I just spent the last month in Cornwall, visiting from the US. I visit every few years to to see family and this year it seemed like there was a massive increase in dogs out in public, in shops, in cafes, in restaurants and pubs, and they often were not well managed by their owners. I have always noticed that the UK has a more dog friendly culture than the US, but it has always felt like a pleasant novelty to have a dog or two sitting quietly under their owners’ picnic table outside the pub.
This year it was pure chaos- many, many dogs at pubs, often barking at each other, often begging for food, often sitting up on benches/chairs with their heads over the tables. People was occurring not just outside on the patio area, I was often inside of pubs were the majority of tables had one or more dogs. One evening I was in a tiny pub that is maybe 4m x 5m inside with only 6 tables and I counted 7 dogs, ranging in size from corgi to giant poodle.
Did ownership rates explode during Covid? Did people start taking their dogs with them outside the home more often? Did businesses become more accepting of dogs? Or am I just crazy?
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Dog owners are becoming increasingly entitled. A quiet pub it’s fine don’t get me wrong. But a busy Friday evening? During a football match? At a restaurant !? A dog doesn’t contribute to the enjoyment of a meal. Not gonna help in a pub quiz. Not gonna get a round in.
I knew this superdogs movie would make a mess of pour beloved pets
*Did ownership rates explode during Covid?* Yes, definitely. For example, 3.2 million pets were bought just in the first year of lockdown.
*Did businesses become more accepting of dogs?* I suspect so. I think businesses want the money from the owners!
Dog owners can have a 5 course meal with their pets meanwhile I get chased down the street with a broom for trying to take my ferret on a walk 🙄
Dog ownership increased. Businesses trying to entice a wider customer base in an increasingly competitive time.
Most owners are responsible and think through taking along their four legged friends! Some do not.
Rural pubs have always allowed dogs, because rural folk used to own working dogs and would bring their dogs in after work. This has transitioned into pets over working dogs for village life, but dogs in pubs has remained.
Yes there’s more dogs, and some (but still a minority) are poorly trained because of the lockdown dog boom but the number of places accepting dogs hasn’t changed.
I think it’s a mix of a few things.
1. Anecdotally, pubs have become more dog friendly in the last 5 or so years. Even to the point of actively promoting their dog friendliness, offering treats and doggy snacks etc.
2. Cornwall is a pretty hot family tourist destination, and so will attract a larger concentration of folks there with the dogs in tow, who can’t necessarily leave them alone in their accommodation.
3. Dog ownership has increased, not just during covid, but societally amongst a younger demographic too. There’s more of a trend now of young couples co-habiting and getting a dog together (rather than having kids sooner).
Not really. It’s maybe returning to a level it used to be.
Definitely becoming more of a thing.
Can’t say I’m a fan of it, I accept country and rural pubs are and should be dog friendly places, but city centre bars and restaurants? Should be humans only.
I think a lot of newer dog owners haven’t learned yet that if you want to do a walk and a pub lunch, you do the long walk first to tire the dogs out so they just sleep peacefully at your feet while you’re in the pub!
When I was a young punk I asked a barman if my dog could come in. He said “aye yer dug can come in, but you can fuck aff”
Definitely seems to be becoming more common. I notice the same when I visit the USA too, although more so when travelling. Nowhere else on the planet have I seen a dog in an airport, but in the USA it seems like everyone is taking their dogs with them.
Have you been out in any larger town in the US lately? It’s definitely become more of a thing, but I don’t think it’s bad. Owners do need to be responsible though.
Especially in China
Spoons still bans dogs!
Not only did dog ownership explode, but a LOT of people did it who’ve never had a dog, then raised it during lockdown without proper socialisation and skills. So now there’s many more stressed out, anxious dogs with owners who aren’t capable (or unwilling) to work thru the issues.
I would not eat anywhere that allows dogs.
/u/Sunflowers_Seas makes a good point- it is much easier to bring dogs on holiday domestically than abroad now. I know owners who regularly holiday in the EU or have property there, and it has become much more complicated to take a dog, to the point where some owners have registered their dogs as French residents, since it is easier that way round.
So Cornwall- a traditional British holiday destination- is going to be v popular with dog owners who might have driven to France instead before…..
We have a dog that loves going to the pub and is very chilled and well-behaved when out of the house. He’s also a fairly rare breed (Shiba Inu) and gets a lot of attention. He can get a little antsy so we never have him off the lead or out of our sight, and always take him outside if he gets vocal as he sometimes does.
We would never, ever take him anywhere that we hadn’t checked was dog-friendly first. In our experience it’s pretty exclusively pubs and cafes that are happy to take dogs, wouldn’t even occur to us to ask a restaurant or bar.
Not for me. But because I go everywhere with my dogs I already go to dog friend places.
As a dog owner, I really don’t like the idea of bringing dogs to cafés, shops and restaurants. It just seems a pretty unnatural environment for a dog with the noise, lights, tables etc. One of my family members works in John Lewis and apparently over last Christmas a few dogs were injured in the shop and one even had it’s nails ripped out by the escalator! I think if you walk your dog enough you shouldn’t need to take it out with you on random jaunts to shops, cafés etc. It strikes of laziness or even selfishness to me personally. But each owner to their own.
