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?

No it was banned because of an increasingly vocal anti smoking lobby.

But of course there are still smokers around insisting their smoking habit doesn't bother anyone, anti smoking people should 'mind their own business', stop being such 'killjoys' etc.

Anyhow I hope and believe that people will start to speak out in real life, they way they are doing on threads such as these and the situation will change.

I'm not going around in circles on this with a few posters 'doggedly' insisting there isn't a problem. You have your view, I have mine.

But this has been a very interesting discussion and thank you for the varied viewpoints and opinions.

OP, you not liking dogs as a whole and particularly not liking them in public, touristy places is respectable. I wouldn't not be friend with you because of your views. They are legitime.

However, your inability to accept that it has now become an acceptable norm in our society, and has done so because the majority of people support or are unbothered by it is what's frustrating.

You can't expect the whole of society to align to you wishes and desires. It is what it is and that's that. Accept that at least you still do have options as thankfully, there are still plenty of places you can go to where you won't be surrounded by dogs. You might just need to do a bit more research before you travel next time.

No it was banned because of an increasingly vocal anti smoking lobby.

Because of the risk of death.

Anyhow I hope and believe that people will start to speak out in real life, they way they are doing on threads such as these and the situation will change
It won't, not as long as people live dogs and treat them as part of their family rather than a disposable toy.

34% percent of families in the UK have a dog, and many many more love them or are neutral about them.

I know you struggle to accept it but you do very much fall in the minority.

I'm not going around in circles on this with a few posters 'doggedly' insisting there isn't a problem. You have your view, I have mine.

Absolutely.

I don't insist that some people don't want dog free places. Why would I? We're all different.

But I don't think customers using cafes etc where dogs are welcomed, are doing anything other than what is appropriate. A badly behaved dog, like a badly behaved person is not welcome anywhere imho.

There seems a real reluctance to accept that these businesses have chosen to welcome dogs. Right now people are making lots of money out of dog owners, who are voting with their feet.

If there is an appetite for dog free cafes etc they will spring up.

Just as they have sprung up for people with dogs. Time will tell.

Still lots of places to go that don't take dogs.

I like dogs but they smell and may be unclean. On the train today a dog was sat on a seat next to its owner. It was a busy train. dogs do not need tickets yet it had a seat when humans didnt. The owner tried to put it under the table but there was clearly no room and the dog just climbed back on the seat.

I don't want to sit on a seat a dog has been sat in as it will make my clothes hairy and smell. How do we resolve this?

Please attempt to refrain from child comparisons. It is not the same at all.

I don't want to sit on a seat a dog has been sat in as it will make my clothes hairy and smell. How do we resolve this?

😁 you make me smile. I personally believe that public transport seating is one of the filthiest places you can sit down. Other than some mud in a park or field!
Maybe dogs should pay so they can have a seat too.

Make owners pay for dogs. They may think twice about travelling with them. Also dog free carriages in trains. Only allowed on certain seats on buses or the upper deck etc.

I find public transport in this country smelly and dirty enough with humans putting feet on seat, having crumbs all over seats and wiping their hands on seats etc but adding dogs into the mix makes it worse.

Some people don’t even let their own dogs sit on their sofa at home but we are expected to share seats with strange dogs?
if a dog pees or shit on the seats the bus will probably need to be held up and cleared causing disruption for a lot of people.

And some people are highly allergic to dog fur.

As always there needs to be some kind of balance and separation, so not everyone has to put up with dogs in public spaces.

my worst concern is if some aggressive dog gets on though. There is no escape. I have actually got off one bus when a young boy with a staffy type which kept pulling at the lead got on and then I waited for the next.

It was at the end of a long day, I shouldn’t have had to do that. they are trying to encourage more people to take public transport while making it dirtier, more crowded and less safe. It’s ridiculous.

The dog shouldn't have been on the seats regardless. Pretty sure that's against most of the rules.

