To wonder when the excess of dogs will die down

[OptimismvsRealism]

There's so much shit everywhere

There are so many feral horrible dogs pissing on front doors or prams or shop displays and barking terrifyingly at kids

I am sick of them!!!!! Is this it or will people learn their post COVID lesson and only get pets they can actually handle in the future?

This is natural if you're out in the nature, but not so great in city parks. Who wants to crawl and lie in pee? Would it be OK for grown adults to pee on a pavement or on a grass? Our younger one is not fully potty trained yet and when he needs to go when we're out, we use potette with disposable liners. It makes me wonder though, why not just let a child pee whenever I like, since it's apparently completely acceptable?

And there we have it. Perhaps I should train him to do it in our toilet. 🙄 You know that foxes etc pee on grass as well? Cats? The dog hating on here gets right on my tits.

It's not 'dog hating' to expect owners to take responsibility for their dogs and mess they create.

You're assuming I (and many others) don't. But apparently it's not even acceptable for dogs to pee on grass. This thread is ridiculous.

Again, it depends what grass.

I honestly don’t think dogs should be allowed in children’s parks. There should be more dog centred areas though where you can walk them. Everywhere else I would like to see them on leads. I really like well behaved dogs but so few of them around sadly.

Dogs absolutely shouldn’t pee on grass in a park, playing field or someone else’s lawn. If you don’t mind them pissing on your lawn that’s your choice.

Edited to add: I had two dogs (we’ve recently lost one) and this has never been an issue. It’s not difficult to respect other people’s space.

I'll refer back to my wild animal and cat point. How come no one froths about cats shitting wherever the fuck they like and no one picks it up? Stop being ridiculous.

Same. Today I’m missing having a dog/cat. I lost my dog 5 years ago and my cat a couple weeks ago. I’ve just started dating someone and am considering ditching him and getting a dog. Dogs give you unconditional love and ask for very little in return, they make great walking companions, they sense when your sad/ill and they don’t leave their dirty clothes on the bedroom floor 😉.

I never saw a cat owner stood next to their cat physically watching a mahogany turd easing out of its anus and onto the ground, then just walk off leaving it behind.

Cats are usually unaccompanied and therefore tricky for the owners to manage the shit.

Dogtwats witness it emerge and yet take zero action.

Oh, people do complain about that too - rightly so.

I think some people try to humanise dogs too tbh. Of course animals can bring companionship and joy, and that's amazing, but we must remember they are animals and should treat them accordingly. They don't need or necessarily even want some of the things humans think, e.g going into cafes, going into gift shops, wearing clothes (other than for warmth/keeping dry), pup cups, and so on.

My dogs are dogs and go no where else, other than going for walks.

That's what used to be normal behaviour - why has it changed so much?
Our dogs were the same - long walks, playing in the garden or house, sleeping happily when we were out. Fed well, got the odd treat here and there - one was partial to drinking tea, which we found out when a mug was accidentally placed in reach! Toileted in our garden or in sensible locations 99.99% of the time (one did try to poo once in someone's garden border but we moved him on and left no mess).
It's all gone a bit crazy.

It’s changed because there’s stigma around ‘leaving your dog at home for more than 2 hours’ so people now feel they need to take them everywhere with them. I rarely took my girl anywhere, she hated the car, loved chilling in the garden and going for a walk in nearby fields, I could leave her for hours and she would just sleep (lazy SBT) but if I got another dog I would like to be able to take them more places with me, I walk/hike a lot and would love a dog to keep me company, this could include stopping at a pub or cafe for a drink and it’s great that there are dog friendly pubs/cafes, we would always sit outside as to not upset non doggy people.

You sound like a considerate owner, the issue is those who aren't.

I’m baffled by someone who could see a beautiful golden retriever or Labrador completely minding its business and feel actual dislike and go urrgh a dog. Indifference yes, but dislike??

I'm baffled as to how someone could not understand how we all like different things. TBH retrievers and labradors are some of my least favourite dogs, give me a little terrier or a dachshund any day!

If you let your cat out you know it is shitting and pissing in people’s gardens and public spaces.

Tgry might not be right there but they know it happens and still let their cats out. So it’s not different.

Either way, humans are making the decision to allow their pets to shit in other people gardens and public spaces and not clearing it up.

The trouble is that in the summer everyone wants to sit outside, so if there is no room outside and the pub/cafe doesn’t allow dogs inside you’re fucked. Hazard of dog ownership I suppose.

I mean, it depends what circles you grew up in whether that's "normal"

Normal to me is people (farmer friends and family) owning multiple Labradors, JRT's and Spaniels. Taking them everywhere including the pub when i was a child. It's just even easier for them now!
Our dogs have always gone everywhere since i was a child, rarely left at home. Not because they were pandered to, but just because that's what everyone we knew did, it wasn't even talked about.

I think this is a good point. Now it’s so frowned upon to leave your dogs more than a couple hours, people will take them more places.

I am like you. Spend a lot of time hiking and do take them to the odd place, but also make sure it’s somewhere I can sit outside and away from people who don’t like dogs.

We have a cafe that’s aimed towards dog owners here. It’s great and never any problems with dogs behaviour or the owners behaviour either.

Wholeheartedly agree with this. Anthropomorphism has been taken to new heights.
I have friends who are long term dog owners and they don’t get it either. I think laziness is a big contributing factor too. Quite simply owners not taking the time to train the dog to be left alone. A dog should be able to be left alone while the owner goes out shopping, socialising or whatever. That experience described yesterday about a dog having been in a branch of John Lewis and having a shit in the store. I would lay money on that not being a guide dog. What was it doing there for God’s sake? Pathetic.

I was in the indifferent camp but am moving more towards the intolerant camp when it comes to dogs. My one friend and I had a rubbish experience last year at a pub. For some reason this dog took an instant dislike to my friend, who did nothing to it. Hadn’t even looked at it. He was at the bar ordering and this dog saw him and started barking like mad. A short while after he’d brought the drinks over to our table the dog was roaming the pub - yes, roaming - and saw my friend again, came over and started barking and growling. I had to shout out, “someone sort this dog out,” before the owner bothered to do anything about it. Completely unnecessary.
Then you have the case of a family friend, who was with her husband in a small bar, sat down minding her own business and some dog that’s been allowed in just randomly attacked her. Again, completely unnecessary.

I had a similar experience in a pub beer garden. Dog going nuts in the play area, all the kids up on the equipment too scared to come down and nobody taking responsibility. I grabbed it by the collar and marched it out into the street on its hind legs (to shame it). Someone said “you’re choking it”. I didn’t care.

Actually I hugely dislike cats shiting in my garden and lots of people do complain about this. The difference is at least cats try to bury it or do it out the way, not in the middle of a pavement for people to tread in. As for wild animals, hedgehogs and deer poo in my garden and I’m delighted about it because it means I have wildlife around me and it doesn’t stink. Dogs are completely different.