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?

A local woodland trust site near me has just had to temporarily close to visitors due to the amount of dog shit left on the ground, on fences, hung in trees etc. So grim

PS I didn't say they were stray. I said they had been abandoned. They are then picked up by animal charities (just like here) and kennelled (just like here).

In other European countries they have fewer/less well funded animal charities so the dogs stay on the streets.

There is no less of a problem here, or in France, it's just less visible due to charitable efforts.

Gross.

I've given up going to places where there are too many dog walkers. They've taken over. I certainly wouldn't picnic in our local 'greenspace', about 600 dogs a day shit there.

@NRTFT

Oh you were talking about just France, when you said 'we have more by the way '.🙄

Yes our animal charities seem second to none.

I still don't know what your getting at.

There are an estimated 11 to 12 million dogs in Britain.
That is the largest number of dogs than any single European country.

There are an estimated 2 million more dogs in Britain than there were 5 years ago.

Animal Centres are reaching capacity and there is no more room and they having to think about euthanasing rather than keep dogs in tiny cubicles for their whole lives. The problem is not going away.

There is an excess of dogs in the UK.

(and cats - but that's another thread)

Honestly, if there was a referendum to ban dogs, I think it'd pass fairly easily. A lot of dog owners are fairly unaware of the amount of opposition to dogs that there is, to them having a dog is "normal" and they take it for granted that everyone likes dogs and accepts them.

You move between stray, abandoned and pet as suits your argument.

There are many " stray" dogs in Europe luckily we don't really have that here.

There are also many abandoned dogs . In the UK they go into refuges. This has increased exponentially with the popularity of dog ownership. Sadly dogs have always been abandoned by irresponsible owners. Remember " A dog is not just for Christmas "

And every dog problem comes down to 'pet dogs' at its route since dogs have been domesticated for millennia. Are there even any indigenous wild dog populations in Europe ?

You think there are too many dogs granted.

Honestly, if there was a referendum to ban dogs, I think it'd pass fairly easily.

Really? Because of MN threads?

Law should be, train the dog to poo and piss on a pad you lay on the ground. Parks and verges are covered in shit. This picking up after your dog is not an acceptable level, no shit should be on our walking areas, none. People, even children don’t shit on the ground and pick it up leaving remnants, why are dogs special? Dogs are literally dependent animals that people are walking around and letting shit, wth is this warped mentality?

Still not happening 😆

I have a two year old dog. Before that we had a dog for 13 years. I’m under no illusion that everyone likes and accepts dogs, however in 15 years I have never encountered any negativity from anyone towards me or my dogs. In fact it’s a great way of making friends as many people ask about my dog and many want to stroke her.

As far as dogs are concerned Mumsnet is completely riddled with dog haters. In real life it’s just not like that.

My 'argument' is that there is an excess of dogs in Britain - no matter which way you look at it.

Whether it be pet dogs, abandoned dogs, stray dogs. They are all dogs that have ended up here due to humans domesticating and breeding them.

What is your argument?

Honestly, if there was a referendum to ban dogs, I think it'd pass fairly easily. A lot of dog owners are fairly unaware of the amount of opposition to dogs that there is, to them having a dog is "normal" and they take it for granted that everyone likes dogs and accepts them.

Seriously @OonaStubbs Speak to your MP and ride home on all the support. That easy.

And good luck with that.

Because dog owners are very sensitive to people not liking dogs like they do.

So I, for one, pretend to like all my friends dogs as I don't want to offend them.

But in reality, after stroking them my hands smell, it makes me gag when I smell their doggy breath or coats, a wet dog at the table snuffling up bits and licking the floor is just revolting.

I'm good at hiding it. I don't think I'm the only one that pretends for the sake of my freinds' feelings.

I'm much happier in friends' houses that don't have dogs.

My health club (a gym, part of a hotel, in luxury grounds, on the river) put a vote out to members last year asking if we wanted to permit dogs. 98% percent of people said NO. So I think you're right.

Most of us really don’t care.

My best friend loves dogs and has her own. But another close friend really doesn’t like them and it doesn’t matter at all.

If she is at mine, the dogs are crated.

But really, people don’t make decisions about their own life based on whether you prefer being at their house or not. That’s not part of their decision making.

I don't pretend. I tell people I don't like dogs, and I won't go to anyone's house if they have a dog. I also don't go to hotels or restaurants that allow dogs. People can choose to remain friends with me, or not. I don't have any friends who have dogs - those are my terms.

A lovely new friend I made a few months back suggested a cafe to meet up at - I said directly, I won't go there as they allow dogs - she said she was unaware, but delighted to hear I had such a stance, as she doesn't like dogs either. It really is more common than the dog people would have us believe, not least because we are made out to be monsters if we say we don't like dogs.

Since I've become more outspoken IRL about my dislike of dogs, and my zero tolerance of going to restaurants where they are allowed, I have been made aware of so many people who say they feel the same, but don't want to speak up because of society deciding we are just too awful if we don't like dogs. There are definitely a lot of us out there, sadly most are too afraid to speak out. But I do feel that is changing.

*My 'argument' is that there is an excess of dogs in Britain - no matter which way you look at it.

Whether it be pet dogs, abandoned dogs, stray dogs. They are all dogs that have ended up here due to humans domesticating and breeding them.

What is your argument?*

Yes you're correct all dogs have ended up here because of domestication. About 7,500 BC.

And my disagreement is no we do not have

dogs because we are English with attachment problems

or

dogs because of lack of social skills

Nor are we a nation of animal hoarders or wanters any more than any other European nation.

Also I am pleased we don't have unwanted dogs roaming the streets and a problem with stray dogs.

If YOU think there are too many dogs there we are. 🤷‍♀️I'm not sure what there is to indicate that and obviously tolerance levels on that will vary.

What is interesting is the nonsense that gets spouted to support an argument . See above.

@NRTFT

My health club (a gym, part of a hotel, in luxury grounds, on the river) put a vote out to members last year asking if we wanted to permit dogs. 98% percent of people said NO. So I think you're right.

Since you have really good market research like this . Speak to your MP.

@ICanNeverRememberPasswords

Don't be soft 🤣

A lovely new friend I made a few months back suggested a cafe to meet up at - I said directly, I won't go there as they allow dogs - she said she was unaware, but delighted to hear I had such a stance, as she doesn't like dogs either. It really is more common than the dog people would have us believe, not least because we are made out to be monsters if we say we don't like dogs.

I think if you read this thread you'll see who the 'monsters ' are

"social misfits with attachment problems"

" brainwashed"

So please don't come all 'made to feel like monsters'.

This make no sense.

Firstly if 98% of people don’t want them somewhere they pay a membership then that’s the right thing to do.

However, I have dogs. I wouldn’t vote to have dogs banned completely. I would vote against bringing dogs to a gym, hotel.

Just because people voted no in that instances doesn’t mean people would vote no to ban them.

I think it would, not because of a dislike of all dogs and dog owners, but because there are enough bad dog owners out there.

I don't see shit in my area but dogs are over breeded, rather than a ban on breeds there needs to be licences and back yard breeding to be illegal