To dare to think that the Cult of Dog has gone too far?

[MariLlwyd]

There is now not a single public space in my home town that is dog-free - and that includes cafes, restaurants and even the library. Local beaches, once a quiet escape, have turned into asylums for the fur baby/pupper brigade to inflict their poorly trained animals on others with children getting chased, people jumped on and tripped over and all to the sound of hysterical barking and frequent dog fights.
80 year old woman knocked over by uncontrollable dog? 'You got in his way'.
Ask politely that you take your dog away from our lunch table? 'Go fuck yourself'.
Sit on the most remote bench you can find? Peri-menopausal wild eyed harridan lets loose 3 dogs from her 4x4 to jump all over you and laughs that it's 'their spot' and turns unhinged when you push them away.
Yes, this is a rant and yes I hate most dog owners.
This weird cult that values darling dogs over human beings is actually pretty worrying.
I shall await the inevitable and hilarious 'incoming' from the emotionally stunted Doggo Nutters.

I can't even with these types of comments....🫢

Children are small humans who need to be in public, learn how to behave in public and grow into adults. They have every right to be included in society. You yourself are a grown up child.

We need children, they're the future. Nobody really needs a dog. Nobody needs to breed dogs. As little as ten years ago dogs were not allowed in any shops/cafes and had to be kept on leads on the beach/in public. Nobody died. Children however cannot be left alone at home and are part of society. Added to the fact that I do not see any children acting in the way you describe. Children do not defecate on the street and walk on their bare hands and feet and then put them on the chairs and table in a cafe. They don't make an ear piercing barking sound. They are not strapped to long leads that get in everybody's way and trip them over. They do not run up to you and jump up and lick and sniff you. I know there are people who hate kids but I would argue that that opinion is a lot more strange and antisocial (funnily enough it correlates with the attitude of a lot of dog owners) than people who find the behaviour of dogs with entitled dog owners in public annoying.

Their is no comparison between children and dogs and it's a really crap and silly analogy to make.

Jesus wept.

That's because they are generally better behaved, cleaner and more enjoyable to interact with!

I completely agree with you, @Azureshores , but that's so many people's attitude on here. As if somehow dogs have an equivalence to humans, on any level. I think working dogs are brilliant, I think lonely people finding companionship with a dog is wonderful, but they are not people and this anthropomorphism is very strange.

Dogless people love to say this. But if you look at the specs of most resue dogs, it will mention anxiety problems, unsuitability for living with children or other animals, psychological problems, aggressive behaviour and/or other non-desirable traits.
Personally I'd prefer to buy a beautiful chocolate labrador from a reputable breeder and when I do, he/she is not going to be left at home alone, tied up outside shops or locked in my car (which is illegal, incidentally). The point of having a dog is to spend time with him/her.

No, just running around causing a nuisance, trying to get in the kitchen, getting in the way of waiting staff, coming up to my table and parents glaring when I tell their offspring to go back to their own table!

I don't want to be licked by a dog and I don't want children's grubby hands on me either. It's down to dog owners to control their dogs and parents to control their kids and then everyone would be happy!

That's understandable, and of course you want to spend time with your dog. Does it accompany you everywhere? Do you think there are any limits to where it should be taken?

My point is that there surely should be more tolerance of children than animals, however, many people seem to disagree on here.

Yes, let's stop people on a lower income having dogs for companionship. DM had a dog, she was her reason for getting up going out but never mind eh? There's many people in the same situation but the likes of you don't care.

Microchips have been the law for several years.

Its completely unenforceable.

The trouble is that the people that are nuisance owners are mostly already the people that aren't following laws. The people with dogs in areas they aren't allowed, with dogs off lead in on lead areas etc

Any form of dog licencing will just be the same people ducking out of it

You can licence things like cars because you can't make a car in secret, you have to use it on a road to get benefit from it.

Dogs can be born in back rooms, walked in fields, exist totally off grid. The dogs that tend to be the real problems aren't owned by people that would participate

I foster dogs at times, and I would be really hesitant for anything that dissuaded people from going to vets, training classes, walking their dog. Its more likely to cause an increase in antisocial dogs

Children yes although I'm still not interested in them, thick parents who think other people should indulge their offspring and therefore don't parent them no. The same goes for dogs and their owners.

You clearly know nothing about dogs! Large breed dogs are usually friendly and harmless; it's the yapply little f*kers that will grab you by the ankle that you have to watch out for.

How does my dog having a splash about in the sea and a run about on the sand "ruin" beaches for other people and wildlife?
The only wildlife on this beach are sea gulls and crows. Oh, and don't get me started on the amount of litter left by people. That is a beach being ruined by people, not dogs.

