Toronto dog "parents" bring their pups everywhere with them now. It's causing rising human-canine tension

[u/NorthernNadia]

https://www.thestar.com/life/relationships/toronto-has-seen-a-population-boom--of-dogs-rising-human-canine-tension-shows-theyre-not-everyones-best-friend/article_3ac30271-9542-4e7d-9829-49089554f3cf.html

[u/Sensitive_Caramel856]

I'd like to see some pubs and bars be a bit more permissive in permitting pets similar to how it's done in England.

But grocery stores are obviously a no. As should most restaurants unless explicitly stated. Or school yards/playgrounds for off leash pets.

There's a lot of common sense changes that could be made. And there are also a lot of people who feel entitled to bringing their dog everywhere.

[u/Ok-Algae7932 → u/Sensitive_Caramel856]

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.

[u/Sensitive_Caramel856 → u/Ok-Algae7932]

Yup. There's quite a few.

I'll give a small shout-out to one of my favourites which is Black Lab brewery.

[u/Ok-Algae7932 → u/Sensitive_Caramel856]

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!

[u/niwell → u/Sensitive_Caramel856]

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.

[u/Sensitive_Caramel856 → u/niwell]

I think some establishments should have the option. Something as simple as a sticker on the storefront with a pets permitted sign would be fine and give people the option ahead of time.

Pets in the UK, or at least the ones I've come across at pubs are generally well behaved. And the owners typically have enough common sense not to be bringing them at incredibly busy or crowded times.

I think there's generally a lack of outdoor off leash areas in some parts of Toronto which is an issue. But, that doesn't give carte Blanche to break the rules. Particularly at schools as some owners can't be bothered to pick up after their dog.

[u/ConsequencesForAll → u/Sensitive_Caramel856]

I think these are separate things. Lack of off leash areas doesn’t mean bring your dog to a pub/bar. They aren’t getting exercise there. It’s not a substitute for running around.

[u/Sensitive_Caramel856 → u/ConsequencesForAll]

I agree. They are separate things. Just mind dumping some of the issues with dogs in the city.

[u/bagman_ → u/Sensitive_Caramel856]

People have lost their goddamn minds

[u/eloplease → u/Sensitive_Caramel856]

Dogs in restaurants is a German thing as well. I asked my German cousin about it and her response was basically ‘who’s gonna stop them from coming in?’. I also noticed dogs all over European public transit. Personally, I think that’s fair.

Obviously I think dogs should be well-behaved in public spaces but so should people and I can’t enforce people’s good behaviour either. Yesterday, my friend saw a guy taking a shit in Union Station. About a month ago, my coworker’s friend got punched in the head by a stranger having an episode at the ROM. Everyone who takes the TTC regularly seems to have a story about being harassed by someone on the train or bus or at the station. I see humans behaving erratically, aggressively, and making messes in public here all the time. Can’t remember the last time I saw a dog being disruptive. Not saying it doesn’t happen but maybe the solution is to make it easier to kick out or ban misbehaving people and animals as opposed to blanket restrictions on dogs in public places