I’ve joined the “why are there dogs everywhere” Club

[BananaBum]

I’ll start things off by saying I have a dog myself and normally scoff at all the people rolling their eyes over dogs in pubs and cafes. Can even forgive younger, less well behaved dogs because they have to learn and be exposed to different situations.

HOWEVER

Today I went to get in a lift in John Lewis with my DC and a woman with a pushchair and TWO massive labradors asked if I wouldn’t mind waiting because one of her dogs were nervous about being crowded.

Why are you in John Lewis then?
Is it really necessary for the dogs to come out with you?
Did they come in the car especially or do you live in town?
how does it all work logistically?

So many questions. And also just a bit annoyed I had to wait for the next lift

Are you entitled to a say about a dog who is just laying on the floor next to their owner, and not bothering anyone?
Because that makes you incredibly entitled.

Where did I say anything about your dog being distressed? I didn't say anything about your dog at all. I questioned whether a hairdressing salon is a suitable environment for a dog.

And I don't find it acceptable to be told to fuck off.

Thank you @YeOldeGreyhound
All the best to you and your doggies xx

@Stargazetrampoline I agree. Every person/family I knew in the 90s, who had a dog, definitely didn’t cart it about everywhere. In fact you usually only saw their dog if you went to their house or it was being walked outside.

There does seem to be a bit of a trend of owners in recent years being preoccupied about their dog and the dog having some sort of behavioural “issue.” One former colleague seemed to be forever going on about her dog, which she was at pains to tell anyone she could was, “not an inside dog,” due to it being prone to displaying aggression or wrecking things. I wonder whether the owners’ neuroses are often not helping in many cases

OP - you are not wrong- as someone who is highly allergic to dogs and cats - think wheezing needing inhalers and sometimes steroids-they are on the tube so much now.
If I am going somewhere , where doctors are liely i dose up antihistamines, steroid inhaler before I go ventolin on standby -for the past month on the tube - i central London this has been needed every day.

The expectation is I will move, not the dog -went from one end of the tube to the other 2 weeks ago, every carriage had a dog - got off in the end.

If i go to a country fait I expect them but not in departmetn stores and the tube - bar guide dogs

I think the crux of the issue is that dog people now are so brazen - they will happily ask “can I bring my dog?” of anyone in any situation. People end up saying yes because either they are a business who doesn’t want to lose custom, or they are a friend/family member who wants to avoid confrontation.

The poster upthread talked about her friend’s dachshund sitting on their lap at a cafe - disgusting and clearly inappropriate. however if they said anything this friend would then probably be all butt hurt and offended about it and @lemonraspberry would be in the wrong. It would be “well no body else ever had a problem with it” - they do, actually, they just value their human relationships above filthy animals so they try not to say anything.

This is what has happened to me before - they take tolerance and a preference for non confrontation as acceptance and it eggs them on to do more and more ridiculous things.

Your comment made sense @BananaCaramel until you used the term "filthy animals", which puts it in an entirely different light. Then you speak of tolerance...? If I was your friend and I knew your opinion of my dog was this, I'd walk away from that "friendship" because I would value my relationship with my dog far more.

The woman is sitting with an animal on her lap while she is eating. An animal which shits and proceeds not to clean its bum afterwards. An animal whose shit is full of E. coli. Which bit of that isn’t filthy?

Feeds a bit of food to the dog, gets dog-spit finger then proceeds to leaf through the condiment sachets to find some tartare sauce…

I think that's my problem. It's fine for dogs to be into things like bum licking and sniffing whatever they find, normal dog behaviour. I don't want to be involved in those things and when dogs are sitting in cafe seats or sniffing things like racks of clothes in a shop that means I have to be involved if I want to use those places.

@BananaCaramel @HangryLikeTheHulk

It's her dog, her choice. She doesn't need your approval.

I have issues with food hygiene that relate to people, so I don't eat out, but I do have dogs and cats in my kitchen at home, although I would not eat with one sitting on my lap. I find it hypocrisy to refer to animals as filthy, as if humans aren't. You're far more likely to come into contact with human faecal matter when you eat out.

@WhatNoRaisins I presume you are aware that many people use the toilet without washing their hands and then touch things in shops and cafes...? It's not just dogs you need to worry about if you're germ phobic.

Someone did that to me once in a very dog friendly cafe. Dog was asleep Under a chair at my table. Bloke and his wife at the next table. He got up, came right behind me and hissed in my ear to get my dog away from his wife.

I did move the dog to the other side of the table away from them but I did tell him he was exceptionally rude. It was more his tone which upset me. If he’d just nicely said that they’re not keen on dogs and could I move her slightly it would have been fine.

Oh God…you’re right. I hadn’t thought of that, and I’m normally very imaginative about the consequences of other people’s poor hygiene.

It really does impact everyone- the choices made by some people. I guess it’s the entitled attitude that, instead of scheduling time to properly exercise their dog in places it might actually enjoy, some people just take the poor critter with them wherever they go. There are good dog owners who get up early and take their dogs for a proper walk and you can see how much the dogs enjoy that.

Tough as it sounds, if you’re not in a position to give a dog proper exercise then get a cat or a Guinea pig. I think there’s a lot of selfishness masquerading as soppy affection with some owners.

The more of these hyperbolic rants I read the less I care if my dog bothers anyone.

“Hyperbolic rants”. 🤣

Yep 👍 if the points were valid there’d be no need to exaggerate them.

Of course I'd judge someone touching things without washing their hands, it's disgusting. The dog things are normal for dogs so I don't think it's disgusting in the same way but I don't think that they should be doing all the same activities as humans.

So just don't use those places if they are not to your taste?

I've been out with my dog. I promise you there are plenty of places he is not allowed. So maybe just do what the rest of us do when a venue has a vibe we don't like and go elsewhere.

For all the talk about 'entitlement' of dog owners, I haven't seen a single dog owner here demand that, for example, Marks and Spencer change its policy to accommodate dogs because it would be more to our liking. There's a general acceptance that its up to businesses whether or not the let non-service dogs in, and I've never met a dog owner who has a problem with that.

It seems to be those with beef against dogs that seem to think every venue should have to cater to their preferences.

I don't, I've massively cut back on eating out, poor quality food for high prices means it's not too much of a sacrifice thankfully.

So you want dogs out of spaces you don’t even go to?

I'd like to have the option to meet friends and family at a cafe now and then without having to shout over barking dogs to have a conversation. I think it's normal to bristle at having options reduced.

Can I add my “dogs in unsuitable places” story? Someone brought their dog to a funeral I attended in March. It started barking incessantly as the casket arrived.

I saw a bloke holding a bag of Doberman poo in one hand and eating with the other yesterday. Don’t get confused!

I'm very wary of dogs, having had quite a few bad experiences. Plus I don't like the smell of dogs. I avoid anywhere where I know there are going to be lots of dogs. I would not expect to see one in a department store - what a strange idea to take your dog on a shopping trip.

Must admit I've seen some odd things. I love dogs, had dogs all my life, work in a dog friendly cafe, meet some lovely dogs and their owners. But there are some where I'm left thinking "why on earth".
Some dogs just shouldn't be taken out in public places, even nice dogs can be wrong place, wrong time (looking at you with 3 newfies on a horrendously wet day)
And then there are the dogs dragged around on extremely hot days with no thought for their health. I've seen sore paws and heat exhaustion too many times.

I think it is a strange new culture, lots of people who wouldn't previously owned a dog now have to. Dogs to replace relationships, treated as children substitutes without understanding their basic needs.

As others have said, I'm hoping that when the lockdown generation die off it will go back to more normal, for everybody's sake!