to think it’s time to ban dogs from shops and cafes?

[timetoban]

I’ve just read a BBC article about the increase in dog attacks in the UK.

Dogs seem to be everywhere now. Cafes, shops, even places where food is being served. I’m not anti-dog at all, but I don’t really want to be eating or shopping surrounded by them.

It’s not just about preference either. Some people are allergic, some are genuinely scared, and others just don’t want to deal with barking, smells or dogs getting under their feet. The BBC piece even mentioned people feeling like they have to avoid going out because dogs are everywhere now.

I also don’t really get how it’s hygienic in places serving food. I know people say “well-behaved dogs are fine” but not all dogs are well-behaved, and staff aren’t exactly going to challenge every owner.

Before anyone says it, yes obviously assistance dogs are different and should be allowed. That’s not what I mean.

I just feel like we’ve swung too far the other way where dog owners expect to take them absolutely everywhere, and everyone else just has to put up with it.

Surely it’s not unreasonable to have more dog-free indoor spaces again?

I quite agree about Wetherspoons. I find it hilarious that they don't even allow dogs in the garden. The few times I have been to a Wetherspoons the food was shit. They certainly don't attract a good class of customer

Sometimes my dog and I get bored of the same walks from our front door.

We drive to different places to do do country walks at the weekends (I have a lovely book of walks and an OS map app subscription.) Many dog owners do the same.

It goes like this:
Drive 30-40 min ->
Walkies 60-90min ->
nice café nearby for brunch and fancy coffee ->
drive 30-40 min home again.

In the Winter, the walkies and café are reversed in order for obvious muddy reasons. Once I am soaked through I just want to go home.

My point is I'm not driving all the way home 40 mins, then all the way back out again without the dog to go to that café, then all the way home again.

I would just skip the café entirely.

I'm off now for a brisk walk and guarantee the sensible dog owners I see out will not be crammed indoors later with their poor pooch getting stood on in a Costa or similar. Likewise the coffee shop goers never seem to be out walking!

This guarantee depends entirely on whether you have the full agenda for dog and owner's day. Unless you're omnipresent isn't the case.

@PottingBench your town sounds idyllic! Beach, hills, moor nearby and then lots of lovely pups to say hello to in the cafes 🤣. I’m very jealous…

Doesn’t it! I live rurally so we can walk for miles without seeing another soul - that’s before the coffee or beer stop, obviously! What I wouldn’t give for a beach though.

If all people were reasonable with their dogs everywhere, I wouldnt mind /I m ano a dog person/. But the amout of times random dogs get close to me and drool on my clothes or my stuff .... not pleasant.

Thanks @Tutorpuzzle . It's definitely not perfect, but it's a good healthy balance that I appreciate every single day. It's dog heaven really.

Interestingly there has been debate for a decade about the summer beach dog ban. Last year the council opened part of the beach to dogs all year and now everyone has a choice which is fantastic for attracting tourists.. Dogs now have the less pretty part of the beach so so families get to enjoy the lovely bit and of course the dogs get to bound about to their heart's content not caring what it looks like.

These threads fail to acknowledge that there is a choice of dog friendly/dog free but in the real world but there really is.

I get the impression some people are unable to leave their dogs at home for any length of time. If they've been properly exercised, then why not?
Because luckily for dog owners lots of shops and cafes allow dogs so it's possible to take them with you.

This is my point, though. Is it lucky for the dogs? Of course the owners love it! Is cafe/shop-going a substitute for a proper walk?

What an awful way fo talk about another poster!

It's all open to opinion isn't it. I think taking dogs into crowded indoor areas is cruel when other users think they're a nuisance and don't want them there but here we are.

This baffles me.
Never, in all my very dog focused life, has someone else's dog's drool got on my clothes. Not once in sixties years. My parents had dogs, my brother has four, all my friends have dogs and I live in Dog Central. No drool.

People must go around having anointed themselves with sausages.

I avoid cafes where there are lots of dogs. The odd one, quietly under a table, doesn't bother me too much.

