Dogs Everywhere

[SusanandMidge]

I don't live in the UK but am just back from a holiday in Cornwall. We were shocked at the amount of dogs allowed everywhere. They were in every restaurant, cafe, pub and hotel. Two or three people with dogs would all go into a small shop, blocking the aisles for everyone else. In Port Isaac on a lovely sunny Sunday afternoon the whole harbour and uphill area was disrupted by loud and continuous barking. Dogs were running around off leash on every beach. People were clogging the narrow pavements with two or three dogs on leads, wheeling dogs around in prams and buggies, stopping outside holiday cottages for ages chatting while their dogs barked, yapped and howled and ruined the peace for the people inside.

We were genuinely wondering if the next time we came back there would be dog and owner spaces in supermarket carparks and an expectation that you should stand up on public transport to let people with dogs sit down.

AIBU to think England has gone a bit mad when it comes to dogs?

Yes of course.

The post I replied to stated that Britain was a nation of animal lovers.

I beg to differ.

However, you are correct - it isn't 'most' pet animals that end up in animal rescue centres. It is a very significant amount. Enough to show that the British are not, indeed, animal lovers. They are animal 'must have'ers but then often 'can't be bothered'ers'. We are a very lazy pet owning nation. So many people getting pugs just so they don't have to walk them much (they can't actually walk very well as they can hardly breathe).
Loving the breeds of cruft despite the genetic problem the breeds have.

It's all a sham. We are NOT a nation of animal lovers.
Pet owners are just entitled. 'I want therefore I shall have'.

I'm sick of the dog culture nuttery in this country. Absolutely hate it.
I didn't mind dogs growing up. They tended to stay at home, or just on their walks. Now they are everywhere. Detestable.

Indeed. If we were a nation of animal lovers, we'd all be vegan.
Such hypocrisy.

I'm an animal lover.

Pork, beef and chicken taste great!!!

Don't worry, dogs will be providing our care needs in our dotage. As much as people hate children, someone's kid will be keeping you alive when your nearing end of life. If no one had children then we would be working past 80 and being operated on by 80 year olds when we die out. I guess people who hate kids want humans to die out anyone so it's win win.

The OP's absolutely right.

There are those who for whatever reason couldn't have kids and nurture their dogs as though they are their kids.

There are also an overwhelming majority who expect everyone else to love their dog just as much as they do, and are often quite hostile to those who don't.

When we take our dog out in public places, the focus is to minimise its' impact on others. Barking is totally unacceptable, and if in a pub / restaurant etc. our dog will lie down, unseen and unheard. Any other approach is selfish and socially unacceptable.

The world doesn't belong to humans. It is home to a vast array of animals, domestic or wild.

The problem with society is entitlement. Works both ways, dog owners can be but also non dog owners.

What makes humans more important than another life? Regardless if its a dog, giraffe or bird.

I'm shocked at the entitlement of this thread. That's why the world is shit because HUMAN attitude is shit

Yup I hate it

@EllBellWell Well said.

I really dislike most dogs generally - I’m not scared of them, but I just really dislike how unhygienic they are, and how badly trained most are. (I have a lovely cat instead who is an indoor cat and doesn’t bother anyone, doesn’t mouse or poo in anyone’s garden.) But dogs smell horrible and are generally a bit of a nuisance. The well trained ones with considerate owners are really very few and far between.

It’s interesting to me to notice how they go in and out of fashion, too. My boomer parents had dogs as children in the 50s, 60s and 70s, but they didn’t have any as adults. Dogs definitely seemed to decrease in popularity from the mid-80s onwards (though I do remember the dog shit on the pavements when I was a kid - ugh). In the 90s and 2000s, though, hardly anybody had a dog any more - I knew very few people or families who had one. (I wonder if this coincided with the new laws on picking up dog poo.)

Since around 2014/15 they have suddenly become very popular again. I can understand the lockdown effect, but the increase in dogs IMO dates from a little bit earlier - suddenly breeds like cockapoos and French bulldogs got fashionable around the middle of the decade. I agree with OP that it’s all a bit much now. We too were on holiday in Cornwall this summer, and there were dogs everywhere - we didn’t have that many problems on restaurants, but the overflowing dog poo bins were nasty, and many owners were simply ignoring beach signs that dogs weren’t permitted, and letting them run all over beaches off lead with kids playing. Hugely antisocial IMO.

Evolution ?

Since you don't seem too happy with your lot, I'd be interested to hear which species would you prefer to have in power ?

Animals have just as much right to be here as humans. Simple as that. No one has a right to dictate where an animal can be when outdoors. Cafes and pubs, ok I get that. Outdoors? No.

Are you sure ?

If for example, a lion, a giraffe, a rhino, a pit bull or a Komodo dragon were wondering around in your local park, or on the street would your preference be that they were left alone, and would you be citing that they have just as much right to be here as humans ?

Since lock down there's been a huge surge in London of dog owners. And what's worse is that aren't trained well.

I have one child afraid of dogs since witnessing an attack and the other has quite severe allergies. So when owners are letting their dog walk on a very slack lead right next to my children, sniffing and slobbering, I either have to cross the road, or if there's a dog on the other side too i have to ask them to please keep their dog away. There's always upset at that because I've insulted their precious little fur baby by not wanting them touching my children.

Where do you think this inability to be around other people comes from?

‘I feel this way about people who don’t control their children, but I guess we’re not allowed to say that….’

Funnily enough this thread as usual is full of kid-haters. It’s the only defence bad dog-owners have.

Many people who don’t like dogs also despair of people who don’t manage their children’s behaviour. Shame it doesn’t work both ways.

I love love dogs. I have very well behaved dogs but I don’t think dogs should be in stores or restaurants/pubs unless they are service animals.

I have not read all the posts so apologies if somebody has already mentioned this. My DD is terrified of dogs and it is becoming increasingly difficult to find somewhere for us to eat because so many places are dog friendly now. We recently visited a small café where she spent the entire time looking round, checking where the dogs were until they all left and and she visibly relaxed.

Now, I know people will say to get her some help for this and help her manage her fear but its not as simple as that, we have tried but there is scared, as simple as that. I had dogs growing up and would love a dog but I don't understand this need to take your dog everywhere. Why can't a dog be left at home for a couple of hours whilst the owner goes out? Is it a hangover from Covid where dogs were so used to having company that they cannot cope anymore?

If places want to be dog friendly then they should be large enough to accommodate them, i.e a separate area. At this particular café, the owner walked right up to the food counter with their two dogs, surely that it a hygiene issue having them near to food?

@MatchyM

Funnily enough this thread as usual is full of kid-haters. It’s the only defence bad dog-owners have.

Choosing to take my dog on a dog friendly holiday to Cornwall doesn't make me a bad dog owner. Not a kid - hater either. Have 2 children myself.

More dog haters with high opinions of themselves than anyone on this thread

Yes it is ironic that this site is called MUMSnet but there are so many kid haters here. Kids don’t leave shit all over the street and go sniffing people.

I have 3 dogs, huge dog lover but I don't see the need to take them into shops & restaurants! They would much rather be at home in their beds in peace and be able to wander about.

A country pub after a walk is about my limit but it rarely happens, I'd rather drop them off home first.