What's the point of a 'dog exclusion zone'?

[FishChipsAndVinegarPlease]

Lots of cafés allow dogs now. No problem, I'll go elsewhere.

Lots of beaches allow dogs over the winter. Shame for me, but them's the rules.

But we are now in the summer season, and I was at a beach today in the UK, sitting in a marked 'dog exclusion zone'.

Someone with a dog off the lead, but fairly close to heel walked by, and the dog came up and urinated all over my bag. I'm heavily pregnant so couldn't leap up and grab the bag. Looking around, there were quite a lot of dogs on the beach.

I just wonder what the point is of the dog exclusion zone. It is totally ignored. I was pretty sad to have my bag urinated on, particularly as I'm pregnant and getting things cleaned up is harder than usual.

The owner didn't even say sorry, though she was standing barely five feet away.

I expect plenty of people will be along go tell me they prefer their dog to me and my future kid, but I just wanted to sit on the beach and relax today.

In any case there aren't enough benches for everyone on the prom, and I just wanted to sit on the beach.

Nice. Poison and possibly kill a dog because the owner was irresponsible.

Ah, the dog-murderers are here, doesn’t take them long to creep out from under their stones on these threads, does it?
Oh well, OP, you got a few measured answers. I hope your bag was recoverable.

Wondered when we would getting there 🙄

It does raise a point, which is that if I had had some chocolates in my things, or out on the blanket (I didn't) would a dog be likely to eat them, or are they naturally not keen on that? I wouldn't want to worry about that too!

I have never met dog that would turn their nose up at chocolate. Ad if the dog is a lab, they would snaffle up everything!

The PP was on about actually giving the dog chocolate on purpose - which is vile.

My labs probably would, got to keep everything out their way.

Oh I see. Another reason why people shouldn't let their dogs behave as that lady did then!

I hate this there is a beach in Norfolk we visit and it’s dog free like many between May and September / October.

Every single day you can sit there and see many dogs all day long. I don’t want to worry about a dog getting into our food, or tramping the blanket or knocking into one of us or shaking their wet fur by us that’s why I’m in the dog free zone.

Id happily be a free volunteer for that job of dog enforcer. Say the same as being a parking warden tbh by the school I’d happily do it for free to annoy the smug bastards breaking the rules daily.

If you have enforcement it should not be a fine, people will take the chance. It should be that upon conviction, the dog is re-homed. Even if you have a few bleeding heart judges who don't convict but make it a suspended sentence, I think the possibility of a dog being re-homed would be a real deterrent.

Yes, because the probation service are sat there twiddling their thumbs due to lack of people coming to them 🙄
And rescues have no dogs to rehome.

Well yeah but something needs to be actually done that’s a proper deterrent.

Fines and mandatory reading classes explaining what an exclusion area is. Like a speed awareness course 😅

Guess you could add it to a dog license with mandatory insurance and points of your licence mean increase in insurance.

I hope the dogs in cafes and restaurants trend ends soon. There is not a single one local to me or my my work that includes and I hate it. Dogs should definitely not be on a beach may - September.

It is up to business owners if they allow dogs or not. A lot do because it increases custom.

Bingo

Some one speeding is a danger to the public.
Someone letting their dog in a dog free zone on the beach - not so much.

I’d venture there’s a big Venn diagram overlap between the kind of bad owners who ignore dog exclusion zones and the kind of bad owners who don’t pick up dog poo, which is a danger. Our beaches are shingle and absolutely awash with camouflaged turds among the stones.

I love dogs but I don’t think I’m special, so I follow the rules and walk my dogs in suitable places. I too would be pissed off if someone’s dog pissed on my bag.

And litter from people too.

Definitely. The exclusion zones are often because of nesting birds, but the selfish morons think that Fido having a run around is more important 🙄

The cross over of them being speeders probably is decently high as well. The type of person who thinks well I’m fine. I know I can drive/I know my dog behaves. Same mentality.

Really?
I take my dog to Weymouth and the dog exclusion zones are nothing to do with birds given they are full of people.
What bird is nesting in the middle of a beach?

My dh walked a friend's dog through a graveyard in London as we were visiting and he did this as a favour before we left to go home. Friends had already left for work. Unfortunately he didn't see the sign on a path where dogs were not allowed. He was stopped by 2 policemen who took his name and address but decided not to fine him. We live in NI. He received a letter a few weeks later detailing his offence. So some places at least do police this.

Where did I say it wasn’t up to business owners?

Fur-babies can go where they like .. you should be honoured it chose your bag to piss on.

Good luck to the ground-nesting birds, who’ll have dogs trampling all over them.

Little Terns for a start