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.

It's a crutch for the otherwise socially inept.

That's my experience with my dog too...😍

And mine, she’s been described as the prettiest girl in the playground, because she is! ❤️

A post popped up on my Facebook feed yesterday. A local radio show discussing dogs in cafes. People’s opinions etc. I stupidly decided to scroll through the comments and most of them were from dog owners saying there aren’t enough dog friendly cafes and piling aggressively en masse onto anyone raising an objection. It’s like a cult. Loads of photos shamelessly posted of dogs up on the seats drinking those stupid dog drinks. Dogs sprawled across sofas. Dogs on their hind legs with their paws on the table. One person mentioned that they got dog hair in their drink and was told it would add a bit of flavour. Just stop it.

Hope your granddaughter is ok.

The vast majority of us would prefer a dog free space.

If this was the case then dogs wouldn't be allowed in. Allowing dogs in was a business decision.

I do think owners should be responsible though. If the dog is uncomfortable in a cafe then don't take them

Its always deemed as irresponsible to take them, but often we take ours because we are being responsible. We aren't leaving them tied up outside, in cars or in places they aren't allowed. There's often a nostalgia for the good old days in these threads but as an 80s kid I had far more bad dog experiences with random dogs outside shops, left in gardens or even free roaming then exist now.

I dont have anything against shops or cafes that dont let them in, but if i walk past with my dogs then i will continue walking to somewhere that does. The likelyhood of anyone leaving to take their dogs home and coming back again is slim if you are reliant on passing trade

I think something like 50% of holiday lets are booked with dogs in the uk, and a massive chunk of them won't be allowed to leave their dogs in the accommodation, combined with all those camping, caravaning and in hotels. You have a big chunk of UK holiday makers who simply aren't able to leave their dogs for a meal out, so if you want that custom then you need to accept dogs

From a pub owners point of view in anywhere touristy you have to be mindful that a big portion will come irrespective of dogs, a portion won't come if you do allow dogs and a portion will come if you do, and in many areas the portion that is bigger is dog owners.

The reality is that dog walkers, and people with dogs make up a huge amount of passing trade and footfall in many areas, and are usually more reliable customers throughout the year if you aren't city center because they are out in the rain, winter etc.

I love seeing dogs, I don't love seeing them bite a child or anyone else. If the dog carnt be trusted it shouldn't be in a cafe or anywhere near people.

Another seriously disgusting dog owner flaw is the inability to pick up the dog mess. Disgusting.
I am considering turning into a nutcase and printing off large colourful posters to hang around the area, with an aggressive message, it’s a handful of people who don’t clean up but it boils my blood.
If anyone notices these posters you’ll know that I have lost the plot.

It's not just aggression. We went to a cafe on Friday and just inside the entrance there were 2 dogs sprawled over the floor, blocking the way in. Not the dogs' fault, just dickhead owners. I'd prefer them to be banned.

The vast majority WOULDN’T prefer dog free spaces.
I think the issue here is some people taking out dogs that are arseholes.

People can never smell their own dogs.

Why not be a decent owner and train your dog properly to be left alone?

Owners like you give me hope.

No because she didn't. I have a very good sense of smell and, yes, some of my friends' dogs smell but some (quite a lot) don't.

Ever think you are pathetic?

That's because a lot of them don't smell but pathetic dog haters like you will not admit that or don't have the brains to realise it

I am a decent dog owner which is why I take him out EVERY SINGLE DAY. He can be left alone but prefers to be with us and we like having him with us.

If we want to go out for the day then, obviously, we take him with us. Maybe we should be like our neighbour and leave him for anything from 6 to 24 hours alone?

Well there was a fucking HORSE in our local Sainsbury’s yesterday.
Not a ‘quick pop in must buy bread or my kids will die’ either - woman had a TROLLY.
i like dogs but I don’t want to see them everywhere.
i also like horses but in a supermarket?? Really?? I don’t care if it is your ‘emotional support animal’.

Oh so selfish to take our dog out to new places and not leave him home alone as our neighbour does for hours and hours. Which one of us is the better dog owner?

No reason dogs should not be in cafes and if cafe owners thought that they would not be allowed would they?

Some really dumb comments on here

Just out of interest, are you one of those owners that lets your dog bound up to people and say, ‘oh he’s just being friendly?’

The thing is, there have always been dogs in this country. Not everybody loves dogs but owners largely looked after their dogs properly and people who didn’t like dogs just went on their own business.

There has been a huge change both in the number of dogs and the attitude of the owners. That’s why people are getting fed up.

Many dog owners do not control their dogs and feel the need to take them out to cafés and shops all the time. I feel sorry for the good dog owners as they are getting tarred by the same brush, as some of the entitled and antisocial types we can see posting on here. It is a change in attitude for the worse.

I answered this above. But in case this is a genuine question.

My dogs can be left, and are left most week days. 90% of the time im not going out to cafes with my dog to go to the cafe or restaurant. Im going out on a walk, or on a day out with them then stopping at somewhere im passing by.

The times when I take them to avoid leaving them are:

• holidays/not at home. Most holiday lets, hotels etc don't allow you to leave dogs. We also camp frequently where you can't

• they have already been left too long, this is rare but if im going out after the dogs have already been left for work, or a day out. Recently for example I was out with the kids all day, there was a power cut so we scooped the dog up and when out for a meander and dinner

• Big trip where I can't get dog care. I meet a friend that lives hours away, we meet half way for a stroll and dinner. The time we are gone is too long to leave them and I prefer to leave dog care for when there is no alternative

Not what I’m seeing- at all!

Rarely do I see a badly behaved dog and like the coffee shop owner, never in a cafe/ restaurant.

Aah this thread is making me laugh now. All those clutched pearls at having to tolerate filthy doggy beasts.

it’s not up to you! The dog owners are supporting the businesses and keeping them
afloat with their patronage. Otherwise dogs would be banned.

I suggest the precious offended on this thread commit to a 365 day per year walking around their localities and supporting those businesses day in day out. If they did that perhaps the business owners would pay attention to their whining.

Why not complain to the cafe owner whose policy it is to allow dogs then, rather than calling people selfish who have done nothing wrong?

Because the cafe owners know who their reliable customers are @KimberleyClark, hence the trend is towards allowing dogs rather than banning them