I just have to vent my anger!!!!!!
I have just been down to the post office and with me I took a Doberman and cocker spaniel. I have been taking dogs in there for the past year and no one has once said anything except "arrrr, isnt he/she lovely".....NOT TODAY! Some stuck up cow behind the counter (who is new by the way) decides that dogs arent allowed. I said to her that I have been bringing dogs in for ages and no one minds (I have even taken 5 in) , but she gets arsy! She said there is a sign outside so I said no there isnt. She assured me that there was so I stormed out, hunted everywhere for this mysticsl sign and nowhere is there any mention of no dogs being allowed. They are always in there! I went right up to her and interupted and said "for your information there is NO sign out there, and I suggest that if you want to make up rules, you have something to back it up!"....It is so blatant that the only reason she said anything is cos I had a dobe with me! Its the first thing she looked at! How pathetic...he's only 7 months old (but big)
SOME PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!

Unfortunately some people don't like dogs, you just have to respect their wishes. My sister-in-laws child is petrified of dogs and it would be unfair to force a dog on her when all they want to do is collect their child benefit. You own a large dog and you must be aware that people are frightened, whether your dog is soft or not.
Maddening i know but there are still strange people about that don't like dogs ;)

Sarah

silly woman and good 4 u for standing up to her, can't stand snotty shop workers who think they own the business......i'd take them in everytime i went now just to pee her off, and if she told me not to i would ignore her. What can she do? she wont bodily throw u out will she, maybe thinks she has authority cos she can stamp a pension book :)

A lot of people don't respect our wishes these days, especially in England that we love our dogs. Let's face it you can't take a dog anywhere in this country without some snotty nosed so and so having a moan. I remember once going to our local market with one of my dogs and she had a wee, this bloke came up to me and said that it was no wonder this country was the way it was "miserable and smelly" were his words, because people like me allowed my dog to have a wee!!!

I also went to another market with another one of my dogs recently which is mainly populated by Indian's (I'm not racist) and 98% of the time I had to look at my dog and make sure that it was a dog with me not a man with a big sign saying "I'm a mass murderer". The looks that I had were awful, they were of total and utter disgust. Only one man came up to me and said isn't your dog lovely. The children were absolutely petrified. I have friends who are Indian and I know that because many of the dogs there are strays etc. and scavenge that they aren't highly thought of, but I have never seen anything like this before.

We are supposed to be a country of dog lovers but I don't see it myself. Other countries you can take your dogs almost anywhere and nobody bothers, here, well!!!!

from what i am told by my muslim neighbours, certain indian cultures, particularly muslim, consider dogs to be "dirty". this is engrained in the culture, just like we would feel say about sewer rats. its not something that they can change. they have as much right to dislike dogs as we have to like them.

Sorry Pinklillies..........but when in Rome, do as the Romans do. In our culture dogs are accepted, I have spent time in Muslim countries, and abided by their laws and customs.
Sorry if this sounds harsh, but I get seriously fed up with respecting other countries religions, and cultures, but it's ok to walk roughshod over ours.......sorry, no.

liberty

Hear hear. It's about time something was said about this subject.This country is going to the dogs(no pun intended). We are all prepared to accept different cultures in our midst,and they should accept ours,as they chose to live in a Christian country.As you say "When in Rome"

Thanks Jeanb for your reply. Sometimes I think I'm a voice in the wilderness.

I don't have a problem with religions, etc. Just a bit of reason, respect, and acceptance of living in another country..with lots of benefits, would help.

fed up liberty :(

well said Libs, absolutely, could'nt agree with you more!!!

Geoff

Thanks Geoff for your reply ;) It means a lot :)

liberty

I have the same problem with my three. Okay the puppy is small, fluffy and cuddly, but, her dad is a big horrible monster and 'wants put down' because he has a moan at the dog tear arsing down the street after him!
So some people own big dogs. So some dogs have bad reputations due to irresponsible ownership in the past. They are our pets and they should be given some sort of respect.
Everyone is up in arms when i knock on someons door to complain about the horrible little monster that plays football against my window!
Its rediculous!

I completely understand what your saying i have a 2 year old staffie and I was walking him the other day and I came a across a women walking her little daughter. Anyway the kid went to stroke my dog and the women broke in and said dear there the types of dogs that bite people and that you shouldn't touch them. Well I wasn't impressed with this and i insured the girl it wouldn't harm her and she was fine. I hate the attitude of some people towards breeds such as staffs bulldogs and dobermans these poeple should bloody grow up.

