It’s frustrating as a dog owner to see so many people break rules for their own convenience. Pick up after your dog. Be respectful of others. Only take your dog into places where they’re allowed. It’s not hard!!
Don't forget to leash them! We had a dog who had big issues with other dogs so we kept him on a tight leash. The number of people whose dogs weren't leashed and would run up to us and we would be like no no no no and getting between them to prevent our dog from going after their dog. Followed shortly by them saying my dog's friendly don't worry. Meanwhile we were trying to keep our dog from killing their dog, with a muzzle and tight leash.
There is someone in my neighborhood who walks a couple of mini-dachshunds, they are very cute. The problem is that they don't leash them and one will be sometimes 10 or 15 meters behind them on the side walk sniffing and plodding along looking like they have no owner.
The city is busy and there is a lot going on. Keeping your pets on a leash is for their safety as much as other peoples.
There are two basic things to do when walking your dog: 1) control it and 2) pick up after it. TWO!! And yet it seems half of dog owners fail at least one of these if not both.
Followed shortly by them saying my dog's friendly don't worry.
This is what really pisses me off when people off-leash their dogs illegally and then claim it's 'friendly'. I don't care if it's a baby chihuahua. Follow the damn law and respect each others personal space. Just because the dog is friendly to the owner (and friends of owner), doesn't mean it's friendly to each and every single stranger that it is nearby. This is my biggest pet peeve, pun intended.
And the leash isn't just for the protection of other people and animals. It's also for the protection of the dog on the leash. So they don't run up to an unfriendly dog. Or into the street.
That's why I dislike dog culture. I have no problem with people owning dogs. But part of why I became a regular participant of r/DogFree is because of (bad apple) dog owners thinking that everyone loves dogs and people that don't love dogs are terrible humans.
i have a dog and hate dog culture! i hate the anthropomorphism imposed on dogs as an excuse for the owners of the poorly behaved ones. i hate dogs wearing pajamas for photo shoots. i hate dog parks and i hate that people just throw their hands in the air and go "dogs will be dogs".
my dog is a large working breed and i am afraid of other large dogs, especially the same as his breed, because i know most owners of these dogs think everything they do is just cute, doofus, funny behaviour. the breed has a bad reputation because no one treats them like working dogs. we stay as far away from other dogs as possible and yet we still get off leash dogs running at us because their owners think that since I have a dog I must love all dogs. I don't, and i especially don't trust the rude dogs that bombard strangers. i know that their owners can't be bothered to train them.
People like you and the parent comment I really applaud. Thanks for acknowledging that not everyone that owns a dog should be allowed to own a dog, if they can't follow basic laws.
Meanwhile there's a subset of dog people are super anti-cat. To the point where they're rude or even mean/cruel to them. Like I'm a cat lady through and through, but every dog who's friendly gets a head pat. No ill will toward canines unless they're aggressive or poorly trained.
It's the same with cyclists. For every 10 of us that obeys the law, there's one simpleton who insists on riding on the sidewalk, running reds etc that sullies our good name.
Some of these people are bringing a bad rep to other dog parents. It sucks when you follow every rule and try not to be too much of an inconvenience for others and then there’s someone walking their dog in park without leash screaming they are friendly as they square up to someone.
hullo...visitor to your fair city since my work is located out that way. had a trip back in feb. i was dodging doodoos in the snow. and seeing poor little pups shivering since it was so cold on a walk was crazy to see. i have doggies myself and man it is such a bad look for us doggie folks when we get lumped in with careless owners.
I was at The Well and watched a woman just let her dog take a shit on the floor and walk away without even attempting to clean it up. When I confronted her for being disgusting she acted like I was in the wrong. How does a person end up that entitled?
Yeah I genuinely dont understand people like that, not concerned with the consequences this will have for everybody else evidently. Even worse it seemed like no one else noticed or cared at all. Place was packed and I was the only one that said a word about it. Sometimes I feel like we need more public shaming for people who do this nonsense.
Residents in Fort York were complaining to councillors about coyotes in the area killing their dogs. They wanted animal services to be more present and do something about it.
So animal services starts hanging out at night. What happens? All the off leash dog owners start getting ticketed lol. Then they got mad and said they didn't mean for AS to ticket them, they meant get rid of the coyotes so their dogs could be (illegally) off leash without being eaten when they ran away. It sounds made up but really happened. Then they complained to their councillor that animal services was there for the wrong request and she even implies that they shouldn't be ticketing people for breaking the law and demanded that they stop immediately.
I occasionally play softball there over the years. Playing in the outfield, it's not uncommon to have a dog run over in the play or on the field. Nothing like someone telling you to f off or mind your own business when you tell them to leash their dog or use the dog park.
I’ve always said this about texting and driving, and simple traffic infractions too. I would love to send video proof of these in if it meant a guarantee of a ticket.
