To dislike the increase in dogs in shops/cafes

[amymel2016]

I’ve recently noticed a huge increase in non-service dogs in cafes and shops. I was in Joules earlier today and there were 3 in there, two of which were barking and growling at each other. I was in a cafe last week with 2 in there. Surely it can’t be fun for the dog having to sit under a cramped table?

I’m very allergic to dogs and the smell absolutely sets me on edge. I don’t understand why they are allowed in? I’m not about to walk in with a cat or a rabbit so why dogs? It’s also the attitude of most (sweeping generalisation!) dog owners which annoys me, no, I don’t want to talk to your dog or about your dog. I don’t care if you say he’s friendly I don’t want it anywhere near me.

Goes without saying that service dogs are bloody amazing and they should absolutely be welcome everywhere.

No matter how upset you get about the insults to your dog, the chances are your dog and house do stink and the reason you think they don't is you get used to the smell and don't notice it.

I think that its fine to take dogs to appropriate places and some cafes etc obviously are happy with the business that comes with allowing dogs but it's incredibly annoying when someone's darling dog has an issue with someone else's darling dog and they bark and growl at each other because neither owner wants to give up their meal to save the ears of all the other diners.
They always reassure everyone in vicinity, whilst shouting over their dogs barks that they're normally such a calm dog, they normally never react to another dog ever!
I love dogs, we have family dogs. But we know that some of our dogs would be fine in public, calm, non reactive, happy to sit quietly in place whilst we're eating. But many dogs do not have this temperament and one of ours was super reactive to other dogs, nothing could train this out of her, so we would not have taken her into an enclosed space where there could be other dogs because she'd be stressed and growling and generally annoying to others.
I think its like parents who think their lives shouldn't change after having kids, they should be able to do everything they want whilst dragging their bored kid along and letting them run riot; lots of dog owners like that, don't want to adjust their routine and feel entitled to bring their dog along regardless of if its sensible.
I do think the allergy issue is a separate specific issue though and I imagine it definitely feels like there's no where safe if you have a dog allergy anymore because its become so normalised to take your dog everywhere.

Do you think that offends me? I don't care.

Loving the ‘your house smells’ comments. Mature 🤣

Ner ner ner ner ner....

You should have higher standards then

I have these service dog harnesses for sale online which is wrong. If people need replacements, they should go to the organisation/charity to obtain them directly.

My last workplace, a supermarket had lifts from the rooftop car park to inside the store. There are also stairs which take you onto the prescient. Sometimes customers went down the lift with their dog and forgot they were in a supermarket. I am a dog lover but these owners should have common sense and don't take normal/non service/non assistant dogs into a supermarket. This only happened during the past 2 years.

Had a few customers who had issues with their dogs and the dogs had a bad day, wouldn't let be left alone. They stood by the entrance and asked me or another colleague to buy a few bits and gave me the cash for them. I didn't mind doing this. Probably about twice a year I did this.

@Wendolino you appear to have missed the word attempt.

I have been in so vile smelling dogless houses.
I have also been in some houses that do smell overwhelming of dog.
Surely wouldn't pick up that smell if all dog owners houses smell?

My standards are fine thanks. I mop and hoover everyday. Wash throws, don't have any carpets.

If you can smell my dog in my house, then, shock horror, that's because I have a dog in my house. You sound pathetic 🙄

Mine get offended if I insult them, they give a hard stare.

Coffee shops are could be argued as being more significant to the well being of humans than dogs though. Non-service dogs don't benefit from going to cafes.

To all those arguing that: "My dog doesn't smell" ... as an employment lawyer, my practice is receiving a growing number of enquiries from employers associated with dogs and their owners' requests to bring them to work/inability to accept the hygiene considerations/non-consideration for others' allergies etc.

A young woman approached us for advice last year on taking out an employment tribunal case because she was asked by her employer, a children's nursery, to address the fact that she and her clothes smelt strongly of dogs. She was unwilling to address the problem, and it was one of the reasons why she was asked to leave her post. Parents repeatedly complained but she could not recognise it herself.

I thought of this thread today when I was in a cafe and a dog walked in. It spotted the two dogs already in the cafe and started growling and barking, then the other dogs started barking too. A small child was startled by this and started screaming. I left shortly after and crossed the road, turned left but then came to a standstill because someone had a dog on an extendable lead which extended across the entire pavement, and the dog had stopped to sniff something (perhaps another dog's piss?) The owner didn't notice me say 'excuse me' because he was looking at his phone. All that was left to do was step in a steaming pile of dogshit

People need to put a little bit more thought into having a dog before getting one if you can't make sacrifices.

I think the lockdown dog is causing issues now.

Near Newton Abott there is a cafe where you have to pay £8 each to go in and sit with cats. Such is the superiority of cats over dogs, people are willing to pay just to eat and drink in their presence.

I’d far rather a house that stank of dogs than being with a miserable person who likes to fling insults about. Fair enough not to like dogs but that doesn’t mean you get to eradicate them from public places especially serving dogs and mental health dogs

Nobody is saying eradicate service dogs. Saying dogs stink isn't an insult it's a fact. Not eradicate from public. Nobody as an issue with dogs being in dog places like fields, parks, woods, dog beaches. You know places dogs actually can be dogs at. The problem is people who try and humanise dogs and start dragging them around shops and shoving them under the tables at coffee shops. Dogs don't like these places their loud, busy and people step on them. The only reason people take dogs to these places is they like people fawning over their dogs or they won't make sacrifices in their life and put their dog first. When you decide to get a dog you need to understand that it's a responsibility that means you won't always be able to do whatever you want whenever you want as your putting something above your own needs anyone who can't do this don't get a dog as its selfish.

Can we add dogs on the tube to this discussion?
I rarely saw dogs on the tube pre covid. Only working dogs. Now it's very common. I recently had a dog (sitting on lap of owner next to me) sneeze on me, spraying me with dog snot.
Today a dog licked my hand on the tube.
I often see people let their dogs sit on the seat next to them.
I think I might hate this even more than the dogs in cafes!

What a complete load of rot 😂

This is nonsense. Many people go in a pub or a coffee shop half way round a long walk so their dogs are obviously being well taken care of. The dogs which are being neglected are those which are left at home all day when their owners are out all day.

So how do you explain dogs in shops and coffee shops in town centres

Not difficult to explain. They are out and about with their owners. Dogs like to be with their families rather than stuck at home in their own. Dogs which have been included in daily life since they were puppies are well socialised and well behaved.

Holidays? Where dogs aren't allowed to be left at accommodation? We used to walk through our own town some Sunday mornings and stop at a cafe.

We'd sometimes walk the dog to the town to go to pubs with him, then walk back

It’s probably one of the most accurate posts on this thread.