Hill4uk

Its so annoying!
Saying that i live next door to one of the stupid people who gives the Stafford a bad name. This bithc was the product of a snappy, loud, badly bred, short tempered little girl who would attack anything with four legs and a tail. She is exactly the same. She sticks her head under the gate and snaps at people as they walk by. Everyone knows her as 'that evil little b*****d'. She lets the breed down. Her dam should never have been bred in the first place if you ask me.
Her owner leaves her to it, claimimg thats what a Stafford is, what it does and that they are all like that. I know different, very different. I never believed that this breed was half as bad as they are made out to be but this one has taught me that irresponsible breeding does produce such things.
Frankenstein comes to mind with this one!
But it is not fair on the responsible owners/breeders/showers who take care to keep good temperament throughout their dogs.
Its a crying shame!!!!

we get lots of staffie's in our boarding kennels, its actually the most popular breed and they are a 100%, even ones which have never been in b4 and don't know us...i could name a few other breeds which can be very nasty but who the public think are fine and would probably approach....i'm not saying this because i favour the breed or have one as a pet cos i don't, the facts are there in front of me everyday at work :) hope you all enjoyed reading that little bit of information i shared with u :D :D

I think it would be pertinent to remember that rabies is endemic in many parts of the world and people are rightly fearful and do not have enough money to eat let alone afford themselves the luxury of a pet; most animals in third world countries are either a tool or a potential meal therefore it is unrealistic to expect them to divest themselves of hundreds of years of ingrained culture just because they live here.

The same prejudices are expressed about other things by Brits abroad and quite frankly I have been ashamed to say I was British when I have seen and heard how tourists, who are only in the country for five minutes, denigrate the local customs, culture and tradition. If people want everyone to be the same, why travel?

At the end of the day any shopkeeper or merchant is perfectly within their rights to refuse to serve customers and to refuse to have dogs (unless assistance dogs) on their premises. Being confrontational will only exacerbate the issue; there is an old saying, you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar :)

think you've got the wrong end of the stick there...

What's the right end then:)

Thanks everyone. I just find it so crazy and frustation when people judge dogs because of their breeds!! This Dobe wasnt mine, but I love him to bits as I do most dogs. If people pre-judged people in the way they do dogs, huge rows would be caused (and they are)

With regards to staffies, I know some wonderful staffs, they have got a bad name because of certain owners. All dogs have the potential to be aggressive and unaproachable, after all, they still have wild instincts.
I have seen a couple of mothers who ban their children from approaching the dogs I have with me. A wonderful natured german shepherd and 2 staffs was the best..."no, no dear, dont go near those nasty dogs"!!!! God, how are we ever going to move forward and accept dogs if the next generation are terrified of dogs due to the conditioning and indoctrination of their parents!?!?! Hardly very educating!! :(

I couldnt agree more, i own a staffie and a couple of weeks back some stupid cow told me to put my dog on a lead in the park because staffs are fighting dogs, i told her she obviously new very little of what the staffie is like nowadays and she did back down. And the other day i was in the park again and a young springer ran up to my staff. I had no problem with it- the dogs were playing, the owner was mid 70's and told me i should keep control of my dogs when it was her dog that ran up to us, that was all over the fact it was a staffie- some people. People just presume their aggresive and its so wrong.

Good for you for sticking up to that stupid women- how can some people not like dogs?

i dont own staffs but think they are great, my mum doesnt like bull breeds gsds and the molasser breeds purely because of the old school of thought. well any way the other day whilst out training with jack, on our wind down after training before going home we walk round the field/woods, jack although well socialised with other dogs can become quite nervy towards dogs that come charging over to him, any way on this particular day a stffie dog came charging over all dominant and hackles up tip of tail wagging etc, my first thought was great what do i do, cant pick jack p will only make the situation worse, so we carried on walkin the staffie sniffed jack become less threatening and ran back to his owners, only fot the owners other dog a goldie to come running over unfortunely he wasnt as friendly as the staffie and was very aggressive if the owners had been walking in the smae direction as me it could have been a very different story altogether, after the goldie had jack pinned he looked over to see his owners, as they were out of sight he went running to find them,
it just goes to prove that appearances can be deceiving, had i not known on how to react it could have been nasty but fortunely jack has completley forgotten about the experience
tanya

There's a big difference between tourists and immigrants to a country. My opinion is if someone chooses to immigrate to another country than they should adopt that country's customs and social norms. If they do not want to integrate with that society - then they should have picked somewhere else to live. In the end it is the only way that they and their children will be fully accepted and able to take advantage of what their adopted country offers.

