7 dogs in Starbucks today is too much

[Elfandwellbeing]

I turned around and walked out again, don’t get me started on dogs sniffing cups and plates of food whilst sat next to the owners.
What is the solution ?
Can’t dogs be left anymore?
AIBU to think dog separation cannot be so painful that dogs have to go everywhere!

Oh gawd, yes, the smell of wet, muddy dog is awful. Wouldn't enjoy being stuck in a warm, enclosed room full of them. Yuck!

@justaboutdonenow from what some have said, I think it is becoming increasingly hard to find somewhere that isn't dog friendly and that is the problem. It's becoming an expectation as more and more places are doing it. When the majority of places are dog friendly, the choice to go somewhere else is limited.

I might go to the cat cafe tomorrow and demand they put all the cats away because I am allergic and all the people who want the cats there and visited especially because of the cats are being selfish by wanting them there when I am allergic...

There are only a very small number of cat cafes around, though, so very easy to avoid - completely different scenario to dogs being allowed in so many places now

Unless dog owners are turning up to your house with their dogs and barging in then it is also quite easy to avoid eating in dog-friendly establishments.

Yes, I can just not eat out, or choose the one garden centre around here with a dog-free area and hope there are no entitled dog owners refusing to move.

But I can’t avoid trains. And I can’t avoid all the high street shops that now allow dogs.

And I actually quite like dogs! Just there are too many everywhere, and I also quite like being able to breathe.

I can understand dogs on public transport, because not everyone drives, they shouldn't be on seats or tables, or obstructing thoroughfares though.

I saw a family with a great dane sitting on the seats with its paws on the table as there was literally nowhere else it would fit, other passengers found it hilarious but I personally thought it was pretty revolting.

I don't understand why anyone would take their dogs around shops though, it's not something dogs in general enjoy & at best must be boring for them.

Cat cafes are few and far between and are marketed as such.

People don't always know before they go in somewhere that dogs will be allowed - and as with the hotel I mentioned upthread, the rules could change after you've booked (and I bet they wouldn't give a refund if you tried to cancel, either).

It really isn't unless you go to a posh restaurant in the evening.

I've never been on a train where every single carriage had a dog on. Usually, there are one or two dogs on the entire train if there are any at all. I'm sure if you speak to a train conductor they will assist you in finding a dog-free carriage or ask one of the dogs to move to another carriage. Trains tend to be quite large with enough room for everyone.

I've also never seen a dog inside a shopping center or supermarket.

None within 100 or so miles of us.

I'm sure if you speak to a train conductor they will assist you in finding a dog-free carriage or ask one of the dogs to move to another carriage. Trains tend to be quite large with enough room for everyone.

London commuter train - train conductors are mythical here! And you can’t change carriages easily when it’s packed. Never used to be a problem pre-Covid, as it was rare to see a dog on there.

They must all be in the North then there's loads here

We have two in our Southern town - both seem to allow dogs, though…

And actually most of the time it is just about bearable, unless they’re on the seats. Which happens with depressing frequency. And is why I had to spend an hour on East Croydon station the other day - had to get off the train I was on and couldn’t get on another one that had any seats for that length of time.

By North you mean North of England I assume?
There's one place here that sells limited ranges of Costa stuff but it's not an actual Costa.

Most other places are full of dogs - many of which are poorly trained and stink.

The north of England is overrun with Greggs and Wetherspoons. Both sell coffee. Neither allow dogs. Ditto McDonalds.

Yes I'm in the North West of England and there's a at least 4 costas within a 10 min drive of my house

The only cat cafe I know of has to be booked in advance it's so popular. Quite the outlier type of cafe.... so not comparable.

I'm in a small ex-mining town in the NE of England and we have no Costa. We have Costa machines inside the local McColls (dogs not allowed). We've only recently gotten a Starbucks. IDK if they allow dogs. I've never been.

We do, however, have at least 2 Wetherspoons, 3 Greggs, 2 McDonalds, and a KFC.

The cat cafe's business model is that there are cats which is comparable to Starbucks' business model in that they welcome dogs. The mere fact that they sell a drink aimed at dogs tells you their business model includes attracting dog owner's custom.

The fact that there are more Starbucks than there are cat cafes would suggest that dogs are more popular therefore the business model is more viable/profitable. If you really cannot live without Starbucks there is always Uber Eats or takeout.

I don't know what to suggest for the trains. Write to the train company and request dog-free carriages, perhaps? If enough people do it, they will listen. I completely get that allergies suck. I'm allergic to all kinds of things, including grass pollen and I also like to breathe but I can't demand that people don't cut their lawns so I can be outside. It would be nice if I could but the world does not revolve around people allergic to grass pollen, unfortunately.

I love cats too so I do get peeved when I visit my sister in the city and everyone goes to the cat cafe without me. I'd love to be surrounded by cats but, sadly, all the Piriton, optrex, ventolin, and Symbicort in the world wouldn't make that possible.

Dogs literally evolved with us, to be with us. Some scientists believe they actually assisted us in our own evolution. They are a very important part of our history. We are not going to suddenly stop keeping them as companions and as long as more people who like dogs continue spending their money businesses will continue to cater for them. It sucks for allergy sufferers. You have my sympathy but it is what it is and judging dog owners because of choices business owners made is not going to change that.

Like I said, if you think a dog-free eaterie would do well in your area, open one. I personally would love to open a dog cafe and have different rescue dogs attend each day but I can't afford it nor do I think it would be viable as a business. Dogs, unlike cats, tend to need a high ratio of handler to dog. The overheads would be massive on handler wages alone.

And if you think dog owners are in a minority stop spending at Starbucks et al and encourage others to do the same. Once they start losing money they'll change their business model. I strongly believe dog lovers are the majority, however. Like I said, we literally evolved together. We evolved to be dog lovers.

Dogs will never be on a par with people cos they ain’t economically active. So therefore they’ll never be as important. Soz dog lovers

But their owners are and we spend it on places that allow our dogs in.

Oh yay the “I like dogs better than humans” people.

This says it all about people who say this IMO.