Dog annoying us in restaurant

[Onthegreeen]

I was in a restaurant with a friend this morning. A dog at the next table kept wandering over around our table, putting his head onto our laps, swishing his tail against us etc.
We asked the owner if she could keep him at her own table at which point she said it was a dog friendly cafe and he was entitled to be there.
So were we, but we weren't entitled to wander around other tables annoying people. Children are welcome in the cafe but they're not entitled to go up and sit on some random customer's lap.

We couldn't be bothered getting into an argument so we just left. But AIBU to think she was bloody rude and self entitled.

But seapool in the pic that dog is blocking the fire and the route past for everyone else probably causing issues, eg how could you get past it to the toilet? It's not on a lead.
So you see cute but it's still not very cute to maybe half of the general public. It is most definitely dog owners pushing their love of smelly animals on others who mostly are too polite to say how they feel about it / can't say as people hate on them saying anyone who doesn't like dogs is weird or untrustworthy.
Very wrong categories though as it is always dog owners who cause all attacks by owning the animal!

No need to apologise.

You prefer children to other people's dogs.

I prefer my dogs to other people's children.

There's no reason why the two can't co-exist as long as both are well behaved - problem is, many aren't.

We take our dog into dog friendly places if we are out for a walk/away in our caravan but he’s always on the lead and he sits under our table/our chairs. Dog friendly doesn’t mean dogs can do whatever they want! It’s owners like this who will result in the rest of us who don’t let their dogs annoy other customers not being allowed to bring our dogs in.

I have three dogs but never take them out to eat, unless we’re away and we can sit in a beer garden occasionally. If I go out to eat I don’t want dogs around me, mine or anyone else’s!

I wish every dog owner was like you.
I would imagine your dogs are very happy with that arrangement too.

The dog in the pic is on a lead. It is very plain to see in the photo. Plus, you have no idea of the layout of the pub, where as @SeaPool does. The lead is going to someone who seems to be sat next to the fire anyway, so if the dog is in the way, then the person's chair will be too.
Fireplaces in pubs tend to be out the way, and not on a thoroughfare to somewhere like the loo.

Anyone who would get offended at the presences of the dog in the photo (which I gather from the comments recently crossed the bridge ) needs to have a long hard look at themselves.

YANBU
Dog friendly does not mean the dogs can do as they please. If I take my dog to a pub or cafe, she chills by my side or under the table. She only says hi to people if someone approaches me and asks to pet her (which happens a lot).
I would not let her wonder off and approach other people. That is basic manners.

I have a dog & 2 kids. I think they’re all adorable, but I don’t expect everyone else to. Dog or kid friendly means they can be in there, not that they can roam freely, annoying everyone 🤷🏻‍♀️

Ah @Boomboom22. You see, the fire is right in the corner of the pub and the other end of the lead is in my hand. The toilet is at the far end of the room and our table was right beside the fire. Nobody would have to step over or around my dog to get anywhere. We certainly wouldn't have let her lay anywhere she might have been harmed or caused a nuisance to anyone. She was a meticulously trained and beautifully mannered girl. I can assure you in her whole 14 years she never hurt a fly or smelled as she was fed properly and bathed regularly.

The other point was, that this pub is on Exmoor where dogs are pretty much universally welcome and thought of as part of country life. It's not rare for Exmoor pubs to have more dogs in them than people. They often have a restaurant section where dogs aren't allowed which is absolutely fair enough.

I can understand totally people not liking dogs and have never said anyone who dislikes dogs is weird or untrustworthy. I'm in my late 50s, a gentle, mild, smiley and approachable country woman and am almost as well mannered as my dog was. If someone told me she was causing them a problem I would immediately have removed her from the situation. In 14 years nobody ever did.

@YeOldeGreyhound Thank you so much for your kind comments, they mean a lot.

I'm a dog lover but I'm sick of dogs everywhere. In a smallish pub recently having lunch we had to step over several dogs. Two very large labs also stretched out. One kept pestering me while I was eating putting face near my plate.
At another pub lovely dog lying in front of the fire, owner laid our a large blanket for it to lie on, then a woman bends over to stroke it and her arse is in my face while I'm trying to eat!

I wish dog owners would just stop and think for a moment WHY they find their animals so appealing.
Dogs have been selectively bred to behave affectionately towards people and it's an easy ego boost, requiring little effort or skill, to have a dog looking up at you lovingly.

Now just leave that relationship and all the health issues it brings to others, out of public spaces.
Some of us love animals, but don't want your sycophantic canine in their human daily life.