I enjoy a good pub dog, makes the place seem friendlier so long as the dog is calm and chill
Certainly a lot more in my local. It used to be you’d maybe see a couple of dogs there, but these days there are often something like a dozen of the damn things.
Very few kept under proper control – it seems the norm to allow them to lay where people want to walk. And of course it’s everyone’s fault but the owner if someone doesn’t notice them and treads on them.
It may also be due to the rise in dog theft, people dont want to leave their dogs unattended
A lot more people (from the UK) are probably holidaying in the UK now too.
What’s happened is people started treating dogs like kids and they aren’t kids. All of the behaviour you describe is learned behaviour and should have been sorted out in the first 12-18 months of the dog’s life just like a child.
For example, my lab doesn’t beg and never has. He’s never had human food in his life so he knows that his food is in his bowl and human food is out of order.
Patience is a learned skill for a dog. You can’t just take a dog into a pub one day and expect it to sit quietly for an hour or two.
People aren’t willing to put the effort in to have an obedient dog, they just seem to be banking on getting a well natured one.
Just remember that Cornwall is especially dog friendly
Covid and Instagram have accounted for more dogs.
Covid because during lockdown people bought dogs and also the switch to home working has enabled people to own dogs.
Instagram because people are a bit vain and like to be part of the dog crowd and take pictures of it.
I agree that it used to be a bit of a novelty to see them in pubs but now it’s just awful tbh, big stinking slobbery things, little yappy rat things and I find the smell and noise they make annoying.
It used to be that only guide dogs for blind people were allowed and I wish more pubs would go back to this because it’s just annoying when all these people impose their dogs on you like you just have to deal with them too.
Yes, pubs are desperate to attract business and being dog friendly is a great way to do it. We have a very small dog and love being able to enjoy having him with us.
Love a nice dog on a leash, because I know the owners are courteous to understand not everyone is comfortable around dogs, leading me to believe they’re a more capable owner, and that the dog is likely better behaved.
However it does my head in when some stinking dog comes over without a leash, with the owner barely paying attention at all. Feel like such an old man saying that but it really has started to irk me in recent years
I look forward to seeing the dogs that come into my work rather than the people
Yes, everyone got a lockdown dog and now that it’s part of their personality they have to take it everywhere with them.
More dogs less pubs obviously
I did some brand rep work in currys last Christmas and I was blown away with how none of the staff would bat an eye lid when when medium sized dogs where just mooching around, it seems to be the new norm
I went out for a Sunday dinner about three weeks ago. There were several dogs wandering around and they were all begging. One licked the food off my friends plate. We won’t ever go back to that pub. I’m sure they will get all of the dog people going and won’t care that I won’t eat there again but god. I was nearly sick. One of the dogs was really smelly as well.
There are far more dogs in pubs. And its glorious. My dog loves it, better than being left to bark at the window
Do ye like dags?
Everyone complaining about dogs in this thread can go ahead and replace dog with “child” and understand how some of us feel about those 🙂
I love dogs but I don’t want them where I’m out trying to eat and/or drink. I think dog lovers can be so self entitled sometimes.
It’s a shit time for the allergy gang
OP, I don’t believe it, but this very subject is in the news tonight!
https://trending.pet/news/how-dogs-took-over-our-restaurants/
A lot of COVID-dogs also are anxious messes when left at home alone, because they’ve been so used to their owners being at home constantly. Said owners are also anxious messes because they haven’t left their dog alone for longer than 15 minutes and so want to bring it everywhere
Dog ownership exploded over lockdown and a good many of those buying had never owned a puppy before. Many of those had no idea how to train a pup so they were not taught how to behave and obey commands. I see many dogs that are rude/antisocial on walks and the owners don’t do anything to stop it. For example my partner and I came across a guy walking a small French bulldog, off lead, and he said his dog is a bit wary with other dogs and he could snap. Now our dog is very calming and is able to charm so I wasn’t too bothered but I still paid attention.
This dog, however, was a little shit. It came bounding over and immediately started jumping on mine and snapping at his face. On seeing this the owner would just weakly say (let’s call his dog jack) “Jack, stop it. That’s not nice.” Where as he should have gotten a hold of it and yanked it away and issued a firm “NO” to it. My dog was trying to get out of the way when, on the third snap, mine attacked his and put it in its place. Jack fled and the owner looked at us as if our dog was the aggressor. Normally if my dog has a go at another, which is rare, I will apologise (I am English after all) even if it’s the others dogs fault but with this guy I just said “Well, that showed him.” With that the guy walked away without this bad mannered, aggressive dog on a lead.
And this is why you’re seeing many more misbehaving dogs. Many new owners were not able to socialise their dogs during lockdown so the dogs don’t know how to behave towards others. And the owners don’t know how to control and reign in these antisocial pets so they show their base instincts at an inappropriate time. They also see their dogs as their little furry babies and don’t dare treat them firmly when they are out of line so the dogs just ignores them and continues to misbehave. Most of the time it’s not the dogs fault it’s the owner.
Tl;dr Over lockdown many new dog owners didn’t know how to train and control their dogs. Plus the pups could not be socialised leading to many badly behaved dogs.