernova23]

This isn't an anti dog post, as I have two dogs, and have had them for my entire life. But I can't for the life of me understand the idea of taking them everywhere which seems to be the case now - I see dogs dragged around in shops, restaurants, cafes, literally everywhere you go.....there are dogs. Perhaps it wouldn't be so obvious if they were quiet and well behaved, but that often isn't the case. Recently in a pub I was at, two different sets of dogs were going mad at each other. The owners could care less and probably thought it was funny. You go to places where dogs should strictly be on leads, and they are running loose in their droves, followed by their hapless owner on the phone who has no control over it. If you tell their owners to control them you get a mouthful of abuse.

I have two large breed dogs, one of which is VERY heavy shedding, and can be very vocal as a breed trait - and I don't just mean barking, but making all sorts of weird wookie noises. I wouldn't feel comfortable taking her into somewhere that served food, knowing that her fur would probably be flying off her. I think that would be quite gross for the people around me, and the people who come afterwards. Plus, what does the dog actually gain from being dragged into shops, restaurants etc? my dogs get long daily walks, and do come out and about in the car with me while I do errands (it fits in with walks). They get plenty of attention, and when they were younger (one is very elderly, the other middle aged) got taken to training classes - you know, actual dog stuff.

So can someone enlighten me? why is taking your dog everywhere a "thing" now?

Not wanting a dog jumping up at me in the communal areas of my apartment block, sniffing around me off lead while I'm eating in a busy pub, or yapping its head off in a department store doesn't make me a dog hate @H007 . I'm not. I don't hate dogs at all. I just don't think every single environment is suitable for them or the other people in that environment.

The problem is that a lot of dog owners who know in their heart of hearts that their lifestyle isn't really conducive to a happy dog, get very defensive and angry when confronted with that. They consider themselves to be massive dog lovers but in fact are the exact opposite: their dogs live unhappy lives while simultaneously being over-indulged and 'babied' to compensate.

i wouldnt take mine shopping but would and do to a dog friend pub that doesnt serve food.

@BitOutOfPractice those things you mention relate to bad ownership and have nothing to do with the dog being in a particular environment. My dog is never off the lead in a public place and she wouldn’t be anywhere near you in an apartment block or a pub, she’d be sat under my table or next to my seat. Equally my dog doesn’t bark and if she did she would be told off and distracted. If it continued we’d leave. If you don’t like being in an environment with a dog go to the billion undogfriendly places available. As there are far more of those than dog friendly.

Personally I have a similar issue with other people’s children on occasion. However, if they are annoying me I leave and go somewhere they are not.

@BitOutOfPractice I think you're right. These are the people that thought lockdown / wfh would last forever and are now finding it hasn't.

My SiL is on. Her lifestyle is not suitable for a dog, yet she got a puppy in lockdown for companionship. She only has him a couple of days a week before he's shipped to my in laws.

Companionship is a real need for people, but there are lots of more suitable pets for flat / urban living.

I have no clue but it’s very strange.

I was in H&M with one of my kids the other day. The woman behind me was standing close to me and had a dog with her. Fine, whatever. The dog then started to rub up against my leg and sit slightly on my foot.

The owner was on a phonecall and couldn’t care less. I asked (very nicely) if she could move her dog from me. She replied saying ‘what did you say?!’ I said, ‘can you move your dog pls.’ She gave me the world’s DIRTIEST look it was insane.

The only reason she didn’t receive a mouthful from me is because I’m really trying to be more polite to strangers. South London is a wild place so this is a big challenge for me😂 anyway she genuinely looked at me like I was mad. Ridiculous

But the whole point @H007 is not your dog. I'm sure he / she is lovely and well behaved 😊The point is that many are not well behaved and shouldn't be in my apartment, a restaurant or John Lewis to misbehave imo.

It is against the terms of the lease in my building to keep a dog. So, to me, if you are breaking the rules you'd be doubly cautious about letting your dog misbehave for fear of being reported. No, it seems that's not the case. Just let it bolt out of the lift, off lead to jump up and muddy a neighbour minding their own business waiting for the lift.

I suspect most people in UK are more tolerant of other people’s dogs than other people’s children.

I know I am.

A big shopping centre near Glasgow now allows dogs and at Christmas when I went for a few hours, I saw at least 10 dogs that had been taken 'shopping'

Not any more they don't, since various dogs fouled indoors.

A dog like yours”…..charming! It’s usually the small yapping “Doodle” mongrels that cause problems. If you trained her to be alone, then she might actually cope with being alone? How do you work or have a life outside of your dog?
This really shows your little understanding of dogs.

I had a Labrador before. Living them home was absolutely fine. The current dog is a breed known to not cope well emotionally being left at home long or often. It's a known fact of the breed, nothing to do with training.

Why take offense to referring to a dog like yours when you are yourself specified why it is not appropriate to take them out? You're the one who said it!

I work at home and have a great life outside. This is with a mix of my oh looking after them, or my parents who live a few streets down who adores them and also living them at home up to an hour or so, when I can't take them.

Otherwise, they are so easy to take out. They just sit under the table and cause no issues at all and never ever barks in indoor public places (or anywhere out really).

Once again, all dogs are different. Some are great for taking to public places, some are not. I've never ever had positives comments and I do ask people close to us if it is ok with them.

