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Are dogs becoming the new smoking?
(181 Posts)Do you remember back in the 1970,80s, smokers could go anywhere and smoke anywhere, in hospitals. Some wards even had moking areas. Offices, shops, it didn't matter what the situation the smoker smoked. Thank goodness that has ended now,
But I am now beginning to feel like that about dogs. There seems to be no public place that people cannot take their dog, no matter how much other people may not like it.
Today we went out to lunch. We went to our local branch of The Lounge group. The lounge was full and as we waited for a table to clear, three tables of people walked out, all accompanied by dogs, 5 in all. I then saw the waitress picking up dog drinking bowls and putting them on the dog drinking bowl rack. later I saw another serving staff member stroke a dog with her hands near its mouth.
Staff clearly had had no guidance on touching dogs and serving food. More to the point. Assistance dogs accepted, what are dogs doing in places where food and drink is being sold?
In the past I seem to remember that people did not take dogs in to restaurants and to do so was considered bad form but now it seems to be accepted that dogs can go anywhere regardless of hygiene or the possibility that other people really do not want dogs sniffing around when they are eating.
I am not anti-dog, but I am curious about the way dogs have taken over from smoking as being an activity whose practioners expect to do/take something everywhere regardless of hygiene, other people'ss preferences, or fears. Why are dogs allowed in restaurants?
33% of the UK are dog owners, so are happy with the situation
There are some posters on here who are dog owners, who disagree!
33% of the population probably don't give a shitzu
How can you possibly know what is in their minds!
Could be either way!
Funnily enough I was discussing this topic yesterday. In our local area a Valentines glo up is advertised for your fur baby.
A special groom, nail polish and so on.
Doggy Day Care, dog grooming, dog walkers, dog behaviourists seem to be thriving.
It perplexes me really.
PernillaVanilla
John Lewis allow dogs. I don’t take my dogs out shopping or to restaurants much but I am always happy to see other people’s. There is too much obsession about hygiene these days, as my grandma used to say “you’ve got to eat a peck of dirt before you die”.
Hear hear.
Personally I actively prefer pubs that allow dogs.
As for ‘hygiene’ and the obsession with it, it’s not so bad on GN but on MN it’s got to the stage where whenever I see the H word, I think ‘OCD clean freak…’.
No one is forced to come on this thread or comment on this thread if every now and then people want a new moan about it why not ?
Luckygirl it’s nothing to do with liking or not liking dogs
I like dogs and I respect them enough to treat them as a dog, not a four legged human being, who needs pampering and carrying and dressing and taken in food establishments.
If some people want to do that get a flipping doll
Keep your fur on! 🐕 (Jokily said.)
I said "crude" Maths!
Crude = rudimentary/rough hewn
Oops sorry, that was to fancythat's 2 comments.
fancythat
^33% of the UK are dog owners, so are happy with the situation^
There are some posters on here who are dog owners, who disagree!
There are certainly some dog owners who are heartily sick of dogs being demonised especially as their own dog (s) never get taken to pubs, shops (why would you?) or restaurants, who are walked on the lead and poo bags deposited in the appropriate bin,
However @ fancythat I suspect irony was intended.
Pixie me too with other people's dogs and children.
Small children in restaurants screaming or making themselves visible spoil it for everyone.
Perhaps there should be a 12 yr old and over rule for children and for dogs? 😅
I recall a restaurant, the George Hotel in Edinburgh, where my boys were each taken when they were 12 by a Godparent. You had to be over 12.
whitzend and Pernilla* * I have absolutely NO obsession with hygiene quite the reverse I ve lived this long eating eggs out of date, food that’s been standing over night, getting filthy on the allotment and swimming in a fouled up sea, but I do not want other people dogs around me in a restaurant a cafe or a shop.
MartavTaurus
RosiesMawagain
ROMILO
The trouble with this and similar previous threads is there are two very entrenched camps, those who think dogs are a smelly, unhygienic nuisance and those who think they are a loving and loyal family member.
Every now and then someone pops their head over the parapet to fire an arrow and start the war all over again.
Why? When does it start to get boring because it will never be resolved.Absolutely, my point upthread too.
( When does it start to get boring ?
3 pages ago)At least Harry and Meghan regularly bring NEW items to the table for people to chew over on GN. The dog threads are just rehashed discussions of the same growling comments, leading nowhere.
Some crude maths here .......
33% of the UK are dog owners, so are happy with the situation
33% of the population probably don't give a shitzu
33% are fiercely opposed
This, in my opinion, is the best quote of the thread, so far, Luckygirl,
There will always be those who like dogs and those who don't. Their needs seem to be irreconcilable.
But I do think that those with dogs should take on board the duty not to allow them to inconvenience or endanger others. Many do this of course.
You win the award and the biscuit!
