AIBU to expect a dog-free area in a restaurant?

[Diorling]

Hi,

I recently met up with my family for lunch at Bills at Clark’s Village in Somerset. It’s not an area I know, but looked to be good for a meet up. it was a lovely sunny warm day and folks were out enjoying their shopping. It was a great atmosphere.

It was pretty empty in Bills as we were early. The waiters were lovely and showed us to a table, and we were busy looking through the menu when I smelt a fairly unpleasant smell. I looked up, and a family were being sat at the next table. The smell was coming from their dog, which was being sat right next to me, rather than on the other side where there was an empty table. It wasn’t a dog that sat nicely on the floor and went to sleep either - it kept on trying to move towards me and the family.

Now I like dogs, grew up with them, and have had my own, but one of the children was attacked at the park by a random one once ( it ran up to him), and he is now terrified by dogs. The dog kept edging towards him, and he kept trying to shrink away along the long bench seat as far as he could. Not only that, but frankly the smell was appalling.

i spoke quietly to the waiter, explained the issue, and he moved us to another table in the opposite corner. It’s a large restaurant, so problem sorted. Except it wasn’t. Within 5 minutes they had shown another family to the table next to us - despite most of the spaces still being empty. They too had a dog, but this time it was lifted onto the seat (and later laps of the family). Again it was right next to us. Whilst I love dogs I don’t expect to have their nose by my elbow and frankly don’t think it’s very hygienic.

I complained to the restaurant but they explained they were dog friendly, and even had a dog menu (‘Bone Appetit’).

Now that’s fine - if I had known it. But as I pointed out, there were no signs anywhere to that effect, nothing on entering - and apparently no dog free area for those who prefer not to eat near dogs. Obviously we won’t go there again (a pity, as staff are lovely and the food was good - if you have dogs, and are round there, it’s a great place to go.)

But for the rest of us, I just don’t like dogs around when I eat out - and if they have to be there, then surely their place is sleeping quietly on the floor?

AIBU?

I saw a dog, which was definitely not an assistance dog, no signage on its harness (in fact no harness, just normal collar and lead), it was a small, whiskery Jack Russell type, and just as I was thinking, 'I didn't realise John Lewis allowed non-assistance dogs', it attempted to cock its leg on an item of mens clothing, which was on a rail and fairly near the floor (as I said, small dog). I stood open mouthed as the woman just dragged it off, no idea if droplets of pee went on the clothing, I wasn't close enough to see, but what the fact it tried to cock its leg is reason enough that it shouldn't be in a shop at all! An assistance dog would never do something like that, and that is why ordinary dogs just shouldn't be taken shopping. I should add, I love dogs, but I really wish the tide would turn on this dogs going everywhere vibe, selfish owners can't be trusted and there are far too many of them.

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we don’t have a dog, I like them but we wouldn’t have our own but I’d hate to be in a restaurant with one especially right near me! It’s not necessary to take your dog with you when you go out for a meal!

@Diorling YANBU. Dog friendly is one thing but they also need to be people friendly. And not all people want to eat their food next to a stinky or dribbly dog!

Ironically, we once went to a dog friendly pub for a meal. Turns out dogs were only allowed in the bar area (fair enough) but under 18s were NOT allowed in the bar area! So I ended up in the restaurant with the 3 kids and DH sat with dogs in the bar!

If a dog-free restaurant or dog-free area is important to you then it's incumbent on you to check beforehand rather than assume. Tut and disapprove all you want about how society has declined so much that dogs are welcome at more places - that's just "old man yells at cloud" energy. Cafes and restaurants will simply do what's most profitable for them. Too bad other people's personal preferences outweigh yours - get over it. If you don't like that, may I suggest blaming capitalism?

(I have no dog - literally - in this fight as I'm not a dog owner. I do enjoy seeing and meeting dogs in cafes though - the vast majority I've encountered are well-behaved and do not smell, so I take all these hysterical reports of slobbery, stinky beasts rampaging and jumping around with a huge pinch of salt.)

I live in Somerset and dogs are very much part of our country life. Honestly, we prefer dogs to moaning tourists so maybe just stay home next time. Clark’s village has water outside many of the shops and dogs a very much welcome. I bloody love living in this community.

Bills are well known to be dog friendly, one f the first that welcome dogs. If it is such an issue for you, it becomes your responsibility to avoid a well known dog friendly restaurant.

Recommending Wetherspoons as an alternative is hilarious, the one in our town centre is full of pissheads and crackheads. I'd rather take my chances with Rover!

Ugh I hate this trend of taking dogs into restaurants. Apart from genuine assistance dogs they should be banned completely imo. Horrible smelly slobbery yappy annoying things.