Dogs aren't meant to be going shopping and to cafes, they should be outdoors and running around
The problem is people passing judgement on what all dog owners should do clearly showing a complete lack of understanding of 4thdog ownership!

There is no such thing as 'dogs are, dogs are not' but some dogs are and some are not. What is fine for one won't be for another.

A good dog owner adjust to the needs of their individual dog. If my dog hated going to cafés and preferred the peacefulness of home, I would leave them without a second thought. As it is, they love going to cafés and meeting my friends. My friends always beg me to bring them.

Generalisations whether they be about dogs, older people, you get people etc... are always misguided and will always come up as judgemental rather than factual and therefore trustworthy.

My dog likes going to cafes. She enjoys the fuss from other people, the free biscuit, and then she gets to catch up on her sleep. It is not cruel at all.

The problem is that a lot of dog owners who know in their heart of hearts that their lifestyle isn't really conducive to a happy dog, get very defensive and angry when confronted with that. They consider themselves to be massive dog lovers but in fact are the exact opposite: their dogs live unhappy lives while simultaneously being over-indulged and 'babied' to compensate.

Totally agree with this @BitOutOfPractice

People seem to think it's their God-given right to own a dog, no matter how unsuitable they are to be dog owners.

@BitOutOfPractice this is the point though isn’t it. It’s the owners that are the issue, not dogs being in “dog friendly spaces”. The owners inability to control their dog in those environments. Until recently we had another dog a large breed dog and we would take him to a lot less “dog friendly spaces” than our female dog. He was a collie type and would find certain environments stressful so we wouldn’t take him. She is a dachshund and finds different things stressful. It’s our job as owners to ensure that the environments are suitable for our dogs. Like I said in my first comment some pubs yes, some pubs no, some spaces yes, some spaces no etc.

If you want to be in a pub where dogs aren’t, don’t go to a dog friendly pub, there are plenty that aren’t.

There really aren’t plenty of dog friendly pubs any more, that’s the point of this thread. Dog friendly is now the default. Plus, I don’t want to stop going to my local where I’m a regular. Why should I? I’m prepared to put up with the badly behaved dogs because it’s a great pub.

I didn't mean 'out of control dogs.' I meant that the whole policy of bending over backwards to make everything dog friendly to entice everyone to go out and spend their money is out of control and lacks balance. I live in an old village with about 90 residents. It was never meant to be touristy, but it has become so. Between March and end of October, the village swells to about 7 times its normal size. Every caravanner/camper is allowed to bring up to two dogs, and I'd say 80% of them bring at least one. On the subject of out of control dogs, whether they may be holiday makers or locals, last summer I stopped going out for walks for a while. It only takes a couple of incidents to unnerve you. The one that did most was, at the age of 68, having to actually vault a steel gate just before a dog got to me, while it completely ignored its feeble bleating owners. Another dog rushed into our courtyard and tried to get in when I opened the front door, barking and growling at me. The owners are local and never put their dog on a lead in the village street, and the dog does this quite often to other residents. If it had got in, my husband would have hit it over the head with a spade, which I wouldn't, so the dog is lucky it got me and not him.

The problem is that a lot of dog owners who know in their heart of hearts that their lifestyle isn't really conducive to a happy dog, get very defensive and angry when confronted with that
Because of course, you know what is best for all these dogs you don't know and what strangers know in their hearts of hearts!

Or maybe, you don't want to accept that most dog owners know what is best for their dogs long before you, a stranger, could!

@AllInADay i don’t think people bending over backwards to welcome dogs lacks balance. These are businesses that are there to make money. Simple fact is that the non-dog loving public aren’t paying them enough to make their businesses viable so they are having to welcome dog owners in order to keep paying the bills. and for every person who says that they will boycott if they allow dogs, there are many more who can now enjoy the facility that is offered. It simply makes good business sense.

And there you go, @vivainsomnia , proving my point!

@Allmyplantsdie dog owners are allowed to go out without their dogs and spend money, like they used to, surely!

Of course people who own dogs go out with them.
But also, if the option is there, I'm going to kill 2 birds with one stone and take my dog for a lovely walk, and then stop off for some lunch whilst he is with me, rather than drive home, drop him off, and go back out.

@DrMeredithGrey2023 of course I can go in without my dog, but if I am out for the day for a walk or training or working and want to stop in for tea on the way home I am hardly going to drive home drop my dog off and come back out. By allowing dogs they get all the impulse spend.

if I am going past somewhere and it doesn’t allow dogs and I have to go home to drop my dog off I’ll just cook dinner at home or buy the stuff of Amazon!!! If I’m allowed in with my dog then I’ll do my errand then!

@Mygazpachoistoocold just to put in there my dog whimpers and whines if she wants something (part of the reason we try and take her places at less busy times as to not annoy people). She's not scared and we are not cruel she just makes that noise

Oh come on, of course a dog shouldn't be taken about like it's an accessory! It's a dog, it deserves to be outside running around, anyone with half a brain knows that. Not stuck with its owner running errands. Animal cruelty, pure and simple!

I work in the Google building in central London and keep seeing people bringing their dogs up work, so that must involve prime commuting time.

All this thread is doing is making me want to take my dog out more and to more places with me😂