Dogs everywhere

I couldn’t agree more. On the train from Durham to London recently, a woman let her quite large (something)-doodle sit upright in the seat next to her. The young man who had been sitting there (he’d been to the loo) threw his hands up in the air and walked off. Luckily the train wasn’t full. The dog then proceeded to stare at my sandwich as if to beg. I was really irritated and hoped the guard might do something about it, but no such luck …

I like dogs, but not badly trained or over indulged ones.

The local town where I do most of my shopping is a dog friendly zone, and generally the dogs are well-behaved, but not so the owners. The pavements are narrow, some owners bring two or three dogs together, meet friends with a similar number and stop to chat, completely blocking the pavement, dangerous because the one way system means there is always traffic in the equally narrow roads and no space to squeeze past.
There is a resident who has up to five dogs at a time, of the small yapping variety, the sort who jump up at or on you, skitter round endlessly and yap the minute anyone moves. Harmless, but irritating, particularly when in the pub or cafe.

On New Year's Eve she was heard bawling abuse out of her bedroom window about the five minute firework display in a neighbouring garden at midnight. A response on Facebook referred to the dogs' incessant yapping which was tolerated by all, to which she has taken great exception; she is now trying to get fireworks banned entirely.

I know a woman who has several rescues from Eastern Europe. It has taken her years to train them to stop barking with separation anxiety. And, they smell!

I love dogs and I used to have three or four of them . I've had many different breeds and rescue dogs
They co - existed with my cats and slept in the basket together.

Now I can't go into a cafe without people bringing their doggie doodles with them.
And I hate it when they feed them at the table or put their plates on the floor.

I met one of my friends last week .
Her dog has become her baby - talked to constantly and fed unsuitable tidbits all the time from her plate and I felt embarrassed when she put her plate on the floor of the cafe for her dog to lick.
The cafe owner looked appalled.

The dog does exactly what she likes .
Their house is full of dog toys and the huge reception area has a carpet ,which is saturated in urine .
She rushes across roads to greet other dogs and refuses to return .
Last month,she was hit by a car and luckily escaped with minor injuries and her owner with a huge bill .

I've tried to suggest ways of training her .
She doesn't want to take her to classes or consult an expert -I think due to the cost .

My friend does what she always does when she doesn't want to listen to me - her eyes glaze over and she doesn't answer.

Unless things change ,it's just a matter of time before her dog is killed by one of the many speeding vehicles ,who use our road as a shortcut .

ROMILO

I am a dog lover but I don't think dogs should be allowed everywhere. For most of our long married life we have always had a dog, sometimes two who were much loved members of the family.
During all that time I have never taken my dog into a restaurant or a shop. Occasionally on a holiday walk we would sit outside a pub for a drink. I have never dressed it up like a baby or a pantomime character. Dogs deserve a bit of dignity!
However given a choice between a well behaved dog on a lead and the feral, unsupervised and noisy children that seem to be everywhere these days I know which I would choose.

We eat out quite often as well as staying in hotels very rarely have I seen a dog apart from one hotel in York and the owners dog in a hotel we use in Jersey.
A few of the local pubs allow dogs but only in the bar not the restaurant.
I have no problem with dogs usually the problem is at the other end of the lead.

Yes, I'm childless by choice.

Yes, I love dogs.

No, I don't like or want kids.

Give me a shop full of doggies any day, most of which are well behaved, to a bunch of screaming, obnoxious Feral Berys and Barmy Berties getting in the way and running around!

And when I'm in the public toilet, a lot of Berys, when they go to the loo in various businesses, don't bother flushing, or washing their hands, and some absolutely wreck the loo by unravelling all the loo roll and dumping it on the floor, on the seats, in the loo, on shelves etc. I've never seen dogs doing that!

I stay in hotels often and have never had an issue with dogs.

However I do think dogs have become an industry and big business as well as an emotional prop, an exercise tool and an status symbol.

I recently joined a walking group but have found there are always dogs and I feel unable to ask for dog- free walks as people just assume you'll be ok with it and if you aren't then you must be a horrible person.

And people preferring dogs to people? I just don't understand that one at all...

And people preferring dogs to people? I just don't understand that one at all...
I admit, that's me. I'd choose dogs over people any day of the week. Dogs give unconditional love and ask for so little in return. They never let you down, unlike humans.
Ours have always been well trained and no bother to anyone. We only ever take our dog into a cafe/restaurant/pub if we are out and about in our motorhome, and we always make sure the establishment in question is dog friendly beforehand. He sits quietly beside us and bothers no-one - we've often been complimented on how well behaved he is.

Where are all these feral children people seem to see? We go to pubs and restaurants a lot and rarely encounter them. Comparing dogs to children is ridiculous.

I love dogs but we choose not to have one now. I always say hello to the dogs I meet but refrain from touching or stroking. Sometimes the owners speak as well some don't. My friend tells me that when she is walking her dog its her 'quiet' time and she doesn't want to speak to anyone. (BTW I speak to cows, sheep and horses too).I told her a smile costs nothing. I really don't like them being allowed in restaurants and I must say our local Wetherspoons is not too busy on the time we go. Its nice not to have dogs barking, sniffing and being fed from the table - which makes me gag. The annoying things here is the the front gardens are open plan and the owners think its Ok to let the dogs wee on the ornamental bushes and trees which die after a time. she bang on our window and shout - they have got to know us now.