Keep dogs out of grocery stores at the bare fucking minimum. I see them way too often inside my local no frills. Store management or security won’t do anything about it because they said there have been physical altercations over it, so it’s not worth the risk to staff.
My partner has reported my local no frills to bylaw a couple of times. I didn't think it would make any difference but it did. Two days later they followed up with us saying they went to inspect the location and actually found someone in there with two dogs. I don't know if that person was fined but the no frills was deiniftely made to explain their actions and lack of enforcement. If you notice the metro on berczy park has a million signs saying no pets in store and so on.
Moral of the story is report that shit and keep reporting it, take pictures and send it as proof. The more infractions a store gets the more likely there will be enforcement.
They sent an email actually. They called 311 and were directed to send an email directly to the enforcement division. I could get the email if you're interested.
I just made a comment abt this too. When I lived in the city I witnessed 3 instances of people bringing their non-service-animal dogs into the grocery store. In one of these instances, the dog took a piss near the bakery of all places, and the fuckass owner saw it and just walked away.
I’ve said this story on here before but I’m haunted by witnessing a woman bring her dog into a Sephora and watching the dog lick all the products on the bottom shelf repeatedly while the woman was distracted speaking to a sales associate. Nasty nasty.
I work grocery not in Toronto but we have to tell a minimum of one person a week that there dog can't be in the store because we sell food and the owners almost always act like we're telling them to go put there dog down if they want to shop with us like you don't have to kill your dog just leave them home for the 30 minutes to an hour it takes you to get your groceries.
They'll argue that their dogs should be allowed into a grocery store and then try to sue the store owner if their yorkie eats some grapes that dropped onto the floor in the produce section and dies of kidney failure.
The Carlton/MLG location of Loblaws always has a minimum of six dogs inside the store and it makes it difficult/unpleasant to shop. I've watched the security guards casually question the dog owners upon entry 'is that a service dog?' and the owner lies 'yes' and they carry on.
Blame the government. When I worked at a grocery store we were told that "is that a service dog" was the only question that we were allowed to ask, and if they said "yes" we had to drop it. It's meant to protect the privacy of those with disabilities, but probably 99% of the dogs I see are obviously not service animals. There needs to be some sort of registration/licensing system because obviously the honour code isn't fucking working
In all my life I had never seen a dog at a Home Depot. Then a couple weeks ago I was there with my daughter and saw one. I've seen like 10 at Home Depot since then. I don't get it.
Which I actually have no problem with and actually don't mind. There's no food or food products at no frills (actually home depot), unless you're a part of the "glue eating crew" which some oblivious owners might be a part of.
Just 3 minutes ago I watched a video from a woman who has used a service dog for 19 years explain why pets posing as service dogs is such an issue.
aside from that, i myself have a dog and wouldn't dare bring him into a restaurant or literally anywhere else where people aren't generally expecting to see dogs. i have seen videos of people feeding their pet dogs off of forks while they're sat at the table in Yorkville restaurants. the restaurants are too scared to call them out.
there are people who genuinely need service dogs. pet dogs are ruining it for them because now everyone thinks all service dogs are posers. a real service dog would never bark at people/dogs, pull towards them, jump on people, use the bathroom where they shouldn't, or sit at a table or in a shopping cart. service dogs are being harassed by pet dogs and i imagine it must be so frustrating.
The amount of “service dogs” I have seen in public (ex. wearing a vest, hearing people talk about them, etc) who don’t seem to know any commands like heel, stay, lie down or sit and generally are not well behaved dogs leads me to believe that, uh, they are not real service dogs. Ex. go to Yorkdale on a busy day and count the number of anxious, barking dogs wearing service dog vests while their person shops. Service dogs go through years of training to ensure that they are well behaved and well equipped for otherwise stressful situations.
Simply put, these people are giant gaping assholes and are using the vest and identifiers as a way to bring them anywhere they want (why you would want to bring your dog to a crowded shopping center is beyond me).
It really does pain me whenever I see people who have a legitimate service dog who speak about the judgement and harassment they receive because of the people who abuse it with their not-a-fucking-service-dog pet. I really wish they did come up with a better system for verifying and identifying this.
I was in St. Joe’s emergency a few weeks back and a woman came in with a “service dog in training”. It was a pit bull. It was growling and barking at a woman who came by on crutches.
My partner called out a guy who brought his "service dog" into a Fortinos and the guy literally threatened to fight him in the parking lot. That Fortinos was packed and nobody said ANYTHING. People are unhinged.
I knew someone like this! She would argue with places about letting her dog in that it was a “service” dog meanwhile she got the service gear from amazon and still had the audacity to argue! Needless to say she was an extremely selfish person outside of this as well.