But there's a point of principle here. If you don't like dogs or have chosen not to have one in your home for hygiene or allergy reasons, it's frustrating when they are allowed in cafes or other places where people are eating. I really don't want to sit on a seat a dog has been on - and that's my choice, and I would have thought, a reasonable expectation in a place where food is served.

I have had dogs spoil my visit by yapping, scratching, having a big tail bashed against me while I'm seated, or dogs even allowed on to chairs by owners.

I like dogs (from a distance). I'm not a dog hater, but I don't like them in close proximity to food, especially when I'm paying for a 'treat' experience.

'Is cafe/shop-going a substitute for a proper walk?'

No it absolutely is not. The coffee shop goers will insist they do both. Their bored pooches would disagree .

I don’t think people do use going to a cafe as a substitute for walking the dog. From what I see (and certainly what I do) it’s an adjunct, a bonus at the end of a walk or mid walk. So a few days ago I drove an hour to a national park, walked the dog for 5 miles and we had a coffee and cake in a cafe in a village at the end. My dog can happily be left at home but I was hardly going to drive him home and then drive back to the cafe!

'I have had dogs spoil my visit by yapping, scratching, having a big tail bashed against me while I'm seated, or dogs even allowed on to chairs by owners'

Same! I love my dog but I really do not want someone else's sniffing me with the owner telling me they're friendly whilst I'm having a snack.

Have you read his posts?
A sample of their suggestions -
Dogs should be shut outside shops in cages.
Dogs should be shut in cars.
Dogs should be tied up outside shops.

Dogs banned in all public spaces.
Dogs should be tied up "Next to the ashtray so all the antisocial shit stays out of the indoor space."

He makes similar/the same comments on almost every other dog thread.

Do you think there is something wrong with someone who says these things repeatedly?

How do you know?

Go to dog free places then.

Go to dog free places then.

Challenge them politely then or report them if you think there's something untoward, don't just unpleasantly announce 'there's something wrong with them'.

I have challenged them throughout this and other threads.
They are only here to provoke, not engage and their views on dogs are cruel. .

100% agree @timetoban, not because of dog attacks but because it's unnecessary and the doggie community often don't respect the boundaries of others. I had coffee in my nearest departmenr store last week. There were two designer poo/doodle dogs, both were yapping at each other, neither owner removed one. It was unpleasant and I won't go there again.

Similarly the last time I went to Peter Jones's kitchen section, there were a couple of designerish yappers about. One wagged a glass off a shelf, broken glass, one lifted its leg and pee'd up a display. Neither owner was asked to leave. I won't go there again.

Why be polite to that particular poster,@Gloriia ? Their contributions spit with venom.
And I see we’re back to the bingo card! Yapping, bums on seats, scratching, slobbering…I remain intrigued as to where all these reprobate dogs are, and even if they do exist why don’t you go to dog free places??!!

Jesus, it’s not hard.

Well yes we have to but the point is we shouldn't have to.

Really it is common sense to walk a dog then leave it a home for a bit. Be responsible owners, think of what's best for your poor dog and crowded noisy places are not it.

Try and be considerate to others. Owners of cafes may allow dogs but others do not want them there. Why be that person that everyone without a dog thinks ffs when they're enjoying a coffee and cake and they see a dog at the next table?!

To be honest, this is not my experience at all. Within my friendship group we finally all got kids that are school age and were beginning to get our lives back.

Then a couple of my friends got dogs and it’s like being back to square one. They can go in the odd café or pub but other than that it’s pretty limited. I actually find it really boring that now the only thing we can ever do is go for a muddy cold walk in the park. I’ve been trying to book a weekend away with my best friend and trying to find a half decent cottage somewhere near London that accepts dogs is actually really difficult. particularly when you now need an enclosed garden area, somewhere to put the dog bed and good walks on the doorstep.

I love dogs but I hate how constrained they make your life. Seeing my friends go through this has made me realise I will never get a dog!

She’s ok with nasty comments if the person has similar opinions to her.