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'm now really genuinely intrigued if there's any place that is so incredibly dog friendly there aren't any dog free places.

I did a quick search of ops area and some traditionally dog friendly places and was able to find dog free places fairly easily

I wonder if I'm just out of touch and there is a complete lack of dog free space somewhere

I support dog friendly restaurants but also do think that there should always be some dog free options. Ive yet to find anywhere where there a zero options with no dogs

Well, I had a look at my area, and they all seem to be "dog friendly" from my research. I looked for a dog free one, and there is one in the city centre. I think it's because I live in an expensive suburb and there are a lot of wealthy people who take their dogs everywhere.

That’s so disgusting. How any dog owner can think it’s ok to take their dog into a place where food is sold, or where clothes are sold, is just beyond me. If they can’t even see what a basic hygiene issue it creates then what hope is there?!

Its hard because understandably you're probably not going to tell me where you live 😁

When we are on holiday we search out dog friendly places and generally stumbled on lots of non dog friendly places even in places like op in Wales

In terms of days out for example, theres several gardens that don't allow dogs locally to me, beaches with dog limits (but appreciate people break them), historic houses they arent allowed in
There are a small number of things like zoos, museums, farms, kids places etc that allow dogs but normally the ones that don't far out number them.

Pubs and cafes do tend to skew to dog friendly but I've rarely seen a 100% rate unless it's a small places with only a handful.

I understand that people might feel they are too many places and get annoyed by that. I just struggle with the hyperbole about people having zero access to dog free spaces, and being stuck indoors because every day out, food place etc is full of dogs.

It might be there is a majority of dog friendly places in some areas, but posters are genuinely talking about having zero options, and that they need "some" places not to have dogs

Well, I've just counted the 11 within walking distance, and they're all dog friendly. I think it's just because of where I live. I don't mind one or two, but most places, it's more than that. I went to a really nice independent cafe and there were only a couple of dogs and they were well behaved, which was fine. However, I went back on a warm day over Easter and there were lots of dogs and the smell was horrible. I think dog owners don't always notice or mind it, but I personally don't like it.

There are very few dog-free public spaces. It’s easy to find dog-free attractions or those that heavily police dogs on leads, but it comes at a cost. Whereas if you want to walk for free anywhere, it’s riddled with off-lead dogs, oblivious owners stomping past clear “take the lead” signs. Recently we’ve seen dog poo left on the Seven Sisters, in Ashdown Forest and Cuckmere Haven, and dogs off-lead in ground-nesting and protected sites. Who looks at the majesty of the Seven Sisters and thinks “You know what this needs? Rover taking a big dump.” They’ve just banned coach parties from Birling Gap to protect the landscape; dogs should be next, please.

Whereas to find somewhere dog-free you generally need to pay: Eastbourne Miniature Steam Railway is a good respite, but costly. The only dog-free park I’ve ever found is in Chichester in West Sussex and it was heaven: letting children roam free without shouting “Watch out, poo!” every seven seconds, eating a picnic without being trampled on by tinkly laugh “He’s just friendly” fuckers.

(Once had a woman’s dog rush through our picnic at a national trust site that had specific signage saying “Just because some people enjoy being approached by dogs doesn’t mean everyone will: particularly children and the elderly”. This dog rampaged across our group of toddlers and my ancient great-grandfather. We pointed out the sign and got told, as if she’d misread it entirely, “Well, some people do enjoy it. So you’re WELCOME.”)

This is moving the goal posts.
It was that there weren't any. Now it's that there aren't any in walking distance.
Now it's that there weren't any that are free.
This wasn't the argument. The complaint was that there aren't any.

There aren't any.
I found one in the city centre, where there are no dogs, but I don't think they ban them, I've just never seen any in there.
Also, I'm not going to drive miles to go to a cafe in the hope that it's dog free.

@threenaancurrywhore

I live relatively close to the places you mention but haven't been to any recently, Seaford Beach has started to get bad and Abbots Wood is just one big dog poo, it's vile.

Arlington Reservoir seems to stay relatively poo free though

All spaces should be dog free unless dogs are explicitly permitted.

