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Same reason entitled dog owners take their dogs into grocery stores, restaurants, retail stores, etc...
They just can't bear to be without their dog for any period of time, and they assume that everybody will love their dog being around. Um, no. We don't.
I've taken my dog on-leash into a few retail stores where his presence is allowed (I asked a manager or salesperson first); mainly on a warmer day when it would be impossible to leave him in the car (and there are reasons why, which I don't feel like going into, that it would be extremely difficult to leave him at home). I certainly don't bring him into grocery stores or restaurants; it's against the law. When I do take my dog into a retail store; I make sure he's relieved himself outside prior to going in; I keep him on-leash (a short leash too), and I don't allow him to interact with anyone unless the person indicates that they want to meet/touch my dog.
Dog parks sound innocuous enough in theory, and they're undoubtedly well-intended, but in reality the overwhelming majority of them represent little more than roulette-styled liability concerns and should not exist. I try to be as polite as possible when saying that, but it's the truth.
Insofar as the topic title is concerned: People disregard posted signage and/or simply act without commonsense in general, and far too often. Although I will admit, I would side with the dog owner whenever there is nothing either posted or enacted by law that prevents a dog from being in a specific public area while on-leash. If there were to be a child with an irrational fear of dogs present, I would simply leave or try maintain a reasonably generous distance out of respect for that child's condition, however, and would encourage anyone else facing such a situation to do the same. The only real exception to that I could see would be where an individual with a legitimate service dog is present. In that case, it becomes the responsibility of the parent to remove the child with the irrational fear from the situation if need be.
I guess where I have lived, the vast majority of places didn't have signs posted against dogs at parks. I take my dog to a park because I have kids who I am also taking to the park. We are all getting out and playing. If no one else is there, I will let me dog off leash to explore (after she has already gone to the bathroom so she wont go in the kid's play ground). Of course I keep an eye on her and I know she will come when called.
If I see a sign, I wouldn't take my dog there. I am a rule follower. But if I was just passing through, and my dog was on a leash, why not?
OP, I think you need to consult a therapist to help your daughter with her dog phobia. No, it isn't normal. The world isn't going to change to suit her...you need to help her adapt so she isn't scared so much.
I don't take kids or dogs either one to playgrounds, but I suspect that there are a lot of families with children who also have a dog. Both the dog and the children are taken out for their outing and walk at the same time.
Any child with a phobia about dogs needs treatment. There will be dogs everywhere she goes for her entire life and if she is afraid of dogs, she will be emotionally crippled and live in near constant fear and anxiety.
Same goes for the child's mother who thinks the rest of the world should accommodate her and teh child instead of trying to help the child fix the problem.
Exactly. When my kid grew up playing sports in the neighborhood at the school fields (which is where our township leagues played), EVERYBODY brought their dogs (on leashes). For games and practices.
It wasn't even a question. And I don't remember any dog owners being rude about letting their dog infringe on anyone else OR parents having a conniption because dogs were there.
I DO agree that dogs don't belong IN a formal child's playground because so many dog owners wouldn't pick up waste AND you don't really want your little kid falling down on it or urine or whatever.
Where I live, I see dogs being walked frequently by their owners on many streets and sidewalks. I've seen dogs tethered outside more than one grocery store. A dog-phobic person living in my town could not avoid dogs unless he/she never walked on the public streets and sidewalks.
When I was a child, my mother was able to take our well-behaved dogs to the doctor's office, the beauty parlor, department stores and other retail establishments. When the rules changed, she stopped doing so. That was a long time ago...
Where did you live? How long ago was this? I am 64 years old and I never even once saw a dog in a doctor's office, in a beauty shop, in a department store or other retail establishment until the last few years. I grew up in a rural area and while some/many people had dogs in the pickup trucks they certainly did not take them into their doctor's office or into a department store. I later lived in a rural area in another state and again while dogs may be in their pick up truck they did not go with their owners into offices & stores. I also lived in the largest & second largest city in my state and again did not see dogs in those places.
Now, I will mention that in college in the 1970s there were several students who were blind who had leader dogs (seeing eye dogs) on campus and of course the dogs went everywhere that they went. Also, during the 1990s there was a special education consultant in my area who was blind who also had a leader dog. Other than that I do not recall ever seeing a dog in all of those places (until recent years).
Last edited by germaine2626; 09-17-2016 at 04:25 PM..
Where did you live? How long ago was this? I am 64 years old and I never even once saw a dog in a doctor's office, in a beauty shop, in a department store or other retail establishment until the last few years. I grew up in a rural area and while some/many people had dogs in the pickup trucks they certainly did not take them into their doctor's office or into a department store. I later lived in a rural area in another state and again while dogs may be in their pick up truck they did not go with their owners into offices & stores. I also lived in the largest & second largest city in my state and again did not see dogs in those places.
Now, I will mention that in college in the 1970s there were several students who were blind who had leader dogs (seeing eye dogs) on campus and of course the dogs went everywhere that they went. Also, during the 1990s there was a special education consultant in my area who was blind who also had a leader dog. Other than that I do not recall ever seeing a dog in all of those places (until recent years).
I'm a wee bit older than you and that has been my experience also, and we lived a lot of places as a military family. I still remember while getting my masters reading a newspaper article about a blind college student who recieved a seeing eye dog and the discussion about it - it was quite a novelty and created a healthy amount of buzz and cocktail talk.
