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?

Some dog owners give dog owners a bad name. I keep mine on a lead. I don't let them touch others dogs or people unless I definitely know they want to interact with my dogs.

There are many good dog owners though. I wish they all were.

People who answer by calling people not very bright as a response also show how horrible they are. OP you are confirming you are a not very nice person.

Exactly.

I remember the days when dogs were left at home when their owner went shopping, or were tied up to a lamp post outside while the owner nipped in for a minute. Why is that suddenly deemed unacceptable?

But some dog owners seem to have the mind set of the type of parent who translates 'family friendly' to mean 'my child can take over the place and be as much of a nuisance as I want' or the type of smoker who thinks 'I'm allowed to smoke out of doors so if that means sitting beside some stranger on a park bench and lighting up, or forcing my friend to breathe in my cigarette smoke when we're out walking then that's ok'.

Absolutely no judgment.

Yes. I've never thought about taking them shopping. It's bad enough taking the DH.

Genuinely very sad

‘it doesn't make all owners selfish, unpleasant, idiots and all other deragotary words used on this thread to refer to dog owners.’

Most people have said there are good dog owners around.

Whereas some dog owners here think that everyone who doesn’t love animals is not to be trusted. Which is a rather stupid and facile thing to say, given that many people are doing jobs with responsibility perfectly well even though they dislike dogs.

That's a slightly ironic reply based on your recent posts though.

@SusanandMidge I pretty much mostly agree with you, the only thing is that I can understand why some people are slightly reluctant to tie their dogs outside shops because there definitely have been more thefts, or at least perceived risk of thefts, especially in some locations.

I agree, many of my friends are responsible and considerate dog owners and as a a result I’ve grown to like their dogs even though I’m not a doggy person at all generally.

I’ve also had friends who have very hyper dogs who have kept them in another room when I’ve visited their house which was also kind of them.

I spent the weekend at a small Pembrokeshire bay - on the Sunday we counted nearly 50 dogs just in and around this bay. Ridiculous.

Where did I call anyone 'not very bright'

Taking a dog where they are allowed to go is not being selfish

Surely that depends on how you behave when you have taken the dog where it is 'allowed to go'

I wouldn't take the dog shopping either.
If she is on holiday with us and I want to go into a quaint little shop. I leave lovely dog and DH outside.

Why do you have “allowed to go” in quotes? Businesses, local authorities etc are allowed to decide where they want to allow dogs. They are not breaking the law by doing so. I would rather not take my dog into shops either except pet shops. But there are coffee shops near me whose USP is that they are dog friendly so why shouldn’t I? And I wouldn’t let him bother people. He usually doesn’t want to anyway!

Part of the issue was taking dogs on beaches at locations/during times they weren't allowed, so that is being selfish

That's not what OP said. She refers to beaches that don't specify dogs are not allowed, so indeed where they are allowed!
their dogs aren't welcome everywhere, poo poo the concerns or discomfort of other people around their dogs, insist that a beach that doesn't explicitly ban dogs mean they can let their dogs take over the beach, and refuse to accept that smelly slobbering dogs are unpleasant for other people in restaurants and pubs

Yes, I have many with mine. Almost exclusively about the dogs.

Because so many people interpret 'allowed to' as 'I don't have to use any common sense or consideration'. How often have you heard people say 'I'm allowed to make noise until 11 at night' to excuse blasting loud music out in their garden, or 'my child is allowed in the cafe/library/church' to excuse their child being overly loud and disrupting everyone else. The fact that a shop allows dogs doesn't mean that if the small shop is already crowded it's ok for you and your husband to squash in there with your labrador. Common sense would dictate that one of you stays outside. Or the fact that there's no sign saying dogs should be kept on a lead on the beach means you can let your dog tear around wildly, barking his head off, kicking sand up on people and sniffing at their picnics,

There definitely was a point made about dogs being in locations on beaches when they were not supposed to be there (I will try to find it and link but there is a lot to wade through so give me a little while!).

Thankfully we speak about more interesting things (mostly).

Go where? Every restaurant and shop in Cornwall is now being put under pressure to let dogs in.

I get there are more dogs about but no this is a ridiculous statement.

You spoke to a cafe owner, one .

Yet you called people vile so……

No I didn't. You can either apologise for accusing me of saying things I didn't say, or confirm you are not very nice by refusing to admit your errors.

I was replying to Highandlows. I am in complete agreement with you OP

@SusanandMidge I think she might be suggesting @Highandlows said that, and not you?

Because so many people interpret 'allowed to' as 'I don't have to use any common sense or consideration'
So back to good Vs bad owners but it's not what you said. You made a generalisation about dogs owners as a whole.

Ultimately, generations evolve and what people did decades ago doesn't apply any longer. Nowadays, it is deemed appropriate in most places for dogs to be involved in human activities outside of home. It is also deemed appropriate to take a car to do less than a couple of miles travel, as it is deemed appropriate for kids to be loud in their garden even if it disturbs neighbours.

It's ok not to like these changes but it doesn't make those who act in accordance wit current acceptable behaviours wrong.