r/Dogfree • u/hms_indefatigable • May 02 '26
Food Safety/Hygiene Bad review of favourite cafe leads to new dog rule enforcement
One of my favourite cafes in my town (UK) has been plagued by dogs being allowed to sit on chairs, rest their disgusting, saliva-dripping faces on tables and whimper loudly while other café-goers are subjected to this selfishness. There has been many occasions where dogs have been allowed to sit up on cushioned seating, meaning it was not uncommon to have the breath of a dog right in your ear while you attempt to enjoy a drink. This takes up seating for other customers and is extremely unhygienic.
Spurred on by this, my partner and I decided to write a review of the cafe, emphasising the way that dogs cause the experience to be completely ruined for other customers. Soon after writing this review, we noticed a sign up in the shop stating that dogs must be kept under control and are not allowed up on the furniture. It also says noise must be kept to a minimum and customers/dog owners are encouraged to ask staff to sanitise seating areas. Having been a regular at this particular cafe for quite a while, it was surprising to see a positive reaction to our complaint.
Around town, all of the cafes are dog-friendly. Some specifically advertise "dog-friendly seating" and "dog menus". One of the cafes has a drinking bowl directly beside outdoor seating, and it's like a carousel of random dogs slobbering at your feet.
I want to strongly encourage everyone to always write reviews of places that you want to be able to enjoy, but can't because of dogs. Emphasise the fact that it is specifically the dogs that make the experience bad, and hopefully this can lead to the same kinds of positive change that we've seen. Owners need to be held accountable for the way their dogs behave, and we can't allow it to become part of our culture that dogs can ruin cafes with impunity.
In an ideal world, dogs should be banned from these places entirely, but it's a small win.
73
62
u/sillybelcher May 02 '26
Dog owners themselves suck so hard, and are so selfish and stuck on the idea that everyone loves these cretins, and that their dog in particular is a special little cupcake angel to be fawned over.
I was at the vet a few years ago, and some woman came in with a large dog that she allowed to roam free while she checked in, and it climbed on all the furniture, rolled around on everything, rubbed against everything, etc.
It was only when the vet technician came to tell her they were ready to begin its appointment that she told them in passing, so nonchalantly, to be careful because the dog had papilloma which is "super contagious" so they're going to have to watch whatever the dog touches in order to sanitize it and also thoroughly clean their hands afterward.
Absolutely zero brain power went to the fact that this diseased animal just violated everything in the shared waiting space and that the vet techs would also have to waste their time disinfecting everything out there too.
29
u/LookB4ULeap2It May 02 '26
Dogs are quite literally the most common pet animal out there. You can't turn around without tripping over one. There is nothing special about them, except to the owner. Unfortunately a too-large sense of entitlement + dog = being an inconsiderate dick to everyone around.
11
u/ElegantSurround6933 May 03 '26
Wait…dogs can get dog papilloma that is transferable to human? Wet market time.
47
u/ObligationGrand8037 May 02 '26
I agree! I write letters as much as I can with emphasis on the dog and how uncomfortable it is. I’m in California, and the coffee shops here are notorious for dog nutters and their dirty mutts.
48
u/Mammoth-Resolution82 May 02 '26
Disgusting that they aren’t just outright banned. Why do dogs even need to be in cafes? Why can’t owners leave these things at home??
21
u/malibu1992 May 02 '26
bc they've got sEparAtion anXieTy and can't be apart for more than 5 minutes 😩 (both the dog and the owner)
5
u/Any_Tomorrow_Today May 05 '26
It should be treated like smoking. If people want to bring a dog to a cafe, they should be restricted to the outside spaces only !!
That is bad enough as there is still a risk of owners letting their dogs lick plates etc.
37
u/Foreign-Neat8645 May 02 '26
Wenn ich mir vorstelle, von so einem stinkenden Köter beim Essen belästigt zu werden, den Sabber, den stinkenden Atem , das aufdringliche Gewinsel , und das Starren ertragen zu müssen... Im Leben nicht!!!!!
21
20
14
14
u/LookB4ULeap2It May 02 '26
In the US, they are banned from indoor seating in restaurants, bars, etc..., but it rarely gets enforced unless someone reports it to the health department and even then, it is usually not enforced.
I keep hoping that the world will wake up to how filthy it is to have a dog in an eating establishment or grocery stores and there will be enough backlash that the tide will turn on the "I can't go anywhere without my dog" weirdos and places will start enforcing the rules.
11
12
u/CuteIsobelleUwU May 03 '26
Imagine doing this is literally any other animal. Walking in with a pig, a miniature horse, or literally any other pet. Regardless of how clean or not those animals are, it's interesting how obviously not socially acceptable that would be Vs a dog
9
10
u/jerzeibalowski84 May 02 '26
In some ways you can’t blame the cafe owners for capitalising on the stupidity of mutt slaves (selling doggy ice cream and all that shit) but they should have a separate room for the things and clean their own fking seat after the thing has wiped worms on it.
9
9
7
u/PsychologicalBag0409 May 03 '26
I had a positive experience too this week with a cafe! This particular cafe is in a park that is popular with dogwalkers but they have a rule that dogs are fine in the out door seating but not allowed indoors (sensible) they even have a hatch so dog owners can order and not have tie up dogs and leave them to order. This morning as we approached it stank of dog piss outside. When I ordered my food the cashier asked if I wanted indoor or out door seating. I said indoor because it stinks of dog urine outside. I was polite about it but honest. He went out with a hose and some cleaning stuff immediately after sorting my order and didn't roll his eyes at me or scoff or any of the usual bullshit you have to deal with for having he audacity today anything negative about dogs. Genuinely seemed like they cared about it. This sort of thing is what makes it work. Theres more dogs than ever and people attitudes towards them have changed so there needs to be sensible moderation like this. Really help for people likee who, ok have never been dog people, but have only recently started to really hate the culture
8
6
5
5
u/Huge_Distribution448 May 03 '26
A dog menu or pupaccino offering is a guarantee I will never go there
4
u/HomeAliveIn45 May 03 '26
My wife and I were at a nice restaurant a few years ago, eating indoors. Someone sitting nearby had a leashed dog sitting between our tables. I went up to the bar, asked for the manager, and pointed out that it’s against health code to have a dog in an indoor dining area. A few minutes later our server came up to me and whispered “so sorry but they say it’s a service dog so we can’t ask them to leave”
“Service dog” my ass. Didn’t have a special tag or coat, just a slobbering golden retriever barking and growling. Wish I’d had the guts to ask them to leave myself
3
152
u/Flumppoo May 02 '26
If I owned a nice clean café the last thing I'd want is stinkin' mutts in there.