Stacey

Hi, i lived in germany for 3 years and was very suprised to see dogs allowed in shops and also restaurants.I just assumed it was the same everywhere that dogs were not allowed. It was actually in pizza hut were i first saw a dog in a restaurant.

I did'nt have a dog then now i have a bulldog and i have'nt had any nasty comments about him while walking him yet. However i was standing outside a local post office with him one day and an american lady came out with her son about 10,11yrs old and asked if he could pet him,i said yes and to the mothers credit she show him how to approach the dog in a good way,got down to the dogs level and let him approach her and her son, anyway when she stood up she said to me lovely personality, ugly dogs though.I was gobsacked but just laughed about it.

Just have to balance the arguement by saying my local post office is the exact opposite. They have a big sign saying no dogs but when Darcy was 8 weeks old I sneaked her in (cos I couldnt put her down to leave her outside) I had her inside my jacket with just her head sticking out. One of the counter ladies spotted her and I was expecting an uproar but instead they asked to hold her and passed her around, gooing over her like she was a baby.

Now I have to put up with the glares from other dog owners when every time we walk past the post office the counter ladies run out and take her back in with them, spoiling her rotten with bits of cake and sandwiches. She's the only dog they let in becasue they remmeber how sweet she used to be

Every time we walk past now, even when its shut Darcy sits outside the door and waits to be let in!!

We are first time dog owners and can't believe how many dog haters there are out there neither my wife or my family have ever had dogs and some of our own family have made it quite obvious we are not welcome if we bring our dog with us(I might miss some of them I suppose) .What really annoys us is when you have just walked past someone and they make a comment just loud enough for you to hear it,we walked past a couple yesterday and when we were about 20 feet away the woman said bloody dogs sh****G everywhere and when we turned round their all smiles and hellos I wish they would understand that dog turds on pavements probably annoy us more than them.

Cheers
Steve

I know there are a lot of ''dog haters'' out there but you have to look at the bright side. There are much more dog lovers now than there were in the past. I think people have a lot more respect for dogs now and (even though there are still some) don’t see staffies, dobermans, rotties etc as the vicious dogs they were WAY back in history!!
If anyone does have an unwanted comment to say about your dog just correct them (shout at them if you need to) but don’t leave it and feel angry

I take my dog into lots of places, but I ALWAYS ask first!! Noone has a right to take their dog into any shop if the owners/workers do not want it there. They could have very bad allergies to dogs, which they would then have to put up with as dog hair may be left behind, or they could be petrified of dogs!

It is exactly the same as if someone came into my house, and started smoking when I did not want them to. It is very bad manners.

I have been in muslim countries and cringed at what the british were getting up to. Most of us certainly do not respect others cultures.
I also live in an area which has quite a lot of asians. Lots of them avoid my dog, but I have never had any unwanted comments, so how are they not respection our culture?

Well this past summer I stopped at Petco to pick up a bag of puppy chow meanwhile I left Kobie (my lab) in the car with the window open a bit and the a/c running, it was really hot that day, all of a sudden I was paged and was told that under no circumstances I'm to leave the dog in the car I should have brought him in while shopping I didn't know any better...now I take him in with me and he gets his nose into everything...that's what they want so it's ok with me.

Sincerely
Vic

Yes - couldn't agree more. If friends knock at my door with their dogs, they will always ask if it's alright to bring them in. I have seen dogs weeing over goods for sale in PetSmart several times, so I can see why shop-keepers may not want dogs in.

I cannot understand why people should think that they have the right to take their dog wherever they please, even if the dog is well behaved.

Daisy

Hi
I own boxers and people actually cross the road to get out the way of me!!!!
I've been told that women shouldn't have big dogs, because they can't handle them and one man came up to me and said i should be ashamed of myself for owning a bulldog!! (didn't know the two breeds apart-bloody know-it-all!!!)
How can anyone think a boxer looks fierce?!!