And then we get back to the issue of no one enforcing the rules.

But how we solve THAT problem I’ve no idea.

*And then we get back to the issue of no one enforcing the rules.

But how we solve THAT problem I’ve no idea*

.

Yes.

Nothing seems to be enforced on trains, not even actual seats for passengers.

Sounds like that wasn't the right holiday for you.

People used to understand that their dogs belonged in their home and nobody else’s. They didn’t love their pets any less, but they had a clearer idea of where they were welcome.

If restaurants and cafes etc say dogs are welcome then presumably they are. Likewise beaches that allow them.

I understand that there are dog avoiders who do not want them there but that's not the same thing.

@Ohpleeeease I have a clear idea of where my dog is welcome. And that's not stuck at home all the time. He went on a caravan holiday. I had to pay more for a dog friendly caravan and he was welcome in lots of places. Sign said 'dogs welcome' I took them up on their offer as I was on holiday

Where I live we get walkers and it’s always been normal for the local pub to have muddy boots and a couple of dogs lying in the bar. Not a problem. What is a problem is putting myself tidy and going into town to meet friends for drinks and dinner in a moderately expensive restaurant and finding that people have dogs sitting on the chairs in the bar. I don’t want to sit on a chair that your dog has had its dirty feet and arse on.
A couple of months ago there was a thread where someone was incensed at having been told to keep their dog away from a family on “the dog beach”. It’s not a dog beach, it’s a beach that doesn’t ban dogs. They are allowed to be on it, but still shouldn’t be shitting, rushing up to people and sniffing in their belongings. People don’t want your dog slobber in their picnic basket or their kids stepping in shit.
The problem is owners who are oblivious to their impact or don’t care.

People used to understand that their dogs belonged in their home and nobody else’s. They didn’t love their pets any less, but they had a clearer idea of where they were welcome
Actually, I think dogs were poorly treated in the past. Dogs have lovely natures, so try don't moan and accept everything. That doesn't mean they are happy. Dogs were left for days alone making them very lonely. It wasn't nice and it's owners awareness and caring nature that has brought on the change. Dogs are now treated as members of a family as they deserve.

I do feel for those who don't like them, but that doesn't make it right to insist that dogs should be left at home for many hours purely for the convenience of a minority who still have many options to avoid dogs.

Dogs are animals . They can be cuddly and affectionate but they are still animals . Treating them better than you’d treat another person or family member is weird

I’d put my kids family and friends welfare before an animal any day

Treating them better than you’d treat another person or family member is weird
Who said they are treated better! It's very possible to make everyone happy!

Oh I’ve witnessed this. It does happen. Two people I know will fawn and mollycoddle their dogs in that cooochy, wooochy, who’s my best boy voice, and then will speak to their kids in an awful way. It’s cringe and frankly horrible to witness. If I can pick up on the vibes, then the poor kids certainly can and know exactly where they are in the pecking order.

Oh I’ve witnessed this. It does happen. Two people I know will fawn and mollycoddle their dogs in that cooochy, wooochy, who’s my best boy voice, and then will speak to their kids in an awful way. It’s cringe and frankly horrible to witness. If I can pick up on the vibes, then the poor kids certainly can and know exactly where they are in the pecking order.

Agree seen this .

Do you think it's never happened before?

This was exactly the case back when I was growing up,
We always had dogs but they were not allowed on furniture and certainly never taken everywhere with us such as shopping, eating out, events, holidays.
The dog stayed home.
I have a dog - I love my own dog but am not so keen on sharing spaces with other people's pets who I do not know. My dog mostly stays home now.

It probably has happened before but just not so visible coz folk never brought their dogs everywhere, all the time like they do now

Do you think it's never happened before?
No comment on these specific situations but you were talking in general terms. No, it's not the norm to prioritise your dog over your kids (and both my kids AND dog get told off if they act in appropriately and that might be at different times!).