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?

Everything you think I am doing, you are actually doing, so we are never going to get anywhere.

😮Is that addressed to me?

We wen to the US this summer and I was amazed at how few dogs I saw. The few that I did see were generally well behaved. Just one off lead in a park which chased the ball on the court I was on.

One of our church members in his early 80s was knocked over by an off lead dog early this year and is only now being able to take short walks
Of course the dog was just being "friendly" which I'm sure was a comfort to this old, previously active man as he lay in hospital

If this thread was

Are dogs more badly behaved or what bad things have dogs done to you ( and sadly that has been in the news as we know ) I'd understand .

But specifically it's about, has England gone mad for dogs and particularly in Cornwall.

It's turned into a list of terrible things dogs do generally.

It's the same on threads about children.

People are giving examples of why it's not fair or appropriate to allow dogs in everywhere eg dogs pooing in shops, tripping people up.

Those examples demonstrate that for every responsible and considerate dog owner there are irresponsible and inconsiderate ones. Hence people saying 'well my dog is very well behaved so I don't see why he can't go into shops' need to understand that you can't discriminate between the good and bad owners. So by allowing dogs into restaurants etc you are enabling the bad dog owners to annoy and disturb other people.

I agree, I don’t know what’s happened that people now seem to take dogs everywhere. Especially cockapoos. Why are they everywhere? Can no one go out and leave their dogs at home for a few hours these days, this is what we did when we had a family dog when I was younger

*People are giving examples of why it's not fair or appropriate to allow dogs in everywhere eg dogs pooing in shops, tripping people up.

Those examples demonstrate that for every responsible and considerate dog owner there are irresponsible and inconsiderate ones. Hence people saying 'well my dog is very well behaved so I don't see why he can't go into shops' need to understand that you can't discriminate between the good and bad owners. So by allowing dogs into restaurants etc you are enabling the bad dog owners to annoy and disturb other people.*

I totally agree there are inconsiderate dog owners.

At this stage I'd have to suggest that Restaurants, pubs, cafes etc have to decide was happens on their own premises. If it is better for their business it's better for their business . Money talks. And Cornwall is hugely reliant on the holiday trade.

So actually it is the resteraunt etc owners enabling bad d

enabling bad dog owners.

Yes I agree with that. But I also, as I said, spoke to a restaurant owner who said dog owners have become so vocal in demanding their 'right' to bring their dogs everywhere and so many businesses have caved to pressure that it is very difficult to now ban dogs as you get slated and bad mouthed and criticised and accused of hating dogs etc.
In the same way that restaurants who try to impose limits on children's behaviour on the premises, or times that they can be on the premises, often face a huge social media backlash.

They also allow cats, l took my Maine coon last summer and he was welcome on the beach and in the shops, he loved it and got lots of fuss. He always travels with us since a kitten as he suffers with anxiety separation.

And yes he is on a lead and we clean up after him.

Yes I agree with that. But I also, as I said, spoke to a restaurant owner who said dog owners have become so vocal in demanding their 'right' to bring their dogs everywhere and so many businesses have caved to pressure that it is very difficult to now ban dogs as you get slated and bad mouthed and criticised and accused of hating dogs etc.
In the same way that restaurants who try to impose limits on children's behaviour on the premises, or times that they can be on the premises, often face a huge social media backlash.

I'm sorry I know enough Resteraunts and cafes that don't allow dogs inside that I think that's a very over dramatised view of the situation from one person.

People do it because it's good for business. If it wasn't those dogs would be gone.

Equally people who have a strong opposing view , can be equally vocal on SM.

Plus the 1 star terrible reviews designed to fuck up someone's business when the reviewer hasn't even been inside but is pissed off they're not allowed to take their dog in.

Vote with your reviews people if you don't want to be in social spaces with dogs.

No it's not over dramatised. Not all businesses in Cornwall, and in particular in touristy areas like St Ives and Padstow want to allow dogs into their premises. But so many tourists now bring their dogs on holidays with them and expect them to be let in everywhere that it has now become difficult to not allow dogs in. The pressure and expectation is huge, and small businesses often feel they have to cave.
It was interesting that there were no dogs in Rick Stein's restaurant. Presumably because he's a big enough 'brand' to not need to give in to dog owners.

Plus the 1 star terrible reviews designed to fuck up someone's business when the reviewer hasn't even been inside but is pissed off they're not allowed to take their dog in.

Do you know anyone that's done that?

In Cornwall if a place is good, it's always full in the summer.

There also full if they're not that good tbh.

We are cat owners but have just come back from holiday in Seahouses. Saw lots of nice well-behaved dogs there, in cafes and on the beach, lovely. Stroked quite a lot including a Bedlington Terrier who was gorgeous.

Have you attempted to get any support/help for the anxiety separation? It must be hard, I appreciate that, but cats are even more an issue than dogs (partly due to allergies).

a chap used to bring his Burmese into my local in his pet backpack

But that's part of the worry for some businesses. We all know of parents who slag off restaurants on line because they were asked to control their loud and noisy children. Not only do they give the restaurant a bad review, but other parents who weren't even there join in the slagging off and 'oh that's shocking. I'll never go there again' posts.
If people do that re their kids, it's a fair bet that some dog owners will also flounce onto social media complaining if a restaurant refuses to let their dog in, or asks them to take it outside because it's barking or going up to other tables is annoying customers.

But that's part of the worry for some businesses. We all know of parents who slag off restaurants on line because they were asked to control their loud and noisy children. Not only do they give the restaurant a bad review, but other parents who weren't even there join in the slagging off and 'oh that's shocking. I'll never go there again' posts.
If people do that re their kids, it's a fair bet that some dog owners will also flounce onto social media complaining if a restaurant refuses to let their dog in, or asks them to take it outside because it's barking or going up to other tables is annoying customers.

You sound as if people who disapprove of dogs in eating places have no voice.

I am from the UK born and raised and YES it is irritating. My honeymoon to Cornwall was ruined by dogs there. Even beaches that says 1k fine everyone ignored it. So breaking the laws is dine now?

Even on beaches with seals and Pups idiotic people with dogs running around scaring the mums from their pups.

Beautiful place ruined by dogs owners. I wont return there now until something drastically changes.

I also live in Wales and in the newspaper here we always see stories of dogs attacking sheep. This spring one farmer said one dog attack on several sheep left 3 ewes who were pregnant dead and over the next few days post attack several other pregnant ewes had abortions and died. It makes me so sick that theae farmers have no powers. They should be allowed to shoot the dogs and owners who do such idiotic things.

It is getting beyond ridiculous. And they say we are in a financial crises - where??

I’m sure there are people who give places one star reviews just because they do allow dogs.