This taking your dog everywhere is a new phenomenon and has exploded over the last five years. The rules and regulations that will create some breaks on it are bound to come soon.
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Where did you live? How long ago was this? I am 64 years old and I never even once saw a dog in a doctor's office, in a beauty shop, in a department store or other retail establishment until the last few years. I grew up in a rural area and while some/many people had dogs in the pickup trucks they certainly did not take them into their doctor's office or into a department store. I later lived in a rural area in another state and again while dogs may be in their pick up truck they did not go with their owners into offices & stores. I also lived in the largest & second largest city in my state and again did not see dogs in those places.
Now, I will mention that in college in the 1970s there were several students who were blind who had leader dogs (seeing eye dogs) on campus and of course the dogs went everywhere that they went. Also, during the 1990s there was a special education consultant in my area who was blind who also had a leader dog. Other than that I do not recall ever seeing a dog in all of those places (until recent years).
When I was a young adult I lived in a small town and my dog was a minor celebrity. I was often sent out to the car to bring in my dog (she was always with me and it was a climate where dogs could be left in the car most of the year besides a few days) just so people could love on her. Offices, stores, gas stations, restaurants. Never the doctors office (ETA but once the nurse practitioner walked me out to my car to play with her).
When I moved to a big city, it was clear my dog wasnt welcome *anywhere*. I am almost positive it was a small town thing.
Where did you live? How long ago was this? I am 64 years old and I never even once saw a dog in a doctor's office, in a beauty shop, in a department store or other retail establishment until the last few years. I grew up in a rural area and while some/many people had dogs in the pickup trucks they certainly did not take them into their doctor's office or into a department store. I later lived in a rural area in another state and again while dogs may be in their pick up truck they did not go with their owners into offices & stores. I also lived in the largest & second largest city in my state and again did not see dogs in those places.
Now, I will mention that in college in the 1970s there were several students who were blind who had leader dogs (seeing eye dogs) on campus and of course the dogs went everywhere that they went. Also, during the 1990s there was a special education consultant in my area who was blind who also had a leader dog. Other than that I do not recall ever seeing a dog in all of those places (until recent years).
My mother took the dogs to her doctor when I was quite young, so I didn't go with her; but she told me that she was able to do so, through the early 1960's or thereabouts. I can vaguely remember having the dogs along when my mother took me clothes-shopping, when I was a child. I remember seeing my dogs go up and down an escalator in a building that had shopping and restaurants in it (mid-1960's, I think); because our Irish Setter was not very happy doing the escalator and moved even quicker and more delicately than he did normally. And I remember my mother taking the dogs when she went to the beauty parlor. Later, the beauty parlor owners mentioned that there were laws against it, so we didn't take dogs into the beauty parlors any more. I also remember observing that our dogs were quiet in public, and better behaved than at home; and not just because they were on-leash.
I grew up in a Massachusetts suburb. I don't seen any dogs (other than service dogs) inside grocery stores or most retail establishments. I do see dogs occasionally with their owners in the post office; and have been known to take my dog inside if it is warm outside; on-leash of course. There is one bookstore in my town that allows dogs inside, at least it did a couple of years ago, the last time I went there.
My mother took the dogs to her doctor when I was quite young, so I didn't go with her; but she told me that she was able to do so, through the early 1960's or thereabouts. I can vaguely remember having the dogs along when my mother took me clothes-shopping, when I was a child. I remember seeing my dogs go up and down an escalator in a building that had shopping and restaurants in it (mid-1960's, I think); because our Irish Setter was not very happy doing the escalator and moved even quicker and more delicately than he did normally. And I remember my mother taking the dogs when she went to the beauty parlor. Later, the beauty parlor owners mentioned that there were laws against it, so we didn't take dogs into the beauty parlors any more. I also remember observing that our dogs were quiet in public, and better behaved than at home; and not just because they were on-leash.
I grew up in a Massachusetts suburb. I don't seen any dogs (other than service dogs) inside grocery stores or most retail establishments. I do see dogs occasionally with their owners in the post office; and have been known to take my dog inside if it is warm outside; on-leash of course. There is one bookstore in my town that allows dogs inside, at least it did a couple of years ago, the last time I went there.
In the 1950's/1960's dogs would go with you to town, where they either sat or laid outside the building waiting for you to come out, stayed in the bed of a pickup truck, or were tied to a pole of some sort. People pet them, talked to them, and whatnot, but they didn't go inside. The butcher in one place we lived would give you leftover scraps for them if they were sitting outside his shop (somehow our dogs knew when it was Tuesday, our family's butcher shop day). Very few of my friends had dogs that even lived inside the house, most had dog houses or some more informal outside shelter. They did wander around more on their own back then. I still remember the rant my father went into when we moved to the first place that required the dog to be licensed.
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I was born in the city; and our dog, who was several months older than me; never saw the inside of a dog house. A few years after we moved to the suburbs, we acquired our second dog; a Basset Hound. My mother decided to make her an outdoor dog; a resolution which lasted one night, during which the young dog howled and would not stop. She spent the rest of her life as an indoor/outdoor dog; but always spent the night inside, often on my parents' bed with her canine brother...
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