Most of us love dogs, but many places (including Wetherspoons) don’t accept dogs (even outside, even well-behaved ones). Of course by law, assistance dogs have to be accepted, but even some places don’t comply. If so, you can make a complaint to Open Doors an app to ensure the law is complied to for taxi drivers etc).
So why are dogs not accepted in more shops, pubs, hotels and restaurants? You can’t force people. But usually it’s to do with concerns over dog behaviour, fights between dogs or peeing/pooing on the floor! Some dogs also like to steal food! There are hygiene laws meaning that dogs are not allowed in commercial kitchens. If you run a food-business from home, you’ll know there are laws for cooking in kitchens (not letting fur get into food!)
It’s important to check weather forecasts, due to warming temperatures. There’s no point taking dogs out to places, if the pavement is boiling hot to walk on and there are no cool shady areas, nor fresh water to drink. If in doubt, stay at home with your dogs, or find someone you trust to look after them.
Another very serious reason to make our places more dog-friendly is that some irresponsible dog guardians may visit the seaside, see there’s a beach ban, and then leave dogs in the car. Dogs can die very quickly (even in warm temperatures with windows ajar or air conditioning left on). Always check beach bans and tide times before travel.
If you get stuck on a motorway (especially on a warm day) while taking dogs with you on trips, visit Driving with Dogs. This site (set up by a couple who ended up stranded on a motorway in a traffic jam with a dog) lists the nearest dog walking areas, by motorway exit. So rather than having to chance it, you know which exit is the best place to let your dog out for a walk and a pee.
Tebay Services (Cumbria) offers fresh water bowls and coffee machines (so you can get a brew without leaving your dog to wait in a queue). It has northbound and southbound dog walks with family-friendly traffic-free routes offering splendid views across the Howgill Fells. Please keep your dogs on lead, and use the poo bins provided.
The onus is also on councils to be more dog-friendly. In Liverpool, the council recently made many of the parks banned for dogs, which caused uproar. Often the excuse given is that dogs make poo messes. That’s what they do – they are dogs! The councils should be more visionary and offer better facilities like dog bins with free bags (people forget, it’s human nature). And this costs less than sending council staff to clean poop, afterwards (leaving it can also cause blindness in dogs, children and wildlife).
There are millions of dogs in England. So providing an overflowing poop bin at the far end of the park (because councils don’t empty them enough) is no good. Nor is planting pet-toxic bulbs in parks (learn pet-friendly flower, mulch and landscaping choices).
Visit Dog Friendly, a website packed with places to visit with updated reviews and information. But ultimately the answer is for small shops and establishments to try to welcome dogs as much as possible. The onus is on guardians to ensure their dogs are well-trained to avoid food-stealing and aggression. But also on business owners by not just banning dogs for no good reason. You can always add caveats like a sign for ‘well-behaved dogs only’ or asking for an extra payment to cover cleaning costs, if there are any accidents in hotel rooms etc.
We’re not bad compared to some countries, but not good compared to others. In California, there is one town (Doris Day used to be mayor!) that is so dog-friendly that police officers patrol the seaside to ensure dogs are not left in cars. And each year there is a calendar produced with photos of local pooches, in order to raise money for rescue centres. The town even has a ‘Fountain of Woof’ that spews out filtered water from a concrete dog’s mouth for thirsty dogs!
In the US town of Mt Laurel (Alabama), the architect designed it to be walking-friendly. So ideal for dogs and also for humans (you can walk from your house to the farmers’ market or even the fire station if need be). One idea it has created is a dog park that’s split into two. One area is for energetic playful dogs who like to socialise. Then the other end of the park is for older, shy or nervous dogs. This enables all dogs to have fun, without one type accidentally scaring the other!