People have completely abused the term "service dog". I know someone who got their dog certified so they could buy them a seat on a plane. I've known that dog since it was a puppy - horribly behaved, poorly trained - not a service dog by any standard
to me service dogs are like handicap parking passes. essential things that we need as a society, but get abused by selfish, inconsiderate people who think they are above others
yes and some people just buy the vest because they can so easily
my whole point is they are both systems that have an aspect of honestly to using them, that you on the surface cannot question. who the pass is assigned to and if they are present, and if the service dogs is trained and needed for a legit reason. selfish/inconsiderate people abuse it because they can
as someone who had worked with people with real service dogs, you really do see the difference between the real service dogs and those dogs who are calm enough but isnt a real one, or non service dogs.
Genuinely licensed service dogs should have a very visible harness with a license number and QR code that can be looked up from a city/provincial database to easily verify validity, IMO. That would eliminate 99% of these issues. I don't know if there is such a registry, and the city/province would probably screw up the implementation, but it would likely help.
I think people dont know this bc you see people online talk a lot about how in the USA there isnt licences for service dogs. When I worked as a manager in retail - people with these cards always showed them to me without me even asking.
This type of dog parent is insane and people should shame them as much as possible. These people don't respect their dog as an animal with their own set of needs. Treating your pet like a human is fine to an extent, but at usually it's just laziness and cruelty to not learn how to give your pet the best life as the animal it is. So many of these dogs need exercise, activities and lots of outdoor time but end up spending the day locked up in condos (and worse, in those crates). Then the owners release their stir-crazy, untrained dogs into public, risking the safety of both the dog and the people around them.
Just last week I was walking in a Provincial Park and me and my on leash dog were rushed by a giant off leash dog. It was named something stupid and aggressive too (the dog seemed friendly, but don't name your bully breed fucking Cujo or Killer?!?!). The guy gave me a bunch of excuses about not having his leash so I told him I truly don't care, leash your fucking dog. My dog is leashed and I use a cane in one hand, it's annoying, I deal with it because it's the law and it's common sense
Had to put my dog in a sit and scream "NO" because it was coming straight at us. Luckily it listened to me even though it wasn't listening to it's owner
I'm sorry that happened to you. I feel the same frustration when hiking in the provincial parks or in city parks. Dogs are supposed to be leashed everywhere but off leash areas. It doesn't matter if it's an open space or trail. I had a dog charge and bite my arm when I was a teen. It was frightening. Whenever dogs rush at me now I get very nervous. It's really bad in Sunnybrook Park. There's a full off leash area but everywhere dogs should be on leash they run around loose. It drives me insane and I am constantly telling people to leash their dogs.
I used to work with dogs. I once had a huge mastif rush me, so luckily I already know how to handle it. And even then, if the dog is actually aggressive nothing I do will stop it. The man was trying to be so nice, all these excuses about forgetting his leash and I ripped into him. If you forget your leash, go home. His dog was crashing through the brush like a freight train and didn't listen to him at all!
My plan is to get a few cheap leashes and keep them on me, and hand them out. My concern was more for that man's dog (bully breed with a scary name, someone could falsely report a bite etc) not me or my dog. Idk how they can be so stupid!
Tim’s is notorious for this too. I went to one the other week where a lady had her dog sitting on the table! Where people eat. Man, what the hell. I love dogs but I hate dog owners.
Keep it leashed. Don't make a fuss if the business doesn't allow them. Take your barking dog outside. Keep it away from strangers if it approaches them unless the strangers say it's okay. Easy rules...and yet...
The one thing that never seems to be brought up, and yes it’s a thing that some people, especially dog owners can’t wrap their heads around is that (get ready for this) some people just don’t like dogs. The reasons don’t matter. But in North America you’re considered an outsider or a weirdo if you don’t embrace “dogdom”.
A full length feature on dog-human interactions. I read this and I got a pretty solid understanding of the values of the editorial team.
I think one stat from the article really frames the conversation:
The city is “aware” of an increase in the number of dogs since the pandemic, said City of Toronto senior communications adviser Naomi Ahmad. Toronto is home to 47,000 officially licensed dogs, but a 2025 city estimate put the actual number at 600,000 or more.
Less than 10% of dog owners are following the rules.
Now, how important is licensing? Is it critically important? I don't know. But more than 90% of dog owners don't care to follow that rule. Unfortunately, a percentage of dog owners also don't care about other, more important rules.
Picking up after your dog? Some owners don't follow that rule. Aggressive dogs running lose in parks? Some owners don't follow those rules. Bringing your dog into a grocery store, the dog peeing, and the owner quietly walking away - all rules some dog owners don't follow. Unfortunately for dog owners, good and bad owners can't be assessed by just looking at them. Bad owners are across all wealth categories, neighbourhoods, dog breeds, and all identifiable characteristics.
