Was this woman rude?

[SleeplessinSeattle69]

Just been for lunch in my local (dog friendly) cafe. Took my small, well behaved dog with me. When we went in, the two women on the table next to us looked at my dog and rolled their eyes, then started talking loudly for several minutes about how dogs should not be in cafés. I was sat right next to them, feeling like I should pretend I couldn't hear them. It was awkward. They spent the whole time looking at my dog and me, and shooting us filthy looks.

I will add that my dog sat quietly under the table and didn't go near them. Didn't bother anyone. I felt uncomfortable because they were being so vocal.

Should I have said something to them?

You are far far ruder for continuing to sit with your dog somewhere where people are paying to eat and you know how disgusting they find it. Def shouldn't be allowed by law no matter how crazy the cafe owner might be. Really rank, how could anyone eat cake whilst snelling a dog or hearing it breathe. Ew.

Fucking hell. Really??

If someone walked into a cafe with a dog, I'd be walking straight out.

Perfectly reasonable- that's your choice. What's not reasonable is making passive aggressive comments towards someone because you dislike the owner's policy.

Hearing it breathe? 😂 I would rather sit next to a dog than someone stinking of cigarettes or BO, which seems to be pretty commonplace amongst humans.

Get a grip. It was a dog friendly cafe, maybe don’t go if you hate dogs.

how could anyone eat cake whilst snelling a dog or hearing it breathe. Ew.
🤣 quite easily

Yes, it was rude. The café is dog friendly so if they didn't like it they can take their business elsewhere. The owner has obviously taken a business decision to allow this to happen. I'm sorry that they spoilt your visit. Hope you and your dog continue to enjoy your tea and cake!

If you hate dogs then don’t go to a dog friendly cafe. Simple. Plenty of other places you can go where your delicate (peculiar) sensibilities won’t be upset by having to be in the same room as a dog 🙄

Unless there is a very clear sign saying dog friendly then I'd think anyone would complain about animals in a food or retail establishment. Can nowhere be safe? Kids are dying weekly at the moment ffs!!

There really are not plenty of places anymore at all. Not the countryside, no woods, national trust, the high Street, shops, cafes, restaurants. Entitled dog lovers think we all want to be near them. No.

Yes, I’d have said “have you got a f@cking problem?” Then just sat there and waited. I hate passive aggression, trying to make someone feel like shit the way they did is horrible. It doesn’t matter if you like or dislike dogs, if you’re in a dog friendly cafe and there’s a well behaved dog in the cafe suck it up or fuck off. End off. I’d have said that too. I don’t even have a dog but that kinda shitty behaviour really pisses off. If I’d been at a table close to you both I’d have had a go at them for you!

I would assume dogs weren’t allowed unless there was a sign saying dogs welcome as there are in some places.

I don’t think we can equate kids being attacked by XL bullies to a Bichon (or similar) sitting quietly under a table. Please don’t be so dramatic, or if this is a real fart then please seek some help for it. It must be hard to go through life being so afraid of dogs.

fart 😂 obviously that should have been fear

There are a lot of cafes in my local towns. Not one is dog free.

It's not dramatic at all it's exactly the same entitled owner attitude. Assuming their animal is safe. I think loads of people are scared or more like terrified but you are not allowed to say it. Owners even say it'll lick you to death, wtf? As if it's OK for the mouth to be near uou at all. And beyond horror and fear what about hygiene?

It was a dog friendly cafe and the dog sat under the table being good.

You sound like you have a real problem. Please seek help, it must be really hard to be so afraid every time you leave your house. People are allowed to have dogs as pets. They can take those dogs anywhere they’re allowed. Dog owners don’t make the rules anymore than dog haters do.

you need to either learn to deal with your fear or avoid places dogs will be. Which these days could be lots of places.

I think there does need to be a review of dogs in public places across the board. It may not be the small bichon type dog attacking, but the attitude of dogs being acceptable everywhere has led to dog owners getting lazy and complacent about their responsibilities.

Dog mess has increased exponentially, fights between dogs in small confined spaces is dangerous, dogs being off leads and untrained is hazardous to both other dogs and children.

We've tried to turn dogs into small people in fur coats rather than recognising they are wonderful awesome creatures in their own right, with their own needs. So many stressed out dogs in crowded, noisy places, it's no wonder incidents happen. It's not the dogs fault, it's the owners.

See I’ve not really noticed the huge issues that seem to be talked about on mn re dog everywhere. Yes, maybe a few more at a national trust property or something than there used to be, but not much else. There’s a lot less dog mess where I live now than I noticed as a kid in London.

maybe it’s a city issue and as we’re semi rural things haven’t changed as much. You would be hard pressed to find a dog in a cafe in our town centre, why would someone take their dog to town? Seems like unnecessary stress for all involved.

The trouble is cafes have to be ‘dog friendly’ if they want to compete in a market of increasing dog ownership but that doesn’t mean that everyone wants to drink or eat around dogs. People who would prefer no dogs and a more hygienic environment have got very little choice these days… and it is bloody frustrating.

It was a cafe that allowed dogs.

If I didn’t want dogs in a place where I was eating, then I wouldn’t go to a dog friendly cafe.

OP taking her dog into a dog friendly cafe is completely irrelevant as she was doing nothing wrong.

But that’s not OPs problem.

The owner encourages dogs in her cafe.

If the customers have an issue with it then they need to talk to the management, not be rude and act like bullies to OP who wasn’t doing anything wrong.

This thread has turned into a general discussion about whether or not dogs should be allowed in cafes/pubs etc. The point is the OP did nothing wrong in taking her small well behaved dog into a cafe that allows owners to do so. She then had to listen to two women deliberately trying to make her feel uncomfortable by speaking loudly about how this practice is totally unacceptable.

The behaviour of the women was clearly incredibly rude and I find it worrying that anyone could disagree with this.

Feels like it needs to be said again...

THE CAFE IS DOG FRIENDLY. THE OWNER ASKED OP TO COME IN WITH HER DOG WHEN SHE SAT OUTSIDE, AFTER FUSSING SAID DOG.

The owner is not going to care if those of you flouncing out would do so, as the cafe allows dogs - I imagine they would be relieved not listening to the complaints while their explanation of "my cafe is dog friendly and I actively welcome dogs" is ignored.