Has the UK gone too far with our love of dogs?

Katherine, Lilly the Dog and John at the 2024 Royal Norfolk Show

The UK is known for many things including: the roast dinner; constantly apologising and our love of ‘man’s best friend’, the humble dog. In fact, 31% of households in the UK own a dog, but have we gone too far in our love of dogs?

The rise of more dog friendly establishments has risen drastically in the UK with shops such as John Lewis, Lush, Oliver Bonas, Waterstones and Jarrolds opening up their doors to all dogs (assistance/service dogs were always welcome) although they do ask that dogs be kept away from eating areas.

However, not everyone feels comfortable around dogs, and with an estimated 35% of the population being allergic to dogs and with at least one in 20 people suffering from Cynophobia (fear of dogs), it is no surprise that there are people against the rise in dog friendly establishments.

In fact, a Royal Veterinary College study published this year suggests that dogs purchased during the lockdown are struggling with bad behaviour.

During the lock downs, more households than ever ended up adopting/purchasing a dog, often driven by loneliness and the decision made easier by households either being furloughed or working remotely. This did mean however, that breeders were not necessarily checked and people did not consider what would happen once restrictions were lifted and people went back to working out of the home again.

Of course, this is not the case for everyone but the impact of dogs not being socialised or trained properly has resulted in an increase of dogs with behavioural issues and unfortunately it seems that rates of dog attacks have gone up in recent years. The BBC reported that since 2018, attacks have risen by 38% in the UK, especially in Kent, Sussex and Essex.

In an increasingly dog- friendly public realm, people who do not like dogs are gathering on Internet chat sites like Reddit to make their views known and often to vent their frustrations. One example of this is the Sub Reddit called r/Dog Free which has a community of sixty three members from across the world.

They have a survey which encourages their followers to answer questions about why they do not want dogs around them. The SubReddit is also filled with negative articles and comments about complaints regarding the rise of dog friendly businesses and even complaints about service dogs. The survey suggests that 51.3% of those who answered the survey were afraid of certain dog breeds, whilst 43.8% of the survey takers disliked dogs in general.

However, something that is perhaps forgotten is the importance of Assistance/Service dogs, who help their owners with everyday tasks and are highly trained for this purpose. Essentially, they know how to behave in public and are essential for the owners to live a normal life.

Emotional Support Animals also need to be considered, as they are still not officially recognised as Assistance dogs in the UK, despite them also helping their owners.

However, charities such as Emotional Support Animals are trying to change this, and Emotional Support Animals can now be registered on the Emotional Support Animals Registry and supplied with the correct paperwork, thus helping more people to live an independent life.

Norfolk especially has developed more dog friendly places (although to be fair, Norfolk has always been fairly dog friendly), you can even go to a Doggie Diner in Cromer and treat your pooch to a doggo friendly afternoon tea! Of course, there is also something for the humans too. Many pubs now are offering dog friendly roast dinners and rooms so your pooch does not have to stay home.

I spoke to Miss Zsa Zsa, Editor of ‘The Barking Bugle’ (an award winning website and publication based in Norfolk) and she agrees that some dogs have definitely been affected by lack of socialisation and their owners constantly being around, but with training and care they can work on these issues.

In general, Miss Zsa Zsa approves of the rise of dog friendly places, and believes that there is space for everyone and “it really isn’t an issue”.

There is a difference between dog friendly and places that welcome dogs though.

As an example, many pubs still have the option for dog free dining and there are situations when owners do not feel comfortable taking dogs to the beaches due to litter left behind by humans. Miss Zsa Zsa also pointed out that although dogs can sometimes make messes, it is the responsibility of the owners to clean up after their dogs and if an owner is sensible, there is no reason that the two sides cannot get along.

Overall, perhaps it is best to live and let live!