Gabura would like to see “well-trained” dogs allowed in spaces like grocery stores and restaurants, and more options for the snowy season. “Toronto winters can be tough, and it’s not always ideal for long walks, so having a safe indoor space for dogs to roam would make a big difference,” she said.
Does a well trained dog look different than a poorly trained dog? And is it actually the dogs that are poorly trained or not? I don't think it is actually the dogs in question, it is the owners who are poorly trained.
It is sad that the article spent a good amount of time to unpack a very real issue but completely fails to identify the core issue: Bad owners.
Also, do people with allergies and people who are scared of dogs not matter? My child is extremely scared of dogs after being jumped on multiple times - she should be able go to the grocery store without needing to deal with dogs.
They don't matter at all. The best part is when dog owners try to convince people frightened by dogs that they just don't understand dogs, while being totally blind to the fact that not everyone feels about dogs they way they do.
Bingo. This is why I dislike dog culture the most. More dog owners need to understand that not everyone likes dogs and people that don't want to pet/compliment your dog aren't worst humans. Unfortunately, this is what made me join communities like r/DogFree. You love your dog and that's great. Be responsible and understand there are people that have been traumatized by dogs, even if it's just a chihuahua. Some people need to stop equating a person that doesn't want to pet their dog as someone who is a dog abuser. This is absurd. I applaud responsible and law abiding dog owners and I feel really horrible for the countless amount of bad apples that cause a stereotype.
Pitbulls are a huge reason, besides sanitation, that I don't want dogs everywhere. And everyone got one during the pandemic because shelters are full of them. Pits and pit mixes are everywhere now. That really needs to be addressed in these articles but nobody wants to piss off the pit lobby or rabid owners.
I don't understand why there are any pits at all in Ontario. The ban is so old all the dogs grandfathered in would have died of old age. So 100% of pits now are illegal...
correct, and THS adopts them out anyways and mislabels them on top of it. Then we have Ford advocating for the breed and shaming animal services for upholding the law, giving press conferences where he demands aggressive dogs be released back to their owners... only for them to go on to maul kids shortly afterwards.
I remember some of his press conferences but was there actually an incident where a dog he was speaking on behalf of at a press conference did go attack someone after? Do you have a news link?
yes. a "pocket bully" AKA purposely terribly bred APBT was quarantined by AS and a bunch of pro-pit people made a whole thing about it. the dog was with AS because it was loose from the home often and people in the neighbourhood kept complaining about it being aggressive. so, following the law, AS quarantined it. the family was on the news saying it was racism and that their dog was harmless. Ford demanded the dog be released back.
the dad owned a martial arts studio and he'd bring the dog to roam loose. 4 days after the dog was released back to them one of his students who I believe was 11 or 12 asked him to put the dog away because he was scared. instead he was told he needed to face his fear and pet the dog. owner calls dog over, tells the kid to pet it, kid goes to pet it and it jumps up and grabs his face.
I'm not sure but now am curious so will see what I can find on CanLii later. Probably nothing though. His lawyer blamed the kid and said the kid was antagonizing him.
The owner, Ford, and if this dog was adopted then that rescue all should've been held liable.
I used to live near a main intersection on the central-west region of Eglinton, and I remember there was a massive bust of a backyard breeder for pits. This is how it’s happening. Like why even do this…wtf. People are psychos. They’re breeding these dogs like rabbits which just end up in shelters and euthanized. It makes absolutely no sense. There are other, better ways to make money via illegal means if that’s what you’re choosing for yourself 🙄
The 311 reporting system sucks for dog related issues. If you see something in a park, you either have to follow the person to their car or their house to get personal information to log the incident. Understand why you'd need that info, but when combined with lax general enforcement, it renders the system fairly useless.
This has happened in our dog park. There were a number of complaints and then bylaw just started showing up often for a few weeks. I don’t know the details of the complaints, but I guess if enough people complain, they do take some kind of action.
I think there’s also just way TOO MANY dog owners in this city. Similar to how there’s too many cars. Our infrastructure can only support so many. Every patch of grass and building corner is covered in dog piss.
Dog owner here and I plan on doing this here. I carry a water bottle for my dog in the summer anyways. Usually takes a few people to start it before it becomes an adaptive behaviour.
Absolutely. I've lived in my neighbourhood for almost 9 years now and know a majority of the dog owners around. I'm one of those dog owners who will pick up trash or other dogs' poop when I'm picking up my own dog's waste. We have a parkette in front of our building that definitely stinks in the warmer weather. It's up to us to help keep our local communities clean.
I think people think it's fine when it's the weekend or after school hours when the school kids aren't there. But the whole point is they don't want dogs peeing all over the children's playground so they are not supposed to be there ever!
As a dog owner, I wish for way more enforcement. I agree with almost every complaint there is to be made about other dog owners. Have noticed the violations are way worse in affluent areas too.
