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

Yanbu.. I love dogs and have a dog I love dearly but I doubt he would enjoy a trip to John Lewis anymore than people would enjoy having him there

I'm fairly certain most dogs would prefer to be snoozing on their sofa at home than dragged round the shops, I know mine would! I'm happy seeing dogs in cafes at the beach and Country pubs but can't understand why dogs are in B&Q (I didn't even want to be there on a busy Sunday!)

I don't think dogs belong in shops. Trailing around a shopping centre with slippery floors, bright lights and strong smells is far more stressful for a dog than being left at home to quietly snooze in the kitchen for a couple of hours while the owner goes shopping. Taking them to the cinema is tantamount to cruelty!
I hate this fur baby thing. It's really not emotionally healthy for dogs to be treated like children.

I have a big dog and I view all this from her perspective. She's happiest going for country walks and playing in the garden.

Was a dog next to us whilst we waited in clarks the other day! No one batted an eyelid but I’m sure dogs are banned in shops

Love dogs but its gone too far they dont belong in shops it is not a suitable environment for them and people are bringing them our on hot days dragging them around shops i popped to the shops today kids were screaming (seriously SCREAMING) dogs were barking (at the screaming kids) its fucking sainsburys not a local park 😑 I forgot what I needed and left without

I like dogs, I'm generally quite fond of them even but not in shops, shopping centres or city centre streets and definitely not when it's crowded.

It's not fair on the animals either.

I often say that people who don’t pick up their dog poo and insist they go everywhere aren’t actually “dog people”.

I love dogs. I’m that person who goes to a party and sits on the kitchen floor with the dog.

I don’t take mine out because he jumps/barks in certain situations due to anxiety.

I do not like having to tiptoe around someone else’s dog who is in an inappropriate environment for their temperament.

The cinema?
Dogs in the cinema ?! On the seats ??!

😖

Noooo - that is too much! You eat there! Put your hands on the seat maybe and then touch the food ! Ugh.

I went to Lego land in Feb… even I didn’t want to be there 🤣

I went to a lovely outdoor cafe that has tables and chairs out the front ,.and next door (quite rural) were some lovely flowerbeds
We were sat at a table next to the boundary, so near the flowerbeds, and a family arrived at the restaurant and decided that they would pop their bag of dog poo in the flowerbed next to our table. They seemed astonished when I explained to them it was not acceptable to put the dog poo bag in someone else's flowerbeds and nor was it ok to leave it next to where someone else was eating. Genuinely they seemed taken aback at the idea. Maybe their dog poops rose petals but I wasn't going to take the chance

Dogs in Legoland though! Why???

Went school shoe shopping and the shop was rammed, a lady brought her dog in with her… just why?? Whatever happened to tying your dog up outside? That just somehow collectively ended in the last few years it seems. She had a pushchair as well, it would have been comical if not so disruptive!

Yes, our John Lewis is an out of town one (so it's not a "passing-by so nipped in" situation) and there are always dogs in there. I can't understand what the dog gets out of going to a retail park. There's a JL, Hobbycraft, Currys, Dunelm, Home Sense, and an M&S Simply Food (I don't think dogs are allowed in the M&S), all around a massive chaotic car park.
I assume these dogs would rather be anywhere else other than buying wool, looking at reduced coffee syrups, or browsing candles.

It's selfish to other shoppers, but it's plain awful for the dogs too be dragged around shops.

The weirdest one I've gone across is Oliver Bonas. The clothes hang at dog height, and there's lots of breakable vases etc, all on low shelves by narrow aisles. Utterly bizarre.

I grew up with dogs and much like child rearing, having a dog seems to have changed. People also don't seem to be able to trust their own judgment or veer from guidance any more. Obviously, many of the changes are great for dog welfare. Dogs shouldn't be left alone all day long for example but I feel like people have taken that too far. We used to leave our dogs for short periods and the dogs were fine. Now people won't leave them at all (hence taking anxious dogs shopping) and it seems to have created a lot of over anxious dogs who can't cope with being along, can't cope with crowds etc.

I’m a dog owner. I don’t take my dogs to shops, pubs, cafes, museums, libraries or concerts, because they’re dogs. I do take my dogs to parks, fields, rivers, streams, canals, mountains and occasionally the beach. I think that’s what the dogs want. They then sleep for a few hours, I do chores, then we all regroup. I didn’t get the fur baby memo.

YANBU! Love dogs and see nothing wrong with them in a country pub after a long walk (and I must add that this is where dogs should be - out for good walks and play in fields, woods and on the beach) but in a shopping centre or department store...what on earth does the dog get out of that? It's selfish all round - to the dog, and to other shoppers. I feel that if people's dogs can't cope with being alone, then they should work with a behaviourist to address that, rather than bring them everywhere by default.

I don’t go to John Lewis stores now - why would I want to buy my Egyptian Cotton sheets with a side of dog piss?

I will admit I am not a fan of dogs but there is definitely a difference between this insane woman bringing two labradors into John Lewis, and someone bringing in a smaller dog…not that I think either is appropriate!

It’s really interesting actually - our local boots has recently put up a large new No Dogs sign in the door. I can only assume some bat shit people thought it was appropriate to bring dogs into a pharmacy

No, it's irrelevant whether it's two Labradors, two Great Danes or two Dachshunds. Very often tiny dogs are the ones that wee everywhere, jump up and bark anyway.

Twatdog goes to fields, parks, woods, forests, but also trains, boats, shopping centres, town centres, theatres, all dog friendly venues, museums, zoo, churches but she is trained in searching, trailing, tracking, scentwork. She can find a 'missing person', she can search and area for 'suspicious' items. Lots of different venues provide valuable experiences.
So far she has found druggies and given them almighty frights as they thought she was a Police dog! 😂😂
Indicated to me a problem, we continued along the road and emergency services were looking for someone, turned out to be a teenager in distress, we were able to direct them.
DH fell at home, knocked himself out, when he came round she was laying alongside him and as he got up pushed underneath him to lift him.
Usefully she can find my keys if I drop them! 😁
Dogs are brilliant.
Anyone on here who knows her from that description👋.😂😂

It’s why I don’t go to John Lewis any more either. Grim.

It’s not irrelevant - a Great Dane in a shop is far more likely to knock things over, it takes up more room, it will be more detrimental to people with allergies, it is frightening to young children etc etc. but the main issue with this woman is that she thought it was appropriate to bring TWO dogs. Aside from anything else, how can she possibly shop?

I was making the point that I don't think any dog should be in there, not even a chihuahua.

Have dogs. Love dogs. Hate this thing that dogs are now allowed everywhere…

It does seem to be getting worse.