Kate1949 try living in a tourist area. I have had several meals out some special occasions ruined by children running around, shouting ,impeding waiting staff whilst parents sit oblivious drinking their wine. They are on holiday and it's not their local.

Well that's out of order obviously.

Dogs should be treated as dogs. We were sitting outside a cafe on holiday once and a couple had two dogs. The woman went to the loo and the dogs were wimpering and agitated. The man said 'It's ok. Mummy won't be long'.

i am very uneasy with the ides of preferring dogs to children on the basis that dogs give them unconditional love. To me it shows a lack of self respect. It suggests someone feels inadequate and unable to deal with real people with faults and foibles just like them and wants to retreat to a world where they only have to talk to people who agree with them.

Sounds very dull.

Kate1949

Where are all these feral children people seem to see? We go to pubs and restaurants a lot and rarely encounter them. Comparing dogs to children is ridiculous.

I was just about to ask the same question, Kate1949. Fortunately in all my years, some of them living in tourist areas, I’ve never come across these hordes of screaming, obnoxious, feral kids. Perhaps I’ve just been very, very lucky.

I have encountered screaming babies though, which one poster complained about. Invariably with a very harassed parent desperately trying to calm them. We’ve all been there, haven’t we? If not as the parent, certainly as the baby.

M0nica

i am very uneasy with the ides of preferring dogs to children on the basis that dogs give them unconditional love. To me it shows a lack of self respect. It suggests someone feels inadequate and unable to deal with real people with faults and foibles just like them and wants to retreat to a world where they only have to talk to people who agree with them.

Sounds very dull.

Oh, I laughed so much at this - so far from the truth that I can't even begin to explain it. I've spent my entire working life dealing with 'real people' from all walks of life and have absolutely no problem with that - I love a good debate with those who have different views or perspectives. Children do tend to bore me rigid, however.
But again, when push comes to shove, I would choose my dog over almost any other human on the planet. And threads like this only serve to reinforce that view.

Me too. Can't bear it. It should be possible to go into a shop/restaurant/cafe without having to run the gauntlet of assorted dogs of varying temperament and size.

They should simply not be permitted in eating places or food stores.

Some of my friends have dogs and they never allow them to be a nuisance to me or to others. This is because they are civilized people with good manners who understand that a dog is a dog and not a human being.

Far too many dogs since covid. I can no longer enjoy my walk due to them everywhere.

I agree Monica. Uneasy. Someone said to me recently 'I think cruelty to animals is worse than cruelty to children. Children and fight back or tell someone.' I was gobsmacked. Tell that to all the children who are beaten, abused or murdered each year. Perhaps they should have told someone. Unbelievable. Cruelty to any living creature is unacceptable but really?

I don’t love or hate dogs. There are some lovely ones and some horrible vicious ones (just like people) but they are animals and should be treated as such, as much for their own sakes as for ours.
If people want to take their dogs on holiday they should book self catering, dog friendly, accommodation not hotels- I don’t want to sleep in a bed that a dog might have laid on.

Yes dogs have always been allowed in bars which is fine by me but they definitely should not be allowed in restaurants or shops. As another poster said the only places dogs should go are open spaces and their own homes.
And what about people carrying little dogs everywhere. The poor things will lose the use of their legs! A dogs whole world revolves around sniffing out where other dogs have been and they can’t do that if they are being carried everywhere!

Having said all that I think dogs can be wonderful animals if properly trained and treated like dogs. I sponsor a guide dog for my DGD and I think that they and other working dogs are wonderful and a great benefit to mankind.

As for unruly children, like dogs it is the minority who give the rest a bad name. My DD and now my DGD were never allowed to run about in restaurants. We always take a puzzle book or similar and she is happy to sit quietly while waiting for her food to arrive as I’m sure that many other parents/grandparents do.

If people want to take their dogs on holiday they should book self catering, dog friendly, accommodation not hotels
We always do this if we can. We pay an additional cleaning charge per pet and I have to say the properties are spotless. Only one by a river had a bit of a wet dog smell.
My dogs travel by ferry for 7- 8 hours so we often have to stay in a hotel near the port too. The dogs accompany us to a restaurant or bar on those occasions.

Cossy

Ooops Groomers! Please please can we have an edit button

If you use the ‘preview message’ you can amend things before posting.

I actively prefer pubs that allow dogs, and have never experienced any problem. I don’t understand how people so often seem to have dogs jumping up at them. I walk most days in a huge park that’s very popular with dog walkers, and except for the ‘deer birthing season’, as they like to call it, many will be off the lead. During more years than I care to remember, I have hardly ever had a dog jump up at me.

Do you all keep sausages in your pockets, or what?

Cossy

Sarnia

Blame Boris. Get a dog, he said. And here we are.

I happen to like dogs but can see the OP's point that they are everywhere. Boisterous dogs are as irritating as boisterous children in places like cafes and restaurants but often those in charge seem oblivious to their bad behaviour.

I agree 100%

Sadly, thanks Boris, so many “covid” dogs ended up in rescue refuges or otherwise rid off!

Looking at the trends, the dog population has been growing steadily since 2011 when it was 8.2 million dogs, to 10.6 million in 2024, although 2024 is not statistically significantly different from 2023.

The proportion of UK adults owning a dog has also increased over time from 23% in 2011 to 28% in 2024. This proportion did not change between 2019 and 2021 (26%) but increased to 27% in 2022 and again to 29% in 2023. The 2024 figure is not statistically significantly different from either 2023 or 2022.

I see no reference here to Boris. 2011 was when the figures started rising.