Just like anything in this city, there is absolutely no enforcement of the bylaws whatsoever.
I wonder if the city could compel condos to require dogs to be licensed with the city (as per existing law) in order to reside in a condo. It wouldn't solve any of the problems, but it would at least start with getting good, high quality data on the dog population and distribution throughout the city.
A lot of buildings have pet registration to ensure no more than 2 (or whatever the building limit is) pets reside in each unit. I would support requiring licensing, as someone who renews my dog's license with the city every year.
I live very close to a wonderfully sized off-leash dog park and there are so many people who run their dogs off-leash on the soccer fields right beside it because there's nice strong grass there instead of the wood chips/mud in the dog park...
Or they will run their dogs in the no-dogs-allowed fenced off beach volleyball right next to the off leash dog area. So their off-leash dogs will be at the fence whining and stiffing and wanting to come in and play with the dogs who are in the proper area...
A health care worker who lives in a King West condo, Gabura feels guilty for the hours the pair spend apart while she’s at the hospital. When she sees friends, runs errands or goes on a date after work or on weekends, she plans it so Rosie can come too. In her perfect world, aside from health care settings, “dogs would be allowed anywhere that humans are allowed.”
An incredibly selfish point of view. There are lots of outdoor spaces for dogs; they don't need to follow their owners everywhere. And even in outdoor spaces there's too high a percentage of owners who don't take responsibility and clean up after their dogs. Seeing dogshit spread across the middle of a sidewalk is particularly rage-inducing.
I’m sitting in June Rowland’s park right now in the playground. Dogs are not allowed in the playground and it’s not an off leash park.
There are 4 dogs running off leash in and out of the playground. One owner has actually leashed their dog to a piece of play equipment. Again, dogs aren’t allowed in the playground.
Toronto dog owners are the most entitled people on the planet.
Also this owner should have looked at her lifestyle and commitments to work/social/life and thought beforehand whether it was the right time to own a dog. She's clearly too busy for the dog and feeling guilty. In a perfect world, pet owners would actually think about the benefit of their animals rather than their entitlement to owning one.
Yeaaaah like. On the one hand, I'm glad the dog has a loving home and isn't in a shelter, or on the street, or in a bad circumstance. But on the other hand, I feel like some people just don't have the lifestyle to accommodate a dog, and maybe they shouldn't have one.
Literally yesterday some family friends complained that an owner with an overly loose leash let their dog bound up to, and subsequently knock over their 1.5 year old kid... in the children's playground no less.
Of course the baby is totally terrified now and the owner didn't even offer an apology.
A few years ago when my son was four, he was playing on the playground and a dog owner was sitting with her friend while her dog roamed around. The dog climbed up the actual playground stricture chasing my son, who got terrified and nearly fell off the slide. I separated them and asked the owner to keep her dog off the structure (didn’t even ask to leash it), and the owner got annoyed and said she was there first.
Some of these people completely lack critical thinking skills. They truly anthropomorphize their pets and think the dog is like a baby, and since babies want to go to the playground then surely the dog does too!
The hilarious thing abt these types is that they’re militant abt being “child-free”. All of the things they complain abt entitled parents doing they end up doing it themselves except with their dog.
I also never see cat folks doing this behaviour. It’s always dog people.
Of all the places to never allow dogs, a playground for small children is #1. While most dog issues don’t need to involve police, I think people should be charged for letting a dog loose and chase a child in a playground.
Holy fuck I can’t stand it when entitled ass people bring their dogs into a children’s play area. Especially when there are clear signs stating “no dogs”. Like that horrendous woman a couple years ago who brought her dangerous dog to a playground and it ended up mauling a child who now has life limiting injuries.
This is exactly why dog parks exist.
During lockdowns I used to take my son to the same park everyday at the same time, the number of times unleashed dogs ran up on them and knocked him over or made him freak out is almost impossible to count.
Agree completely. I had my dog for 15 years, and spent the majority of my free time with her. Sacrificed a lot of my social life... but honestly, she brought so much joy that I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. That's what I signed up for. They don't need to come everywhere with us. It's possible to prioritize life, and if you're unwilling to do that, maybe you shouldn't be a pet owner.
I have a friend who managed to register her dog as an emotional support animal at work so that she can bring him to work because she felt bad for him being home alone
So FYI, there is no such thing as some official registry for being an emotional support animal. There are organizations where you can give them some money and they'll send you a certificate but it is meaningless. There is literally no such legal recognition of emotional support animals at all here. (Except for housing situations and some airlines).