Would everyone be ok with snake lovers bringing their large reptiles out to a cafe and have them slither over everyone's feet? Would they shout 'Oh look he likes you' as it put its head on your lap and flicks its tongue out?
Or how about rats? Sweet little sociable rodents, who would love to make new human friends and pop their little whiskers into your bag or pocket in search of a treat?
Likewise ferrets or tarantulas? Goats or piglets?
How about people popping a pet Giant Land Snail onto their plate after they've eated, so it can finish up the lettuce?
No?

Well dog owners, it's just the same!

Oh there are people who think that would be fine. On another recent thread about dogs on planes someone said they would be happy for someone to bring a Llama on board as long as it was "well behaved" and trained. (However peoples opinions of well behaved and trained varies wildly as shown here....)

Oh there are people who think that would be fine

I'm one of them. (Except for the giant African land snail. Those buggers are grim. It could have the remains of my lettuce but the owner would have to hand feed it.)

Regarding dogs “ Smelling” A healthy diet, good regular grooming, and daily tooth brushing really keeps a dog’s aroma “ Neutral”

@oakleaffy

nah, they still smell. They’re dogs. It’s just that their owners are immune to their smell.

I wish dog owners would just stop and think for a moment WHY they find their animals so appealing.
Dogs have been selectively bred to behave affectionately towards people and it's an easy ego boost, requiring little effort or skill, to have a dog looking up at you lovingly.

Many of us dog lovers have dogs for what we can do for the dog, not what the dog can do for us.

The ego boost concept to which you refer is not a given. All my life I've had animals, including dogs, so that I could give them a good life and because I have an innate desire to care for other creatures, not for any ego related reason. Any pride or satisfaction comes from the effort I put in, not what I get out.

Anyone who thinks dogs are sycophantic should try giving a command to someone else's dog.

It requires a great deal of effort, time and skill to arrive at a dog who is well adjusted, confident, healthy and well trained.

My sister has a dog and she has also trained other people's dogs. I remember her sitting in a cafe and she was watching this family with a puppy. She told me that a puppy should be taken out at regular intervals so it can have a wee. Or something like that, but the point is that a lot of the new wave of dog owners often don't understand what it in the best interests of their dogs.

I've just remembered something else my sister told me. She said that many dogs are quite happy sitting quietly in a pub, cafe or restaurant but their owners fuss over them and make them excited. It's then that the problems arise.

There are regular contributors to threads about dogs who say that we are dog haters or that we are not very nice people. I don't want to be friends with every dog that is near me but I care more for the welfare of dogs that these problem dog owners.

Yes, treat a dog like a badly spoilt child and what a surprise it behaves badly. Treat it like a normal child and it still behaves badly. Understand dogs and train I properly, noone will notice it is there or when they do they clock the owner has full control and smile at the owner as they walk past.

It's very refreshing to hear from other like minded people about dogs inside places. I've been to one of my local shops today & they've put a sign up just this morning saying no dogs allowed inside, I spoke to the manager to say how pleased I was (as I didn't want to buy stuff especially clothes dogs had rubbed up against) & he said it was a management decision as they'd had lots of complaints about dogs inside. I'm hoping lots of shops follow suit so keep complaining to the management is my advice.

Dogs are not like children.

You can't 'spoil' children.

Even well trained dogs smell and shed dander.

Some people don't trust dogs, no matter how friendly their owner says they are or how well trained they claim.

Yup she was totally out of order. Pets welcome doesn't mean free to wander about. I would tell cafe owner this has put you off going back and suggest they put up signs saying "well behaved dogs on leads welcome". I would have raised it with cafe owner at time but then again it spoils the experience.

Zombie post

I used to sell the big issue it was ok when it was £2.50 ,most of the time £3 keep the change as tip ,but now it's well overpriced and with every mag you sell the DWP take 61p out of every £1 you make profit to keep your benefits unless you don't tell them,basically my profit was only 39p for every pound made,not forgetting I was buying the mag in the first place,tbh I was better off begging sitting quietly with a hungry sign than selling big issue,when mag was £3 and below I got tips,Xmas was excellent for tips,once mag went over price threshold the tips became non existent and Xmas two yrs ago was absolutely diabolical waited all day to sell mags,sold two and I got tips,five yrs ago mag was cheaper I got £169 sold 20 mags,btw thanks Tory or labour govts this is all your fault with your uncaring attitude towards the British homeless you lot think more of the ILLEGAL boat and lorry lot

Agree OP. I’ve also noticed a marked increase in owners bringing dogs into local garden centres. This never used to be a thing. I’m confused why all of a sudden dogs cannot be left at home or in the car for 10mins if you need to grab something.
I own two dogs and would never take them into places like this.