To take up a bigger table than needed in a cafe?

[Egit]

To try to use a bigger table in a cafe?

I know it’s not always possible, such as during busy times, and I would never ‘hog’ a larger table for myself.

But during quiet times… such as right now! I’m in a cafe on my own with 2 dogs and I’ve sat myself at a 4 seater table.

I actually hate 2 seater ones. They are just too small and I get claustrophobic with all the clutter of cutlery, condiments, sides of veg etc.

I like to spread out!

It’s a massive problem says a handful of mners!

100 times agree

It’s a win either way for me. If dogs are banned from cafes it’ll stop the moaning threads and if not, I can carry on taking my dog to places as I see fit.

You don't have to contribute to threads that bore you.

I'll carry on being a responsible and considerate owner taking my dog to appropriate places which are fields, beaches and other walking areas. Amazingly lots if not all cafes do take out coffee! So that'd be a win for you too, no?

Hopefully you are a dog owner whose dog is properly trained then. Personally I have no problem with those. It's the stupid 'it's my baby' owners that are the pita ones with their untrained dogs that are the real problem in most places, they are animals not small humans. So many idiots can't tell the difference now a days.

You don’t have to frequent cafes that allow dogs. But here we are.

Yes but as i say I'm raising awareness, I feel it's my duty . I've had success in getting it stopped locally so if others complain we could stamp it out completely.
Brits are all too polite that's the problem, we tend to not want to rock the boat.

Some dog owners maybe don't have friends so their pet goes everywhere with thrm. They should recognise that dogs need walks, not cafes.

They can enjoy both. Many dog walkers take them for a long walk then go to a cafe especially in the Lake District.

You do realise too that not everyone is being polite, that many people love dogs(Actually love them not just pretend to do so then spend many pages frothing over them daring to exist) and are happy to see them in pubs and cafes so long as their owners ensure that they behave. I’ll choose a dog friendly cafe every time if I can even if I don’t have my dog with me because I enjoy seeing them and I like people and businesses who love dogs.

Also plenty of people have friends and still enjoy the company of dogs.

You don’t think a cafe at the end of a walk is an option?

What does the comment about friends mean? You want to prevent lonely people having a place to have a coffee? Or was it an attempt at a jibe?

Best of luck with your awareness campaign. Please keep us updated.

We use dog friendly cafes because we are responsible

We don't leave our dogs where they aren't allowed to be left (which is 75% of our holiday accommodation)

We don't leave them tied up outside or in a car.

We take our dogs for long walks in a variety of settings, we do lots of training of fosters that often involves taking them to places like city centers.

Very rarely do we drive home to pick up the dog to go to a pub, cafe etc it's more likely we are already out and with them and cafes know they need passing trade.

I always think its interesting the comparison to the good old days.

In my childhood I feel like I had far worse experiences of dogs. Even as a dog lover I wouldn't want to go back to the days of having to walk past random dogs tied up outside shops, pubs etc because they were always unpredictable. I'm surprised to see it encouraged on here as a good thing because it makes me nervous.

People were much less worried about the length of time dogs had been left which wasn't great for the dogs, but also was mostly because there was someone at home more, but also dogs would be roaming about by themselves more completely free, or just left in a garden

I remember lots of scary times with loose dogs, dogs scrambling at fences.

Ignoring all the welfare stuff of dogs getting stolen etc I don't remember it as a golden time where everyone was less worried by dogs

Dogs don't need to be in cafes to be socialised.

Less pet friendly taxis are about now days.

My dogs have been on the bus when our car has been out of action and they've been going to vets etc.

These things always remind me of a time when my partner was taken suddenly ill on a work trip in cornwall when we lived in a rural part of north Scotland. He needed me to come up and drive him home as he had the family car so we made a decision that would probably horrify mumsnet

Me and the three dogs we had at that time made the massive shlep via trains, restaurants, a hotel and busses across country

There wasn't another option, we had no one that could take the three dogs in the immediate time frame (we don't live near family), i couldn't get them to a kennels without a car.

It made me realise the world isn't set up for single people and dogs. The hotel for example didn't allow dogs to be left in the room. It also didn't allow them where the check in desk was, so I had to call from outside and explain my dilemma, and they were allowed in a side room to the breakfast room but I couldn't get to the buffet, or get to the bit that takes your orders.

I had to take them in train toilets, got given a tiny seat on several legs so spent most of it sat on the floor in the big gaps between carriages (because they wouldnt let me buy more seats to ensure I could get at least a double seat to myself) and had to keep buying drinks from cafes etc because all the corner shops/tesco express for water etc don't allow dogs

Its easy to think the world is completely dog friendly but I can tell you it's a logistical nightmare as a single person!

No but it's good for dogs to go to a range of environments.

I live rurally and foster dogs and we try to make sure that we don't just walk in the fields behind my house. Partially because it becomes boring which encourages bad behaviour, it makes dogs more problematic when they experience something "weird" in a space they feel is predictable, but also desensitises them to the world. Exercise wise it cuts it, but not mentally.

We take ours to things like city parks, national trust type stuff, walk down high streets etc to make sure they keep up their socialisation with things they don't get in the fields eg prams, headlights, joggers, big groups of people

The last couple of cafes we have been with the dogs have been because we are out on a big walk in an environment that has a cafe.

Something like rabbits don't need to become comfortable with cyclists because they won't experience it. Plus (and i know it's a rhetorical point but still!) Rabbits are prey animals not designed for socialisation but designed for a threat system so they don't benefit from it.

You'll find dogs in cafes because owners are out with them for the day in a variety of environments, very few people are deliberately going home to collect their dog to take to a cafe and if they are its because they are probably trying not to leave them for the same periods as you could leave a rabbit

Obviously the foster element adds something different for us in that we can't predict the home they are going to so we are trying to set them up for all kinds of lives from one where they walk all day in a field to being adopted into a city center where they go to work with the owner.

Its also useful for our permanent gang. One for example picked up headlight chasing because they were not being walked near cars, so we have done work on that by walking streets in the town over.

We do deliberately train pub and cafe skills in all our dogs, because it's important to us because their life with us will involve a pub or a cafe because of the walks we do, and holidays we go on with them

What wrong with taking my dogs out biking with me?

This post alone again gives me the demographic of the majority on this thread.

The nearest John Lewis to me is 60 miles away. I would not take my dog to a cafe located near a John Lewis as I’d likely be in a city.

Can you imagine the vitriol if we left them in the car!!

So now you’re going to make a dig about dog walkers now having friends? Do you have many friends, you don’t seem like the sort of person who does?

Honestly, like dog walkers don’t go for walks and then have coffee (and cake), don’t be so silly 😆!

You are honestly showing yourself up!!

Oh course it was a jibe, but just made the PP look ridiculous, thank goodness!

Honestly, “you took a dog to a cafe, I don’t like it, so I’ll say you’re not a nice person and therefore has no friends”

Weakened their argument significantly I’d say!

Oh god, you’d also be on the local FB page! 😆

No vitriol for leaving them sleeping in the car after a walk. Provided theres a crack in the window and not for hours. It was,and still is for many, very very normal. Growing up in the very town you mention, it was the norm. Cafes never allowed dogs inside. They were just as busy then as they are now.

Just 450 out of the UK population! 🤣🤣🤣

Maybe it’s not the issue it’s deemed to be on MN!

Are they getting walked or dragged? It doesn't sound that enjoyable.

A) what do you think? Seriously?
B) what doesn’t sound enjoyable? Biking?

They’re not on a lead. They’re sighthounds. They run, they sniff, the bounce and have a jolly good time