They should see a lady at our training classes ! She and her husband have 3 Rottweilers. She can't weigh more than about 7 stone, but you should see her deal with her difficult 2 year old male :D

Daisy

I have had some annoying, infuriating, and downright sickenning reactions to my dogs in the past....but ive also had some really nice ones too.

Ive had children come up to pet the dogs, only to be dragged away by a parent, muttering about dogs being filthy and dangerous.....ive had other dog owners scream at me and try to hit me and my dog with a chain lead, because THEIR dog was trying to fight mine....

As someone with a dog who has a tendancy to bark at others when he is on lead, AND being covered in tattoos, which i daresay make me look less than classy, i can understand (if not agree with) these things.

That said, i have had some lovely incidents, an elderly lady in the park once stopped an talked to me for over an hour, playing with the dogs and asking me about my tattoos. Just before she left, she said she walked to the park every day, but this was the first time she had had a proper conversation for about 3 days!!!!!

Another incident was just recently, at Piccadilly train station in manchester, whilst me and Dill were waiting for the train to sunderland, we sat on a bench, and dill was hiding under the seat. A Sikh gentleman sat next to me, and i thought he hadnt seen Dill, so i said, i hope u dont mind my dog.
Well, not only did he not mind, but he coaxed dill out from under the bench with a biscuit, and not only knew he was a lurcher, but knew he was a bedlington cross (an ive been to dog shows an ppl havent known that!), he was really nice, and didnt even mind when dill, scared by a train, leapt into his arms!!!

If people dont like my dogs, or are scared, fair enough, i wont subject them to it. I do take offence however at people who try to hurt my dogs, i have had several incidences of this, people saying 'dirty dogs' and kicking out at them, and thats been both white ppl AND asian ppl, the common factor being that on all occasions its been teenage boys! Dont think race or ethnic group has much to do with it, if people are brought up to hate, fear or generally dislike dogs, then they will.

Em

We have been strolling down the road walking our bullmastiffs and people have actually shoved their children into the road through their OWN HANG UP.

***Brainwave*****
Why is it people have hang ups and are frightened of dogs???
Because thier parents made the situation worse by saying "Now dont touch that cute fluffy dog because its dirty, AND WILL RIP YOUR HEAD OFF!!!!!!

My 9 year old was petrified of dogs as a toddler and used to scream and cover her eyes if she spied a dog at 400 yards. She was also terrified of horses and cats so it was something to do with their hair. I have lost count of the number of apologies I made to dog owners who were very upset by her reaction to their darlings and had to find tactful ways of refusing their sincere offers to help out by letting her make friends with their lovely dog. It isnt always parents who cause fears.

Now she is my second in command dog trainer. By learning to "speak dog" she lost her fright when she was mature enough and now loves all dogs without being cocky. Not forcing the dogs on her and letting her see how we liked them was the right course of action, just like socialising a pup. Boxer owners might like to know that she learned dog from a motherly boxer bitch.:)

Thats fantastic! But it goes to prove that you put the effort in. There are bucket loads of people who wouldn't bother, I get really cheesed off when you get treated like a leper, only because you have a big dog! I bought a fabbo T Shirt with the words... The more people I meet, the more I love my dog. I also find that people are on power trips in shops & stuff, or park wardens, they just cant help but put in their pennies worth. The genuine people whose children did get upset, we just casually stroll by, its not worth reaffirming to them that they are bad, but they tend to nurture the kids. The ones who themselves are scared are easily spotted, some kids will stroke our dogs in the park & when the parents come around a corner and see it they snatch the child away and say dont do that the dog will bite you! I take the approachful answer, No darling the dog wont bite, but the owner will clobber your mum/dad!!!

Going back to the original post, i feel it is unfair of a post office worker to suddenly say to a dog owner, who has been in there lots and lots with dogs, that they now must not go in there with their dogs :(

Apart from anything else, it is embarrassing and hurtful to that person.

I appreciate not all people like dogs, and to have dogs forced upon them is not fair, but that post office worker sounds rather like a "jobsworth" to me. MOst post offices do seem to allow dogs, and if there was no notice outside, (and she seemed to have misunderstood/lied/been told wrong about that) it all seems very unfair to me.

