Dogs in restaurants - I am done!

[Doseofreality]

The hill that I will die on. Dogs should not be allowed in eating establishments.

Just had another lunch spoilt as a family came in with 3, yes 3, large dogs and sat down at the table beside us. It’s gross, unhygienic and anti social. If I wanted to eat surrounded by animals I’d grab a takeaway and go and sit in a vet’s waiting room.

Close to £100 wasted on a lunch where I had a dog licking it’s bumhole in my line of vision.

Life is tough, get a helmet

Nasty.

That’s the thing. Although I’m in the no dog camp, it’s because it’s out of hand. The odd well behaved dog actually wouldn’t bother me. It’s the fact there’s so many now it’s just too much. They take up a lot of floor space, trip people up and slobber and come up to me. I hate it. If it’s 1-2 I could stay away.

so I do think it’s a shame they all get tarred with the same brush.

Nor me. Nor, thankfully, have I experienced many dog-haters in real life. We have always had multiple dogs, and we've always had one at any time that was pub friendly. Hand on heart, pubs are much more social when you have a dog with you. People ask if their kids can stroke it, stroke it themselves, ask if it likes crisps, and strike up conversations with you about it. I do the same with other people out with dogs when we're not. I really don't recognise the world many of these posters are living in. 😉

Don't be so silly. It's perfectly fine.

I have a latex allergy but don’t expect people to stop using balloons because of me. Use antihistamines - their effectiveness doesn’t reduce so you can take what you need to live in a world that includes dogs.

I agree with you. Food places should be dog-free indoors. I like animals, but not big smelly dogs next to me when I'm eating, it makes the experience less pleasant. Experienced it last week, huge smelly dog sat next to us just as our food arrived.
I would always choose a dog-free place but you can't always tell before going into a place if it's dog-free or not. I guess if the dog owners spend more money they will be prioritised. More reasons to eat at home.

well in that case they have paid via the dog food. Most places I go and see dogs they don’t buy the dog anything.

maybe you’re in a place designed for dogs better. Unfortunately where I live the space is not designed for dogs and they take up a lot of floor space. I’ve tripped over them, stood on tails and generally been quite crowded. This is because there have been so many. There’s a few places I avoid now.

Ah well, there you go then. Being surrounded by animals is absolutely fine and dandy.

Local wine bar does a dog charcuterie board

Spare a moment for the people allergic to dogs, are we only supposed to eat at non dog friendly establishments, are we not allowed a choice now, just in case Brian wants to bring his Labrador out for tea?
why are dogs taking over?

im with you OP.

The way I see it, you have two options

1. go somewhere dogs aren’t allowed
2. lighten up

some dog owners don’t care about allergies though. They think an antihistamine will fix it 🙄

I just dont see what a dog would get out of sitting in a cafe/pub under the table, wouldn't it be just as happy curled up on the sofa at home?

It’s time to ban dogs from indoor public places. Absolutely grim.

Around 7% of adults in the UK have a dog allergy. Are you seriously asking that privately owned, for-profit businesses cut their profit margins to cater to 7% of the population?

That's what this is about at the end of the day, businesses wouldn't allow dogs if they didn't make money from them/their owners. No one has any right to demand they be catered to to the detriment of the business owner. We've lost enough small businesses without adding more to the list so that 7% of the population can have a bigger choice of pubs.

Some dogs just want to be with you. Of course I leave mine at home when going to places unsuitable for her. But I know for a fact that if she could be with me 24/7 she would be. She sometimes refuses to come in from the garden when I go out as she knows 9/10 times i will just let her come with me, even if she has to stay in the car. They just want to be with you(mine is hand-reared, never known a dog Mum, which probably makes the bond stronger).

We’ve got kids and tend to go to lower price chain restaurants, this summer we’ve been to the following and seen no dogs (can’t comment on whether they’re allowed, but definitely weren’t any in there):

• Pizza Express
• Yo!
• Bill’s
• Zizzi
• Giraffe

I think pubs and cafes are a bit different, but I can’t remember the last time I saw a dog in a restaurant (I would notice as both me and my kids love dogs)

Why stop there then? Dogs in hairdressers, dogs in private hospitals, dogs in bowling alleys, dogs in supermarkets, dogs concert venues, dogs in work places.

7% is a huge number of people.
there are also an awful lot of people who are uncomfortable around dogs or even have dog phobia.
people with autism or other sensory difficulties.

That’s helpful. Thanks

Dogs are allowed in many of those places. Therapy dogs visit hospitals, hairdressers, supermarkets, venues, workplaces, etc are free to make their own rules. I've been to several salons that have a dog.

My dog often calls into the local shop with me on the way home from the park to get milk. If that shop didn't allow dogs, it would lose business; it is right by a popular dog-walking spot, so many people do what I do and grab the milk/loo roll/bread while they're out instead of going back home, dropping the dog off, and going back out to another shop.

Oh my God, I've found my people. Fuck the dog takeover. Disgusting smelly beasts.

I was on holiday in a country that doesn't allow dogs inside restaurants.
it's bliss.
at first I didn't realise why but made eating out do much nicer

Why do people take dogs to restaurants anyway? Do they think the dogs enjoy being there?

The trouble with telling people to only visit restaurants/cafes/pubs where dogs are not allowed is that in a lot of cases you are unaware until it's too late. We had already ordered our food when a dog and it's family was seated at the very next table. I have since been back to look for any signage saying dogs are welcome and there is none. It would be really helpful for establishments to advertise in their windows that they welcome dogs and then I could choose to eat elsewhere.