Gosh yes I agree. Horrible, smelly, slobbering, yappy, annoying things. And the shrieking and screaming, one can't concentrate on their lunch.

Oh no wait, that's children. Yeah, there should be a child free section or they should be banned completely.

Even with a cut disease is unlikely unless the dog is also diseased. You'd have to be pretty crammed in to have a dog close enough to lick you without you having the ability to move your hand surely? I can't think of a circumstance in which this can happen unless the dog is offlead (which isn't allowed anywhere) or sitting right next to you as in practically at your table.

😆
We are much more at risk of disease if we lick another human's bum, but someone who's recently licked someone's bum (or their own, if they're a particularly impressive contortionist) I wouldn't imagine is much of a risk to us either unless we ask them for a snog. However despite being a scientist I am not aware of any studies on that particular subject. Feel free to enlighten me!

I met family for dinner in a pub half way between the towns where we live. I had been recommended the pub by a friend who had 2 dogs.
When we got there, there were one or 2 dogs- not unusual for a fairly rural pub, and not an issue. However by the time our food came there were probably 6 dogs there and some of them going bananas when the other dog/s moved or did sonething. It was so noisy we could barely hear ourselves think, let alone have a conversation. We havent gone in again

The reason humans need to wipe after going to the loo is we're bipeds with pronounced buttocks. Unless a dog is ill, they do not get poo stuck anywhere, as they don't have buttocks like ours. We would, if we did not wipe.

Hair, again, is not a disease risk unless it is trapping allergens or microbes on a diseased dog. Some people find it annoying, unsightly, it can stick to clothes, sure but it does not pose a risk if someone is not allergic or has a specific condition. The majority of pet dogs are not diseased, and far fewer are diseased with a zoonotic. Again, saliva is not a disease risk.

We are at far more risk of catching something from our own kind.

Because dog friendliness has become so popular, I do think the onus is on the customers to check and see if a place is suitable for them. It's daft to just assume that places will be pet free and then feel put out/grossed out etc.

Slightly different is you have an allergy but then it's even more important that you prioritise your own health and check in advance, much like this who are coeliacs or similar.

Your post gives me hope, we may have reached peak dog?

You must have particularly impressive flexibility.

That’s a fair comment - but I didn’t know that then, didn’t know the area, and it’s certainly not evident at my local Bills, which I’ve been to many times. All I needed was that information from staff, plus the information as to where the dog free area was ( if there was one). Is that too much to ask?

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The staff were told when dog 1 arrived that one of the children was scared of dogs. They did not at that point tell us it was a dog friendly restaurant/ cafe. The staff moved us to another table - of their choice, not ours - and THEN put dog 2 next to us.

My question is about is it unreasonable that there is apparently not a dog free area? Certainly we were not told about a dog free area.

I like dogs myself - but again think that they shouldn’t be on the seats where adults sit, especially in a place where food is served.

This is absolutely right.

Dog friendly Bill's at dog friendly Clarks Village in the middle of Dog friendly town Street in dog friendly Somerset farming country is a funny choice for someone who doesn't like dogs.

Someone up thread suggested special towns for dog lovers. I would say that Street would probably already be one of those places.

Clarks Village is always full of dogs.
Dog free alternatives nearby are The Mall near Bristol and the shopping precincts in nearby Taunton.

We were having our yearly family Christmas meal in a restaurant and the nearby dog on the next table was farting by our table. It stinks.

Why is society suddenly prioritising dogs?

'Spoons are far from much of a muchness IME. The one in my nearest town is pretty much as you describe but some of them are perfectly fine. And it isn't always reflective of the town! The one in Bath, as an example, is ghastly IMO. And the service and food were both crap when we were there. My next nearest one is in a very impoverished place and is lovely inside and I've never seen any nefarious activity or anyone who appears to be inebriated or down and out.

Yes the rules at Bill’s say that dogs must stay on a lead, on the floor not on chairs, and must stay close to the owner. But often this isn’t enforced.

Yes and somewhere like Bills is easily big enough to accommodate it.

Another issue is that waiting staff so often try to cram people in next to each other. If the restaurant is busy then you may have no choice, but while it's emptier, let people have space.

On another note, I don't understand why in restaurants they cram everyone together?

The Lantokay in Street High Street is Wetherspoons - dog free.

It's really odd. Although I don't think it's that sudden.

There was a thread about inappropriate books (for children, ie older ones which might be eg racist) and Enid Blyton came up. She was very judgmental of people who didn't like dogs - if you disliked them or were scared of them in her books you were always a baddie (or just pathetic).