I'm with StephnMillie on this one :)

Lindsay

I used to work part-time in a newsagent and often let owners come in with their dogs (even though it was against company rules).Then one Sunday i was off and someone else did my shift and the same dog owners attempted to bring their dogs in and they were told to take them outside.
So to be fair although in my case (and maybe the po case) it wasn't a sackable offence it is definitely one telling off i could do without.
Who wants the hassle of being hauled before their manager for allowing dogs in?

As dog owners we are probably in the minority(where shoppers needs are concerned) and it is the majority that shop owners think about.

Sarah

Thanks Lindsay!
:)

:)

Lindsay

Hi 'bubble', this has nothing to do with this subject but I am also a Bullmastiff owner/lover and would interested in seeing piccies of yours.

Sarah

I love this website, it has been such a help to me as a first time dog owner but sometimes I am astounded at the attitude of some of the posters. We have all made the decision to be dog owners because we like dogs and feel we can give them a good home but we should also be open minded enough to realise that some people do not like dogs and do not wish to be around them, this does not make them strange, it makes them individuals, with a right to make their own choices and not have others view forced upon them. With regards to Muslim attitudes towards dogs, again this is their right as human beings and yes it is racist to state that if they live in our country then they should embrace our beliefs, most muslims are vegetarian but as we are a nation of meat eaters should we expect them to follow suit? My son and I are allergic to cats and so can you imagine how it would affect us if shops etc started to allow cat on the premises? The same goes for dogs unfortunately.

Sorry, don't know where you got the idea that most Moslems are vegetarians; this is not true. Islam prevents the eating of pork, meat that has not been specifically killed for food, or meat that has been "sacrificed" to a "god", also meat from an animal that has consumed meat.

There are no more or less vegetarians amongst moslems than christians. :)

Becksmum
I wouldnt be so critical if the post office had kept a constant rule, either dogs are allowed or they arent...not sometimes they are and sometimes they are not.
The following day by the way, I went back in with a different dog...no comments made....

With regards to imposing it on people, I could look at it like this. I am a non smoker (used to smoke but stopped). I dont like going to a restaurant and have someone spark up near me....I think it smells and I just plain dont like it, that, to me, is imposing in the same way as dogs might be seen as imposing in a shop/p.o etc. But, no one throws those people out do they?? They are allowed to continue what they are doing, even though not everyone will be happy about it.
(I am not having a go at smokers..it was just an example to explain my point).

P.S,......Most Muslims are vegetarians???????

There are plenty of completely non smoking restaurants and the public are not allowed into ANY (as far as I know) shops with a cigarette.

Melody ....one of *those people* :rolleyes:

It was just an example melody. As I said, I wasnt having a go at smokers!
I was just saying that a non smoker could see that as imposing in the same way as a non dog person could see a dog as imposing. I wasnt using it as a way of having a nag at smokers.
Heres another example...Kids running around shops/public places....screaming, shouting what have you. Isnt that "imposing" as well? To someone who doesnt like kids it is.
Nothing more to it.

I wrote out a long and rambling reply to your post ..and then just couldn't be bothered to post it.

Just try to remember , tolerance cuts both ways

I agree with what Becksmum is basically saying - quote:

"...I am astounded at the attitude of some of the posters. We have all made the decision to be dog owners because we like dogs and feel we can give them a good home but we should also be open minded enough to realise that some people do not like dogs and do not wish to be around them, this does not make them strange, it makes them individuals, with a right to make their own choices and not have others view forced upon them."

(Btw most practising Muslims when eating out DO eat vegetarian food - unless they are eating out in a diner that serves halal meat offcourse.)

Oh and regarding what someone posted earlier.. "when in rome do as the romans do" thiis the biggest piece of BS I have ever heard! If you are such a non-entity that you are willing to dilute what makes you you just because you want to 'fit-in' with the 'crowd' then I feel sorry for you!

You can still RESPECT other peoples views without having to make them your own.

Practising moslems will not eat non halal food, halal is NOT a term that relates solely to meat or pork!

The British have probably been some of the worst offenders in history for NOT 'doing as the Romans' :) If you look at most people who have emigrated or - as is the fashion now- gone to live in Spain/France, they tend to live their lives very much as they would have done at home. Spanish holiday resorts are full of 'Fish and Chip' shops and 'English Pubs' for example. British people are also renowned for not speaking other languages and every country in the world has it's ex-pat community, full of British people trying to keep a little bit of home :)

So - when in Rome do as the Romans - as long as you are not British :

Daisy