I don't think there are many dog-free spaces anymore. I am thinking of my own town which isn't in a holiday area and I can't think of anywhere that specifically bans dogs other than the garden centre I mentioned upthread. Some cafes specifically say they are dog-friendly. but I think the others will let them in. I think Pizza Express might be no dogs, and we have one of those, but I don't know. I just assume because I can't remember ever seeing a dog in there or other branches.

We have an indoor shopping centre which says no dogs other than guide dogs but I saw a couple take their dog in there the other day. It does have security so I guess if they spot them they will escort them out again.

It's certainly way harder to find somewhere that is dog-free than dog-friendly (or at least dog-tolerant).

I just struggle with the hyperbole about people having zero access to dog free spaces, and being stuck indoors because every day out, food place etc is full of dogs

It might not be zero access but it is really restricted. We really do need more spaces to exclude dogs or at least require them to be on short leads.

It would be anti-competitive for cafes and restaurants to carve up the clientele into dog friendly, dog tolerant (eg allowing them in specific areas only) and dog free but I wish they would do it so that there is more choice for everyone and they would all make money - people who don't want to be around dogs spend money too! Same goes for hotels - most hotels allow them now, although I'd hope that they keep them to certain rooms or floors.

Although it's not really dogs in cafes that bug me, it's taking them into clothes and bookshops.

I also wonder if that's why there's often a hideous smell in shops now - it's the cleaning stuff they have to use because they let dogs in.

Is this a serious question, or are you just upset that reality doesn’t match whatever point you thought you had? 🙃

Someone else tried comparing dogs to pigeons and then pivoted into a lecture about responsibility. It was like watching someone get lost in their own back garden and then blaming dogs for existing. 😂

Dogs are allowed because they’re social, domesticated companions, not livestock, vermin, or 3-ton hippos. If you’re still struggling to understand why rats aren’t welcome then maybe dogs aren’t the problem. You’re better off suggesting to these venue owners that they ban dogs (even though the dog owners you’re moaning about are the ones keeping their lights on). Good luck with that.

even though the dog owners you’re moaning about are the ones keeping their lights on
Why does the “pooch pound” argument always ignore that 64% of British households don’t own a dog – and they all spend money too.

OP here.
A clarification for the 'non believers'.
I've counted the cafes/restaurants in our little town. There are 12.
And around the same number of pubs.
Every single one is 'dog friendly'.
There are just a couple of (food) shops that don't allow dogs.

Nature Reserve has 'dogs must be on lead' signs. Mostly ignored.

Nearest beach is 500 yards away and used to have a dog free half, but the Town Council removed the restrictions a year or so ago as owners were just ignoring the signs. The only local -ish beaches, White Sands at St. David's and Newgale still have summer bans but again often ignored and rarely enforced.
So no, I'm not exaggerating

Re dogs and pigeons, I think you mean me.

What you’ve said is completely false.

Reform are clearly missing a trick.

They need to spell out in black and white the inevitable fate of doggos up and down the country unless we vote for them.

Thousands of English girls abused, raped and trafficked up and down the country: no big deal.

Potential doggo ban: English people start sieg heiling.

You couldn’t make it up 😂😂😂

I cannot stand dogs
Noisy
Smelly
Angry

I think we are seeing a major backlash against dogs. People are rising up in anger and making it clear that they are sick of it and want the nightmare to end.

No.

We are seeing a handful of dog hating posters who start a new dog hating thread every five minutes.

I am sick of it as well OP. People seem to orient their entire lives around dogs as well now. Back when I grew up they had a kennel in the garden and you’d play with them in the evening, now they are treated like children!! I also can’t stand those dog owners who refer to their dogs as “b-tch” and “b-tches” thinking they are so clever using a technical word that is really just disguised misogyny.

Bitch is the actual term for a female dog though.

OK and if the C word happened to be a technical term for something would it be okay to keep saying that too? I don’t think so.

Nope. It shows the strength of feeling by much more than a handful of posters - the more silent majority. Poll currently stands at 75/25.