AIBU to want cafes to be dog free after grandchild was bitten?

[OhSoTrue]

What to do? Took my 12 year old gc into a cafe for lunch today, and a dog
snapped her ankle as we walked by. It drew blood. No idea why it picked on her.
She did nothing beyond walking in the door.

The dog owner 'fled the scene' as it were. Made a hasty exit while he had the chance and everyone was looking at the injury.

Wouldn't it just be better if we kept dogs out of what really should be an exclusively human area?

The argument that "they are allowed here so suck it up" is wearing thin.
We are all very fed up of your dogs in human spaces. The vast majority of us would prefer a dog free space.

😁😁

You must not be able to go into many cafes in the UK then as like 99% are dog friendly! I do feel for people who dislike dogs, but I love them so personally really enjoy seeing them places!

Agree OP. SOME dog owners are a bit batty over their pets, so although they have an opinion, I’d say it’s peppered by their battiness, so would discount it. Huge pile on in 3,2,1……..

I still shudder at the memory of taking our 1 year old grandchild out in her buggy, a huge dog came up and started to lick her. Its owner was very angry when I used my foot to forcibly remove it, 'He's only being friendly!' was the idiot's response and I had no right to hurt him. Grandchild is now 20 and is still very wary of dogs.

That's incorrect. I, and many of us, do love most dogs. We don't see them as a major fucking nuisance. I wish people on here would engage their brains and stop speaking on behalf of everyone.

We take our dogs in cafes because we're already out on a walk and we don't want to walk home and then go out again just to go to a cafe. Plus dog would be very sad about that. Same with shops, but most people wouldn't tie up their dog.

Definitely not! We love taking our dog with us, he's part of the family.

At 12 I'd have thought she was old enough not to walk past a dog she doesn't know so closely. Definitely a lesson learned but something she should have been taught as soon as she was walking.

She was in a restaurant/cafe. Just how much distance do you think she could have given? This is another reason dogs should be outside.

I dont like dogs in cafés and restaurants or public places inside. I am allergic to them and they cause me breathing difficulties plus many smell. Its bit hygienic plus the occasional dog will bite. Outwith guide dogs they should not be allowed into cafes etc unless the place has a special license to ensure hygiene.

She may not have had a choice if the cafe was small. The dog owner should not have a dog that bites in public place.

I do actually feel the same about children and we have adult only restaurants in our area which we love to attend, I still don’t agree with dogs being in restaurants though.

I think dog owners are so accustomed to the smell of dog that it doesn’t matter how clean your dog is, it still stinks and they can’t smell it at all.

Unless you have a tiny little thing that weighs about a pound, you can always tell when a house has a dog living there. I smile and tell my friends of course you can’t smell it if they ask because really there’s nothing they can do about it, but yes I can smell your dog.

Oh god, that sounds like my idea of hell! There are least a few dog free places here, although I stopped going into poundstretcher because people take random dogs in there and the staff won't do anything about it. Guide dogs are allowed, obviously, but they are well trained and gainfully employed. Most of the cafes and pubs let dogs in and some of the shops. We have a Whetherspoon's though. I love Spoons because they have a strict anti dog policy, which I've seen people whinge about!

We only eat in places that allow dogs. He lays quietly under the table and usually other people do not even know he is there. Once he gets up as we are leaving there are always people wanting to stroke him and talk to us about him. Yesterday we were trying to leave a restaurant and it took us about 10 minutes to make it out the door as so many people wanted to talk to us about him and stroke him.

We eat out with out dog at least 3 times a week, sometimes more. We go out for breakfast some days, lunch some days and sometimes in the evening. There are always dogs where we go and I have never ever heard a dog barking in any of the places, never seen a dog wandering around off lead, never seen a dog stealing food off a table, never seen a dog sitting on a seat. People either make these things up or imagine them.

The tide is definitely not turning unless it is that more places become dog friendly. Two eating places in my local town that did not allow dogs have now started to allow them.

Last year 3 new cafes opened, 2 dog friendly and 1 not. The 2 dog friendly ones were always crowded the non dog friendly one often empty or almost empty. They now allow dogs too

I feel very, very comfortable in saying that the vast majority of dramatic, over-egged MN stories about dogs leaping and jumping and biting and knocking children over are exaggerations, if not outright lies. I do not witness anything of that sort when I'm in public.

