To think dogs shouldn't be in pubs?

[Orangesinthebag]

Yesterday I went to the pub for an afternoon NY Eve drink and couldn't believe the number of people who brought their dog (sometimes two dogs!) with them.

Why is this such a thing now? Can't dogs be left alone any more?
A couple of the dogs were growling at each other and owners were having to drag them apart.
It happens all the time these days - pubs, cafes, restaurants, shops but only a few years ago it would have been so weird and only guide dogs were allowed into places, especially places serving food.

I love dogs but I know several people who are scared of them & find it difficult to have to encounter them everywhere these days.

Is it unreasonable to think dogs should be kept at home?

(Sorry could add a poll for some reason)

Most of the pubs around by us (rural wales) wouldn't survive without dog walkers popping in.

They're better behaved than a lot of humans.

I love going for a long dog walk and then popping in for a couple of pints

I don’t think the dog/ no dog debate will ever be resolved.

I don’t think that dogs make everything better, but that’s my own opinion and clearly not one that others share. The primary issue is owners who either don’t control their dogs, owners who treat their dogs like a version of humans and owners who don’t understand that everyone loves animals as much as they do.

The comparison between dogs and children clouds the issue. Children can be badly behaved and we expect their parents to address that. Dogs can be badly behaved and we expect their owners to address that too. The difficulty arises when they don’t. I’m not aware of anyone being allergic to children, but some people are allergic to dog hair and being in the vicinity of dogs makes them unwell.

I don’t want to eat in a restaurant where dogs are nearby, but if that’s the policy of the restaurant, I can choose to put up with it or leave. Which isn’t easy if you’re halfway through a meal when the dog arrives. This is the situation we have though and we have to find a way to accommodate people who wish to take their dogs everywhere with them and people who don’t wish to see them everywhere.

That is vile! I bet the parents didn't batter an eyelid either! Poor kid is being dragged up, rather than brought up 😠

Bollocks. There's always been dogs in pubs. Just people couldn't moan on the internet. I'm not being banished to a pub garden if I fancy a drink after a walk with the dog.

This

Dogs have always been welcomed in most pubs and I have no problem with that. I love dogs and I'm a dog owner. But I do agree that people are taking their dogs everywhere now, into shops, supermarkets etc and I don't like that tbh.
I instinctively don't take my dog shopping as I grew up at a time when no one took their dog to the shops. But the pub, I would take her if she wasn't such a greedy bugger and begging everyone for food!! Because of that I leave her at home!

Dogs have always been allowed in pubs, but the issue is that there are more dogs than ever before and they are allowed in more places than ever before.

I am so so sick and tired of so many dogs in cafes and shops and pubs and offices. Yesterday, there was a dog in our local library, which I found beyond ridiculous.

It makes me a little sad, because I used to love dogs and have owned them, but to not be able to go to cafe or library or to bloody work without sharing your space with so many of them is making me thoroughly dislike them.

I prefer dogs to people taking their toddlers to bars and pubs. There are times I just want to go for a drink with my husband to a little wine bar but it's turned into a crèche these days. I would settle for a little terrier on the floor any day!

When I was a kid, dogs were in pubs and kids were outside with a bag of crisps and a bottle of pop.
Then suddenly dogs not allowed in pubs but kids were.
Now it’s all in.
Massive generalisations there but some truth.

Why are the dog fans here only comparing badly behaved children with 'perfect' dogs?
I've seen bloody awful behaviour from kids in pubs but I've also seen bloody awful behaviour from dogs in pubs. The common feature is that the responsible adults think their child or their dog can do no wrong.
I've also seen well behaved children in pubs, and dogs who sleep under the table of their owners. No problem with either of those as the adults are respecting other people around them.

You post works equally well if you replace dog with child

Every thread about dogs just turns into endless posters saying they'd rather dogs than kids 🙄
What have kids got to do with the OP?
If rather have a well behaved kid than a loud obnoxious adult 🤷 what's your point?

Absolutely, they are very discerning

A pub is one of the more suitable places to take a dog surely. I agree with others there have always been dogs in pubs in the rural places I grew up.

My dog is big and sometimes reactive so unsuitable for taking out and about to pubs so he usually stays at home.