The dog friendly part of the beach we go to is rather small. I also never take her onto the bit where dogs are forbidden so please don't tell me I am encouraged to push my luck and treat the whole beach as dog friendly. Stop talking about dog owners like we are all the same.

Yes! If I go out without the dog, he will be unhappy. It really is heartbreaking to see a beautiful unhappy dog lying by the door all day just waiting for their person to come home. When you have a dog, you are their world.

Why aren't these dog lovers adopting rescue dogs instead of spending a month's pay on one?

The idea that historically dogs weren't everywhere is also false.

In the 60s/70s my mums dog went with her everywhere. There were also eras of dogs been turned out into the street for the day etc, packs of dogs wandering round.
Dog poo everywhere (far worse than it is today!)

Dogs tied up outside shops wasn't a good thing. Im not sure why it's seen as the answer often in these threads, most people that aren't keen on dogs are even less keen on walking past unattended ones.

Most children of that generation have some sort Dog related horror story.

Now days the rules are stricter
We don't leave dogs in cars like we used to
We don't leave them outside shops anymore tied up
We know it's not good for them to be left for 12 hour stretchs
We also have less places to leave them, lots of holiday lets etc explicitly ban it which didn't used to be a thing

Any form of dog licencing will just be the same people ducking out of it So they run the risk of having their animal seized and destroyed then, as they would with an uninsured car. Some people not wanting to comply with a law is not a reason to not pass the law in the first place.

You might "be their world" but if you were a responsible owner you would train your animal to be left on its own for periods, just as responsible owners have done for centuries.

The fact the dog is your world does not mean its everyone else's world too. So selfish. I couldn't give two hoots whether your dog is unhappy, mediocre or ecstatic. I just don't want it anywhere near me.

People’s litter doesn’t negate the impact of your dog and isn’t the subject of the thread, it’s just whataboutery.

Crows and gulls ARE wildlife! And I doubt they’re the only shorebirds there; dogs are known to have a negative impact on wildlife including on beaches:

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/apr/10/pet-dogs-have-extensive-and-multifarious-impact-on-environment-new-research-finds

@SnoozingFox and likewise, my dog and I couldn't give two hoots about what you want either. So now we're even.
If you want consideration you need to be prepared to consider others as well.

But dogs are animals. Humans should precedence over animals.

Do you believe much of Genesis? Or is it just that particular part. Humans are animals who have developed good tool use skills.

But kids running about are also having an impact on those birds too. The dog part is also very small and is not entirely natural as it is cut off by a man made wall.

I am doing nothing wrong by taking my dog there and will continue to do so. My dog is the reason I am alive right now, and I don't buy into this whole dogs are destroying the planet thing. I don t have kids, and I don't use planes or have a car. Let me have that one bit of joy right now, because I am hanging on by a thread at the moment.

She is well trained, and I am a responsible owner. People like me are not the problem. I am just as irritated by irresponsible dog owners too.

1 trillion percent. They need to be confined to dog parks and peoplea homes. If you choose to own a dog and your live in a soqce that doesnt accomodate them thats your own problem don't inflict that on others.

We have stopped holidaying in the UK now are everywhereis dog country. Last time we went 2 years ago we went to st ives emd of sept so thought bmit be quiet. Nope nope. Dogs everywhere. Tight cramped streets full of dogs crapping everywhere On the beaches that coeqrly say no digs allowed during peak season. March - Oct no dogs allowed. But yet dogs were there.

We escqped to a remote beach and cove. Only to be followed by people with their dogs. A seal mother and her pup were separated she qas out hunting for food and couldnt get bqck to her pup as the dogs were in her pathway back to him. You could aee her poke her head up qnd check peridocially. And becuase of this she most likely abandoned her pup! Absolutely disgusting. It should be a criminal offense.

I am not a dog hater. My family had dogs BUT they had q massive farm and they were working dogs. They sleep outside and looked after and roam on the private property. They are not forced upon the mass public!
It has gotten out of hand. Hotels accepting dogs and B&Bs any holidays rentals. And now landlords have to accept them! It is revolting. We do not keep dogs in the house as it is a massive hygiene issue. So to go rent where dovs lived or go to a hotel where dogs go is a massive no no for me. It makes me feel nauseated.

Humans do (take) precedence over animals. A dog under a table in a pub doesn’t mean they don’t. Sorry you all hate them but unlucky, you’re just going to have to live with it.

@OonaStubbs they aren’t even really animals - they are man made creatures. A bit like Frankenstein’s monster, human’s created these beasts and now they are having to live with the consequences. They contribute nothing to the eco system and do not need preserving or looking after in the same way real wildlife animals do - all dogs could disappear and the world would carry on just fine. They are really nothing more than a very expensive, intrusive and irritating hobby.