Not a dog biscuit please .........
I can do you a shortbread biscuit Luckygirl, but there is a dog on the tin! Xx
BlueBelle
whitzend and Pernilla* * I have absolutely NO obsession with hygiene quite the reverse I ve lived this long eating eggs out of date, food that’s been standing over night, getting filthy on the allotment and swimming in a fouled up sea, but I do not want other people dogs around me in a restaurant a cafe or a shop.
Or licking off their owners' plates.
I would never have allowed our dogs to behave like that.
There will always be those who like dogs and those who don't. Their needs seem to be irreconcilable.
But I do think that those with dogs should take on board the duty not to allow them to inconvenience or endanger others. Many do this of course.
👏👏👏
Amen
MartavTaurus
I can do you a shortbread biscuit Luckygirl, but there is a dog on the tin! Xx
Yikes!!
Luckygirl3
MartavTaurus
I can do you a shortbread biscuit Luckygirl, but there is a dog on the tin! Xx
Yikes!!
I think you ought to decant them on to a china plate, MartavTaurus
What gets me is the church services for blessing of the animals. Nuts. Anglican Church of course.
Just one other aspect to consider is that dogs can cause accidents.
I was in a restaurant a few weeks ago. A dog was sitting by the owners' table quite peacefully. Another dog was walking past and started to attack the well behaved one.
Just at that moment a waitress was walking past carrying two plates of hot food and she was in the middle of a fight. She had to hold the plates high as the larger dog was jumping up trying to reach the plates.
I commend her for keeping calm as this could have resulted in an accident.
nanna8
What gets me is the church services for blessing of the animals. Nuts. Anglican Church of course.
St Francis was the patron Saint of animals; his Saint's day is on 4th October and that is when there are pet blessings.
Some Roman Catholic churches hold pet blessings then, too.
There’s a place for everything and everything should be in its place!
I love seeing people out with their dogs and can see how important they are in their lives. I think that dogs belong in their homes and in parks and the countryside. This type of outing is what a dog needs. Running free, sniffing and exploring. Owning a dog is a big commitment. Dogs should be exercised and then left at home while the owners eat out or go shopping. Unlike children they can be left and should be trained to tolerate that.
Last weekend I went to a new hairdresser who had been recommended by a friend. She works in an extension at the back of her house. She was very nice and my hair looked lovely. Unfortunately I won’t be going back as she has 3 dogs (staffies apparently.) They barked from time to time and are usually let into the hairdressing area. As I was new they were left behind the patio doors to watch! 2 other clients came asking for the dogs to join us. They had bought treats for “the boys.” Sadly I wasn’t comfortable with this.
I see this as society adapting to circumstances.
If my city is like many, there are just too many restaurants.
About ten years ago, we had a boom in openings. When I add in cafes and coffee shops including places on the slight outskirts of the main hub, there must be about two hundred eateries. In some parts of the city there can be as many as ten in a row. There never was enough custom for all of them.
The pandemic changed things. Many people who had never had dogs before, acquired dogs. Restaurants reopened. Not everyone was keen to start socialising at first so businesses had to adapt to encourage more customers. Those who wanted to return to their old lifestyle now had a dog to accommodate.
I have never been a dog owner but of those I know who are experienced owners, they seem happy to leave the dog(s) at home alone for at least a couple of hours, enough time to go out to dine.
But what of those dogs acquired in lockdown when their owners were home all day so were never acclimatised to being left alone? If their owners leave them for a while now, how do they behave? Are they stressed? Do they chew the furniture? Do they bark for hours, annoying or at least worrying the neighbours?
Maybe I am inventing a problem that doesn’t exist. Can anybody tell me whether dogs acquired as pups during lockdown, so were with their family all the time, behave differently to those acquired before or after? Logic tells me that they would behave differently. Or for dogs owned before lockdown, did they become stressed about being left alone once things opened up again? Is this why some owners seem to take their dogs with them everywhere they go?
I’ve just checked the dog policy on several of the city centre restaurants. Most have a policy of no dogs other than assistance dogs inside the restaurant. Some with outdoor terrace dining do allow dogs outside but there does seem to be plenty of choice for the customer wishing to dine indoors and avoid dogs.
3 things make us avoid pubs, dogs welcome, child friendly, bikers welcome
Child friendly, whoa, in pubs ? Gone are the days when kids sat outside with a bag of chips, hey ? As for dogs, yuk, unless they are guide dogs)
Luckygirl3
There will always be those who like dogs and those who don't. Their needs seem to be irreconcilable.
But I do think that those with dogs should take on board the duty not to allow them to inconvenience or endanger others. Many do this of course.
I agree.
Dog owners have a duty not to inflict their dogs on others. I keep mine on leashes, leave them home when we're out. Ours are dogs not mini people.
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