I will take him to sit outside a pub or cafe if we've been on a long walk but I would never take him to a town centre or into shops as he would be stressed and unhappy and so would I. He's a rural living kind of dog.

OTOH people have small companion lap dogs which often have separation anxiety when left alone as that is not their function and I don't see a huge issue with a dog like that being taken around cafes and shops if they don't mind it and are not a nuisance

YABU, are you bored OP? Looking to bitch, sling some mud at others in a group mean girl setting! It’s either a dog hating thread or one against the smokers or a good old weight loss jab one, they always get the most people to REALLY throw hatred at others, first new dog hating thread of 2025 🍿

Here we go again.

The owners of our local would rather have dogs in than kids.

Don't think we should be banning anyone/thing based on personal anecdotes that exist for either case.
I remember one pub I went to a pub and a dog was going from table to table putting its head on people's lap and licking people's legs while the owner was outside smoking. When she came back in she got mad at the people for touching her dog without asking 🙄
Another time I was in a pub that served food and a couple were having a photoshoot with the dogs positioning them in the booth at the table as if they were eating. They were lacking the table and their plates.

I've also seen adults vomiting jn their sleep in the middle of a pub.

Doesn't mean I think dogs or adults (or kids for that matter) should be banned. we can find anecdotes for crap behaviour from lots of different people/animals and banning anyone based on personal anecdotes is silly.

I think pubs are fine.

I remember even as a child, people bringing their dogs in with them.

Most pubs also have a resident dog.

The dogs must be well behaved though and the music/environment not too loud for them.

I am very against dogs being taken shopping and into cafes etc though.

Not only is it annoying but I’ve often seen dogs looking very distressed and it’s so unfair.

The point is @RightOnTheEdge I find dogs less intrusive than crying kids. I'm making a comparison. That's one way to be critical. It's a method often used in essays!

I’m in my sixties and dogs have been in pubs since I was a child.

It isn’t new at all, don’t be silly.

We took both our dogs (we have an elderly shihtzu.as well) to a dog friendly light trail the other night. Young DDog walking along nicely and elderly dog in his pram we were enjoying yhe lights but the whole thing became a nightmare as people were letting their kids rush up to my elderly dog who is blind and deaf and grab at him, I just managed to stop one kid doing it and I warned the parent if he's startled he will snap! She looked at me like I was an asshole and pulled the kid away. Had she just bloody asked I'd have said no he's not OK to stroke if he's not expecting it!

The kids obviously shouldn’t rush up to your dog, but if you have a dog that you know is prone to snapping you should have it muzzled if you’re going to take it to crowded places.

The dog-friendly light trail I went to was prsctically ruined by the number of badly-behaved dogs, so I may be biased. Website said “well-behaved dogs on short leads”, but I had at least 10 dogs try and jump up at me, at least 3 of which were on extendable (and extended) leads. I’m not entirely sure why those owners didn’t think the very clear rules applied to them.

See this is where the lines start blurring for me. I’m not attacking you in any way shape or form so please don’t feel like I am, but you’ve just said your dog gives you comfort and confidence which is great for you, but to alot of people would feel the exact opposite in the presence of your dog.

What gives dog owners the right to take their dog into somewhere? People who are scared of or allergic to dogs have as much right to shop and eat at restaurants as dog owners do. The main difference is that your dog doesn’t actually need to be there for you to eat a meal or buy something in a shop, unless it’s a registered service animal which is completely different.

I think alot of dog owners forget that. Dogs don’t have the same rights as humans as much as people may disagree, they are not equal and shouldn’t be treated like they are.

Yep, as I said earlier, I stand corrected on that.
I should have posted "restaurants" not pubs because the busy venue we were in is more of a restaurant than a pub.

Comparing the argument of dogs to children is ridiculous. And I’m someone that can barely tolerate other people’s kids.

Children need to be brought up in society, socialised and taught the skills of various environments. Children will become the adults who work in, own and pay for these businesses.

Dogs have no part in that.

I agree and dogs can be left at home alone, kids can’t.
So the argument is pretty irrelevant.

I actually prefer dogs over kids myself but it’s a bit silly to say you’d rather have dogs over kids in these places, as half of their income is probably from families with kids so they’re not going to ban them.