To think that dogs shouldn't be in toilets?

[LittlePearDrop]

I'm currently camping.

There's signs on the toilet / shower block door clearly indicating "No Dogs". Not small signs. Very obvious.

Went for a shower first thing this morning and a woman brought a dog into the toilet next to me. It poked its head under the gap and had a sniff. I just ignored it.

Took my daughter an hour later and whilst I'm waiting for her, another woman brings another dog in. This time, thinking maybe she has missed the sign, I said, very politely and calmly "Oh it's no dogs in here".

She immediately became defensive, saying there's no one else to look after him (there's a fence outside she could have tied him to) and that he would "cry" if left outside. Errm, so what? Dogs whine. It's not the end of the world.

AIBU to think that if the signs say "no dogs" then it means "no dogs" and not, "Well ok your dog can come in because it might whine if left alone for a minute"?

@Cuppapuppa no, in a supermarket carpark. Can’t see what difference that makes though? Dog theft is unfortunately rife.

Was it in a more built up area?
I think dog theft is more common in more populated areas than rural ones.

@Justforthisthread24 have you ever camped with a dog though? Tents aren’t normally more secure than cars…

@Werweisswohin no, rural. It happens everywhere.

It's very rare where we live tbh.

@Cuppapuppa Before she was stolen? Yes. After what happened? Absolutely not. If my dog wasn’t safe locked in my car (with blacked out windows) not a cat in hells chance I’d leave her in a fabric shell!

@Werweisswohin exactly what I would have said. Until it happened to me. Believe me when I say you do NOT want to experience it.

Did you get her back @Justforthisthread24 . I’m so sorry that happened.

@Justforthisthread24 that’s what I assumed. The sign is irrelevant because you wouldn’t ever be on a campsite with a dog now. And I’m very aware of dog theft, I live in London.

@Tutorpuzzle thank you. And yes, I did, after almost 6 horrific months and paying a very substantial “reward”. It’s a while ago now and she is still with me, happy and healthy, the light of my life 🥰 But, until it happens to you, you don’t understand what it’s like. I received multiple death threats (for leaving her in the car) and more than 400 hoax calls from people who said they were hurting her, that they had killed her, that she was crying and screaming for me…I almost lost my mind. She has recovered and forgotten all of it. But I NEVER will. I’ve name changed for this because I now do a lot to help recover stolen dogs. It’s an industry that most people have NO idea about 😩😩😩

I don't have a dog so won't experience dog theft.

Jesus what is wrong with people?!

I'm so glad your dog is back and happy ❤️

According to this site there are about 13 million dogs in the UK: https://www.dogster.com/lifestyle/how-many-dogs-are-there-in-the-uk-statistics#:~:text=There%20are%20approximately%2013%20million,dog%2Downing%20nation%20in%20Europe.

And according to Sky there were about 2,300 reports of stolen dogs last year:
https://news.sky.com/story/amp/dog-thefts-increase-across-uk-with-just-one-in-six-returned-last-year-13088880

So the likelihood of a stolen dog is so low as to be negligible. This hysteria about dog-napping is ludicrous.

(The Sky article is worth a read for the nutty and OTT reaction of a dog owner: “It’s a life sentence” 🙄.)

@Justforthisthread24 im so sorry this happened to you. Very glad you got her back. I can’t begin to imagine how horrible that 6 months was.

@FinalCeleryScheme Unfortunately, your statistics are entirely wrong. Until recently, the police didn’t have the ability to record dog theft. It went down as theft of a possession, similar to a car radio or a handbag. It was not a category in its own right and for a lot of forces, still isn’t. Shit, but true. So the statistics are meaningless. And yes, I believe the utter arsehole that stole my dog for money, who put me and my family through 6 months of utter, utter hell, should pay a heavy price. But, you will be pleased to hear, I’m sure, that they don’t. A slap on the wrist at best. It’s appalling.

@Justforthisthread24
So awful. And, yes, not something you will ever completely recover from.

@Justforthisthread24 But wanted to add I’m really happy you got her back.

I wouldn’t bother responding to @FinalCeleryScheme There’s clearly some issues there, but I’ve reported the post anyway.

I’m sorry, I don’t believe that. There are stats. They may be imperfect but they give us a good idea of the scale of dog theft. And it’s tiny.

What have you reported and why?

Horrible, but could happen anywhere. I'm going to have to leave them in the car at some point even if it's the vets especially as we have 4.

Hopefully if that happens they will take the very barker/whiney one as I'm know he'll be bought back quickly. That's a joke before mumsnet goes mad.

Still wouldn't take my dog in the loo. I like him but it's not fair on others. It feels a bit grim.

@FinalCeleryScheme if you can be arsed, ask your local police force how dog theft is recorded. I deal with this every day. You have no idea.

@sarahd29 i have a lot more than 4. And I will never, ever leave one in the car unaccompanied for a single minute, ever again. Because, like you say, it can happen anywhere.

Dogs have never been routinely taken into toilets.

I’ve been camping a few times but I’m not really a fan. I find some of the types of people that go camping are weird. I left shower gel by accident in a shower (that was full to the brim with spiders and midges it was a fucking horror show) and someone stole it even after I had gone back to retrieve it after five minutes. Thieving cunt. I don’t know how I’m answering your question here but yeah I’d be annoyed if there was a blatant sign saying no dogs and yet people still bring dogs, into a space that’s meant for humans to get clean and go to the loo in peace.