I agree. I very rarely see any of the behaviour described on here. I don't remember ever being in a public or cafe where a dog was constantly yapping or barking - if it happened I'd ask the staff to deal with it.

We have a dog and if he behaved badly in public (or at home) we would take steps to address this. We do take him to cafes and pubs and he sits/lies very calmly under the table. We do get lots of people asking to stroke him which he loves.

Many pubs are large enough that they have dog and non dog tables. Cafes are different and I don't take ours into a very small cafe even if it's dog friendly. If the weather is good enough we always sit outside.

Our local village shop doesn't allow dogs inside, so ours get tied up outside. I quite often come out of the shop to find him being petted by passers by. Why would people pet a strange dog? He loves it but they don't know that before they do it.

Where are you based?

I live rurally and all the pubs and cafes are all dog friendly. Simple truth is that it’s the doggy crowd who keep these places in business patronising them all year round and whatever the weather, rather than just a few months in the summer.

I like dogs, we often take my dad’s dog to the pub, but he’s well trained. We also only take him to the one pub, where he’s been going since he was a puppy. Wouldn’t take him anywhere there’s food like a cafe because he’s a big dog (Great Dane). Even though he’s good around kids, we wouldn’t take him where there’s kids because I 100% understand why parents would be anxious around him. They don’t know him and he’s a big dog. A lot of dog owners are really inconsiderate when in reality the needs of humans (even the ones who hate dogs) should be prioritised in social spaces. I’m not saying all pubs and cafes should be dog free, but some should be.

When I worked for Wetherspoons you wouldn’t believe the amount of arguments I got into with dog owners. “But he’s friendly!” “But the other pub (that’s not a Wetherspoons) let him in!” They cannot get their head around the fact it’s company policy. Tim Martian said no dogs, not the teenager on minimum wage you’re moaning at.

Op I’m sorry your granddaughter was bitten, what a horrible experience for her.
However we are not ‘all’ fed up with dogs in cafes etc. there is room to have dog friendly and dog free spaces - choice is the key.

There are almost as many dog free cafes as there are mumsnet threads about dogs in cafes.

I would have to agree with PPs saying it's hard to find any cafe these days which isn't dog friendly, so the argument that the solution is just to go and find one doesn't hold up. All my favourite places to eat have in the last few years allowed dogs in and made it unpleasant at times, to eat there. It has limited my choices as a person. One particular favourite restaurant of ours started allowing dogs in, to bring in more business about a year ago. I'm not sure why...it was always busy when we went there and required pre-booking a lot of the time. After one meal completely ruined by the presence of dogs that smelt bad, took up a lot of space and barked, I spoke to the lovely staff. Each and every one of them said they hated it, and had needed to clean up after certain dogs where the owners blithely carried on regardless or became aggressive themselves if pulled up on it ...one or two of the staff even admitted they were scared as well. I also feel sorry for dogs taken the shopping mall ...their paws slip-sliding on the hard marble floors, all the echoey noise etc. I'd suggest it's the owner's separation anxiety as well as the dog's which is a problem. I like animals but not around food. If the tide is genuinely turning and a few more non dog- friendly places re-appeared, I for one would be grateful.

Your Dog I’m sure is well trained, but I bet he never buys a round! I know my well trained dog never buys a round either!

Dogs should not be in cafes, especially if they’re not controlled. The owner knew she was in the wrong which is why she fled.

A few years ago crossing a busy intersection crossing at the middle I was near to a woman with a large bag, a tiny dog’s head suddenly popped out and snarled at me. Luckily no bite but it was a shock.

If the dog’s hidden under the table it’s not a problem, is it?

I hate the way dog owners seem to immediately think they can bring in their animals anywhere!!! Very few are well behaved. Can't understand the pandering to dogs and the way they can overwhelm and intrude on someone having a nice coffee.
Talk to the cafe owner as well which I did once over a dog barking loudly - I just said I would leave unless the dog was quietened. Maybe I was overheard but the dog did quieten down.

You seriously think the poster went to the trouble of posting this because they don’t like dogs?

It must have been a very smart dog if it could understand English !