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!

Dogs are usually taken out of their homes to exercise them, unless they are working dogs, lying on a grubby cafe floor is not exercise so I dont' see the point.

shops and cafe know that if your somewhere where a good portion of your foot trade has dogs then you face a choice of losing a portion of trade that dislikes dogs in cafes or losing a portion of trade for whom you are no longer convenient. Most people are simply ambivalent and don't care

Unfortunately, this is the problem. The pandemic has increased dog ownership levels to the point where it's reached a sort of tipping point, where cafes etc. will lose more money if they ban dogs than if they let them in.

I can't blame the cafes, just wish fewer people had bought smelly canines during COVID and am really hoping that many or most of these dogs don't get replaced when they start shuffling off to doggy heaven six or seven years from now. I too am fed up with dogs everywhere in the UK; I'm not allergic but the smell makes me feel ill.

Last cafe I was in, there was a huge dog poo lurking in the grass outside the front door (it was in a park); I had to ask the staff to go and clear it up, because otherwise it would only be a matter of time before a child walked it in. This kind of thing is happening a lot more than it did before 2020.

Not a miserable dog hater. Just someone who is entitled to not be surrounded by dogs in a food establishment. I like dogs, they are canny, but not in cafes or restaurants. Unhygienic and uncomfortable. There should be places that are dog only, and ‘dog haters’ wouldn’t go there, but to take dogs wherever you choose gives ‘dog haters’ no choice. I hate selfish dog owners who think everyone should love their dog as much as they do!

But @Champers66 you aren’t entitled to that. That’s the point.

It is the decision of the cafe/pub/restaurant owner. You have no more entitlement to a dog free visit than a dog owner has to take their dog in with them.

It’s pure economics at this point.

While I'm exercising my dog on our walk we might call in for coffee.
That's the point.
Can you see it now?

I love dogs mine are very well behaved in cafes. They don't scream run around or throw food on the floor unlike many people's children.

But they are being taken to dog friendly places, I don't understand what you are saying?

I think you'll find that the coffee shop visit is in addition to exercise not instead off, but you knew that really didn't you. 🙄

What makes you think we're comparing the two though?

Surely you can also understand the point of non-dog lovers wishing there were a few more dog free spaces, just as I can understand you wishing there to be lots of dog inclusive spaces?

I love dogs, have one myself but I do think that they should be only allowed in areas specifically for dogs. A local well known garden centre has a doggy cafe where you can sit in or out with your dog. Very inviting after a long walk. Very often there are people in there without dogs who just want to be amongst them. Also we have a local pub/restaurant that has a room especially for people with dogs. During our last visit we had a continuous stream of people coming in to pet the dogs. I have been in places, without my dog, where there were a number of dogs scattered amongst eaters without dogs that were noisy, barking at each other or getting in the way of waiters carrying food. Not an enjoyable experience.
not everyone is a dog lover and I appreciate that.

I think the problem comes with larger numbers. One or 2 dogs that sit under the table and don't bother anyone, I don't think is a problem....if there are eg 7 (as the OP describes) then the possibility of one being yappy/"friendly" (eg jumping up at people etc)/smelly increases.

I was quite surprised that there were 2 dogs when I went to the optician the other day (it was the owners not the dogs, having their eyes tested) it's just not somewhere I'd expect to find a dog!

The moment we start to see animals as in the same category as humans beings is where it starts to get ridiculous. You might as well start saying if you can marry a human why can't you marry your dog?! Let's be clear animal and humans are NOT in the same category. Just accept that just as it is not appropriate to take a child to a nightclub because they are for adults there are some place not appropriate for dogs, like inside establishments selling food, because they for humans and are not the same.

@Hydrangeasneedtrimming

they lick their own arse and eat shit. Humans don’t do that.

get a grip

Isn't that what takeaways are for?

Definitely.

To me the issue is that there were so many people prepared to visit the tax avoiders instead of a small independent business for their coffee, or one that pays taxes.

The pure economics comment is spot on.

Again with the obsession with arses & poo.

From the way some people harp on about it you'd think turds were literally flying out of a dog's bum directly into their mouths or the dog was puckering its arse up & coming in for a kiss.

It takes a lot of time to train a dog, even a biddable breed. I did loads of work with ours in coffee shops etc from day one, teaching them to settle and sleep, by rewarding good behaviour. A lot of the newer pandemic owners couldn't do this - and I'm not sure they did when things opened up again.

A trained dog in a cafe shouldn't be a problem and there are plenty of cafes that don't allow dogs. All the independents near us allow them, it's the Costas etc that don't.

@justaboutdonenow

why are you trying to pretend dogs don’t lick their own arse and the arse of other dogs? And that some will eat shit? Weird thing to deny.

We won’t eat in places that allow dogs, it’s utterly disgusting. The entitlement the owners have wondering why we’d be so aggrieved at a dog is mind blowing. It might be your pet but that doesn’t mean I want the thing near me when I’m trying to eat and drink.

@SixPastTheHour not to harp on, but if you read through the 30 odd pages you will see that many folk are reporting that it's getting more and more difficult to find places that actually don't allow dogs. Many of us don't live near Costa, Spoons etc., and so don't have those as an option. It's getting harder and harder to know that somewhere won't have dogs in it, and there's several local businesses I can no longer go to because they allow dogs - before you say 'not all dogs are bad', I will say that while that's true I cannot guarantee that the owner who arrives just after me won't be one of the bad ones!

I haven't said anything of the sort & don't deny that dogs do that, so don't put words in my mouth.

I don't care if you don't like dogs, & it's fine to not want them touching you or licking you, I don't allow my own dogs to lick me.

The only weird thing here is the constant referring to anuses & faeces, as if this is the only unsanitary thing people come into contact with on a daily basis.

If it gets people this wound up then they should consider seeking help, because it's neither normal, nor healthy.

But to me, training, or at least recognising behaviour that will be unsuitable in certain situations is potentially part of having a dog? A bit like parenting - you don't have a baby and as they grow up, expect them to know by themselves how to behave eg where is suitable to run about (the park, the garden etc) and where isn't (a shop or cafe)
That's a big reason that puts me off having a dog - because I don't know if I have the time/energy/inclination to train it - it seems like having a toddler all over again!

I think only assistance dogs should be allowed in.