Dogs in restaurants

[MealDealDreamz]

Informal dining and cafes, fine. Pubs, fine. But only if dogs are on the floor and reasonably well behaved (by that I mean not barking all the time).Restaurant not fine. Am I alone in this?
If I am paying to go somewhere specifically to enjoy the food and pay extra for it and want to enjoy a special evening (birthday) why do I have to put up with a dog lying on the floor at the table next to me?. I just don't think this is necessary or acceptable. Am I totally alone in this?

Some serious nonsense on this thread...

• having to check in advance: so what? I am vegetarian and I always double check the menu if we are booking somewhere. No difference than having to check if the restaurant is dog friendly or not. Places will also have notices on their door/window that tell you if the place is dog friendly or not.

• hygiene: for goodness sake the dog won't be sitting on your table/plate/knees so this make no difference to your meal whatsoever....

Most of dogs I have seen in restaurants/coffee shops are in fact better behaved and quieter than most kids and humans on the premises.

If you hate dogs that is your issue to deal with.

Why would you?

Well obviously because it’s a problem for you.

Why? Just a couple of seconds checking on Google or phone call....not too difficult? If you're making a booking you do it online or call anyway, so can check at the same time.

I've seen worse. Dogs are still allowed in sofas etc.

Not in my house. No dogs on carpet or soft furnishings.

Same as when I was growing up.

Genuinely question people that outright never take their dogs places to eat
Do you not take them away with you ever?
I'm not sure how we would work eating on 90% of our uk holidays if we didn't take our dogs into eateries

Do you sit in the tent and eat?

According to a quick Google 40% of people at holiday parks, campsites etc have dogs and its a type of accommodation where you'd be breaking rules to leave them

Because you're bothered by it so the onus is on you to check.

The dogs in the cafe I was in yesterday weren't well behaved. I'd just started my lunch when two different people came in with their dogs. Lots of barking and pathetic owners saying "be good Billy" etc which dogs ignored. No sign on the door to say it was dog friendly. Dog owners like you @Startingagainandagain come across as incredibly entitled...

There's a restaurant near us OP that actually allows dogs to have their own chair and they sit at the table eatingn out of a wooden bowl. Now that would have you frothing at the mouth. I'm a dog lover and take my dog to cafes and restaurants, and even i think this might be a tad too far. Although they're always very busy....

This is not true where I live (London). Most restaurants are dog-free zones. Where is this wonderland with all the dog-accepting restaurants and accommodation? My dog and I want to know!

Places like the lake district, Cornwall, peak district etc tend to be full of dog friendly places because they know loads of holiday makers have dogs with them because its dog heaven and in places like devon/dorset/Cornwall know people are camping and you're onto a winner if people need somewhere to sit somewhere dry with a dog because most people are staying in camping/caravans where dogs can't be left but it's miserable when wet

Yes! What happened to this? I think Covid maybe resulted in so many dogs with separation anxiety? We had dogs growing up and we would never dream of taking them out in the evening with us.

The Lake District allows dogs absolutely everywhere. Cafes, restaurants, hotels, pubs and even shops. We love it there. Bit of a trek though from London...

@Hasbean2 I don't own a dog now but when I was growing up people generally didn't cart their dogs around with them everywhere, dogs were left at home or put in kennels.

Lake District for sure! I live here. In Keswick dogs are absolutely everywhere…supermarkets, shops, restaurants. Everywhere. They shit everywhere too! 🙄

It's really weird how places never used to allow dogs and dog owners used to be able to cope with leaving their dogs at home. When did either owners or dogs become so delicate they couldn't survive without each other?

I was in the toilets of a tourist attraction last week. It was full of dogs! People were taking their dogs not only into the building but into the toilets? What even is that? Why? Drives me bonkers. It's so unhygienic. Why aren't they tied up outside or better still, left at home? Our town seemed to have a burst of letting dogs into eateries, but it seems to have totally reversed now. I don't pay money to eat food around dogs. They smell bad! Fortunately not seen it happen in a year or more now. Assume plenty of people complained.

Give me a well behaved dog over a badly behaved child or a rowdy group, any day.

Hmm mu mum definitely has beach holiday pictures with their dog in the 60s! I wonder if it's the high pricing of kennels etc, combined with the increase of rules like dogs not being able to be left in holiday lets/ caravans. Plus loss of things like neighbours that would look after your dog.
As a kid we definitely left our dogs in caravans etc on holidays, and as a 13 year old I used to stay in aunts houses to mind their dogs neither of which would be allowed now days!

I also think a huge part is because historically everyone holidayed in the UK, then in the early 2000s people began to go abroad on mass. The people that were left going to places like Devon, peaks etc were people walking etc and often people with dogs so business lost a high portion of "fancier" clientele so are more geared towards walkers than historically.

I think there's a much higher percentage of people with dogs that stay in UK for holidays because lots of the rest go abroad. People like my parents would now pop on the train to France or cheap holidays abroad.

Record number of dog thefts so it's rare for people to leave dogs tied up. People definitely don't leave dogs in cars now

Tourist attractions tend to be full of tourists who are likely to be staying at places eg campsites, holiday parks which all have rules that dogs can't be left on site alone. Lots of holiday cottages have similar rules also.

Strike 1 👏😂👏

Make you feel good? Talking out your arse?

https://missdarcy.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ee2ac84f5553719a011f776b6&id=cc5a26d15e&e=c8458efb71

this is a great blog run by a rather fab London resident. She takes her dog to some great places. Has given me some great ideas. I think people mean pubs really not restaurants. It’s still quite hard to take your dog to an actual restaurant…

BTW
If I have to put up with buggies everywhere and little Henrietta and Otto screaming the place down, then you can make space for my immaculately behaved Jack Russell. 🤔

I think it’s because lots of previous non dog owners got dogs in covid and have weird ideas that they must be with them at all times

Nothing stopping you duck. Crack on