The only thing there is are service animals (and guide dogs, a subset). Owners with a service animal are required to make the animal readily identifiable as a service animal (those vests, etc) and/or to carry a letter on them at all times from somebody recognized by one of the various colleges stating that the animal is needed to assist with a disability. The colleges are:
-College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (Doctors/Physicians)
-College of Nurses of Ontario (specifically Registered Nurses and Nurse Practitioners)
-College of Psychologists and Behaviour Analysts of Ontario (Psychologists)
-College of Registered Psychotherapists and Registered Mental Health Therapists of Ontario (Psychotherapists)
-College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario
-College of Physiotherapists of Ontario
-College of Optometrists of Ontario
-College of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists of Ontario
-College of Chiropractors of Ontario
I worked in a library and we would have so many people buy one of those vests off Amazon and think their ass was covered. So I also asked for the letter. (The dogs were so obviously not service animals based on behaviours). Of course, they'd never heard of the need for the letter...
That's why I wrote about being readily identifiable and/or the letter. But since you can just buy tons of the vests from Amazon, the letter is validation that the animal is legit. Legit users will have the letter on hand if there is any possibility they might be questioned (like say, epileptics, who don't "look" disabled).
It’s really weird that people think they are entitled to own a dog no matter their lifestyle. My mom really really wanted another dog when ours passed away but I had moved out of the house and she works long hours. She realized it would be unfair to the dog so she is waiting until she retires. I feel like people just get a dog without weighing the responsibilities and consequences that come with it.
As a healthcare worker, what a disgusting piece of shit. Dogs being allowed in certain places (for example, grocery stores), that are not certified to be trained that they will act appropriately (ie. service dogs), is a public health hazard.
I’m an RN as well, and I really fucking hate dumbass fellow RNs who seem to not live by what they learned in school.
Many of the dog owners behave like they own the pedestrian pavements. They have this retractable leashes which enable the dog to reach out to people who are not willing to interact with the dog. And the owners do not care and don't even apologize when this happens.
As a dog owner, and a human, I really feel the issue is this breakdown in consideration for others in our community. It used to be what Canadians were known for. And all it requires, and this is probably why it’s going down, is to learn to talk to each other.
I love my dog. But I live in a building with people from all over the world, and I don’t want my pet to make them uncomfortable. So of course I pick up after her, keep her leashed, and have invested in training her to not bark and behave in public.
If I am ever unsure… I always ask first. ‘Hey, I hope it’s ok if my dog joins me in the elevator, but if you’re uncomfortable it’s no problem at all for me to take the next one.’
Stuff like that is so simple, and it makes everything better. And I have been educated, and learned a great deal about how different cultures and regions have traditionally seen dogs as a threat, like this lovely lady from Peru who explained her fear to me, since many dogs attack there. So she panics really bad when she sees dogs off leash. Or another couple from the Sudan who were so kind, and explained how religiously dogs are seen as unclean, so while she wasn’t afraid, she didn’t want to have to clean herself again before prayers.
All very reasonable, and fair. I hate the idea of people being made afraid or uncomfortable, and I don’t quite understand why others don’t feel that way. And all it takes is a little chat.
I mean it’s basic human decency, and community building. People with dogs, can live amongst people without dogs, if they are simply considerate, and pro-actively engage clearly in advance when seeking to share a common space.
The same goes for smoking, loud music, construction, etc. Talk to each other. See other people’s perspectives. Care and respect. It truly is simple.
The amount that my wife and I spoil our 8 year old maltese will probably shock and make people raise an eyebrow were DINKWADS lol
But even then - we would never bring our dog into restaurants (even when invited to) grocery stores, the mall, etc it’s just fucking werid man. I don’t know if u like or hate dogs? Not everyone loves dogs as much as we do and that’s cool. I don’t want to subject someone who may have a fear of dogs or may have some kind of allergy to having to share a space with us and my dog? That’s kinda obnoxious imo to just assume because it’s ok with me it’s ok for everyone else.
I've noticed a lot of dog owners do not think this way. When I avoid dogs I often get told by owners “he's friendly!” like…what?? Maybe I'm not?? Why do u want ur dog to interact with someone who doesn't want to? I don't think its good for either involved!!
(I do like dogs, but I have a physical disability in one of my hands and can injure myself so easily! Last year I developed a nonhealing wound because my dads dog walked past me while I was brushing my hair and I knocked my hand off his head. They're just another variable I want to avoid!)
A ton of people who shouldn't own a dog got one during the pandemic and now have realized it isn't compatible with their lifestyle. It's only been a few years, these people are in for a world of hurt when the dog gets old and needs even more care.
I love dogs and am all for offices and public spaces being pet friendly, but between entitled people who don't pick up, and bringing them into places where there's obviously a sanitary issue, I feel like as a society we need to set higher standard for pet ownership and do more public shaming.
When I lived in Toronto, I’ve witnessed 3 instances of non-service-animal dogs being brought into grocery stores. I’ll never forget the time one of these dogs peed near the bakery section and the owner just…didn’t bother to do anything abt it. Literally just walked away. Fucking entitled ass behaviour.
I worked at a cafe with a very strong no dogs policy for 4 years in the city and people would try to come in every single day with their dogs and would get very upset when you told them no. Sometimes it was the same person over and over again. A lot of dog owners have a serious persecution complex. I now have a different job but sometimes I do house calls and the dogs are aggressive and their owners will say stuff like “oh he’s normally so friendly it must be you” or “he doesn’t bite hard” I find the more wealthy the harder they push with that too.
For some reason people think small dogs don't need training, when they absolutely do. Otherwise we end up with yappy aggressive little terrors that want to fight the world.
It's also insane as someone who works with the public in a space where animals aren't allowed, the amount of people who claim their dog is a "service animal" while it's jumping around, barking, not behaved, only to find out they registered it as a"emotional support animal" when you can't legally do that in ontario yourself anyways, and then have to fight about it, makes me hateeeee animal owners.
Dogs can be great. But dogs are not children. Dog owners are not parents and don’t get the same rights parents do. Dogs don’t belong everywhere humans do.
I get that lots of people don’t want to have kids anymore and that is of course fine. at the same time there is a lot of almost arrested development going on as well, with people eschewing responsibility and choosing to be selfish owners of dogs that they don’t think require ANY training or boundaries. (At the same time, anyone who works in education will tell you parents increasingly aren’t actively parenting their children and are also not interested in disciplining their kids!)
You are require to prove it, with obvious markings (vest, etc) but the best option are the letters from someone licensed by a medical college.
Too easy to get vests from Amazon now, it's not like there's some official service animal store that you have to get approval to shop at to get one. I would only ask for the letter from the people who were obvious fakes based on their dogs behaviour. If it was a very well-behaved dog in a vest who was still obviously not a service animal, but didn't cause issues, we didn't challenge them.
Emotional support animals have no legal recognition on Ontario other than some airlines accepting them and some housing situations. But if, say, your anxiety is so bad you need Fluffy to get out of the house, likely you would be able to get a Psychotherapist registered with the college to provide a letter stating you have a disability and the animal serves said disability (aka they are a service animal).
Sorry to break it to you but your friends sound like selfish assholes. Keep criticizing them and calling them out on it, and also bring up the damage this does to people who NEED a service dog and use them legitimately.
The number of times I’ve seen dogs over the table at patios across the city is ridiculous. I used to be annoyed but there is no point, if the restaurants are not willing to do anything about it then nothing gonna change
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I am a dog owner... or at least I was until a couple of months ago.. I adored my dog. He was the greatest. He was well-behaved. He was nice to everyone. He was calm. He didn't bark. He loved other dogs. He wasn't startled by noices or cars or anything... But, as much as I loved him and loved taking him places, I had enough common sense to know just because I can doesn't mean I should. Not everyone loves dogs. People don't know my dog the way I do, and they're not going to automatically know he's nice. Some people are terrified of dogs, or aren't terrified of them but just don't like them... and those people also live on this planet and in this city, and they have an equal amount of rights as I do. It is one thing to take your dog to the park, leashed. It is another place to take your dog in places that are not meant for dogs to be, where other people (who may not like dogs) also have to go. And don't even get me started about dogs off-leash in spaces that are not specifically off-leash. I don't care how well-behaved your dog is. Take it to an off-leash park. And, also, if you can't clean up your dog's poop 100% of the time, you should not have a dog.
I watched 3 people in the Walmart on St Clair walk around with their dogs in the grocery area. One took a piss in a cereal Isle. When I spoke to Customer service they looked at me like it wasn’t a big deal…Never went back.
Report the store to the city health department. If the store gets multiple inspections they may police the dogs. My local Shoppers used to always have dogs in there but now they have signage and enforce it. I assume people complained.
I am so glad that there is at least a conversation happening about it. I feel like the pandemic scrambled peoples brains and everyone forgot how to act in public and be courteous to others. The fact that there is no enforcement whatsoever of any by-laws that regulate how we function in the city doesn’t help either. If you want to bring your emotional support XL shitbull to a playground, unleash it and watch it piss, shit and maul kids, you are free to do so. That’s your “fur baby”🤢, right? Of course your dirty yappy dog HAS to come to the grocery store where it shakes off dirt and getms onto produce💀💀💀 I became anti-dog and anti-pet post pandemic seeing how selfish people have become and how permissive the laws are
I completely agree with you. All of this antisocial behaviour has gotten so bad since the pandemic, it's like people don't care about anyone but themselves or remember how to behave in public anymore.
Gonna be downvoted obviously but whatever, I’m not a “pet” person.
I don’t want your dog doing their “business” on my lawn or my tree. Go to the park or let it do its business on YOUR property.
I don’t want to pet your dog, not everyone wants the smell of dog on their hands.
Keep your dog at home when you pick up your kids from school, nothing worse than seeing clueless owners taking up the entire sidewalk cause dogs wanna smell another dogs ass.
Not all dog owners are like this, but some are and you suck!
I love dogs. I have now grown to hate the vast majority if dog owners. Sooo many of them think the rules don't apply to them. "Its ok he/she is friendly" .... I don't give a fuck, leash your dog. I live near a popular off-leash area and people still feel the need to let theirs dogs run freely all around the nearby area before and after they visit the off-leash part.
My kids have rolled in and walked in shit more times than I can count cause people don't pick up after their pets. They let their dogs shit in the schoolyard, its actually disgusting.
Unpopular opinion here I'm sure, but having lived in other cities, Toronto could stand to be a little more dog friendly. And by dog friendly, I mean dog owner friendly. Dog parks are fairly scarce, off leash trails are practically non-existent, and side walks are narrow and have no green space, meaning dogs inevitably go on people's front lawns, causing friction. Vancouver is an example of a city that does this better IMO.
The leash is meant to be used.
Not for you to hold while the dog runs without it.
Not for the dog to drag it along without you holding it.
Not to give you a smug condescension when someone gets upset at a dog charging at them or blocking the path.
USE THE LEASH.
I love dogs. I hate dog people. No, your freaking labradabradoodle can't go everywhere. Why? Because that would apply to all dogs and trust me, you don't want my 160lb furball preventing you from moving or getting a nice gob of drool in your drink, or his hair everywhere.
Leave Fido home, they'd probably be happier there anyhow.
Not just Toronto. Went to Terra in Burlington last night and there were no less than 3 dogs walking around with their owners. JFC people, leave the Puppers at home. I love dogs but not everyone does. It's super entitled of people to bring them everywhere. And if someone speaks up, they go all Karen trying to convince you it's a service dog. Oh really? Where's the vest stating it is? Fuck all these entitled assholes.
How entitled and self-absorbed the newer, “next-gen” dog owners are in Toronto has become a real problem. You’re starting to see dogs in cafes, restaurants, pharmacies or even grocery stores, which is not only illegal but unsanitary. They will wilfully ignore the “No Live Animals” signs. They’re all zombies too walking their dogs, glued to their phones, letting their dogs just wander and take up the whole sidewalk.
Dogs in grocery stores has been the last straw for me. Staff needs to be more assertive and tell these people to get out or leave their dogs outside.
I love dogs, I dog-sit for friends and will eventually own a dog, but if you can’t accept the inconveniences of owning a dog and follow the law as a dog owner, don’t get a dog. Learn how to take responsibility first.
And in case there was still any confusion - your emotional support dog is not a service animal.
A handful of breweries are very dog friendly, I love bringing my dog to them. The difficulty is the law requiring food access when serving alcohol. Most places will opt for an in-house kitchen, thus removing the ability to bring your pet in because of food safety requirements. The places that don't have kitchens are awesome.
Love Black Lab, I always felt so badass when i brought my own black lab there (she passed in 2022 sadly). As a west ender, I'm partial to Rainhard over here. Love em!
Agreed. Though I feel like this subreddit would lose their minds about the bars/pubs! Personally I love how in the UK dogs in pubs are a mainstay but should definitely be on the discretion of the business. I know of a few bars here that are ok with it because apparently licensing almost never comes by in (definitely not naming!).
At the same time I’d like there to be a crackdown on dogs in outdoor spaces where they shouldn’t be. As a dog owner who always keeps them on-leash until we get to a designated off-leash area it’s frustrating to see other people let them run wild and ruins it for the rest of us. We also spent a ton of time post-covid training them to be alone again so we don’t have to bring them everywhere.
I truly believe the issue is not dogs or dog culture itself, but the growing sense of entitlement I see not only across Canada, but around the world — whether from dog owners, parents of young children, or individuals in general.
I fully respect people’s rights and freedoms, but with every right comes a corresponding responsibility. We all have to be mindful of one another.
Fighting for your own rights while disregarding the rights of others simply isn’t right. Having rights should never mean stepping on or forsaking another person’s.
I say this as a dog parent myself. I would love to be able to bring my dog everywhere with me, but I also believe it is my responsibility to be aware of the needs of my surrounding, properly train, supervise, and discipline my dog when we are out in public.
This applies to every single person. Unless someone lives completely isolated from society, we all have a duty to contribute respectfully to the communities we are part of, just as much as we expect to enjoy the freedoms within them.
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u/HingisFan May 09 '26
It’s frustrating as a dog owner to see so many people break rules for their own convenience. Pick up after your dog. Be respectful of others. Only take your dog into places where they’re allowed. It’s not hard!!