My dog doesn’t spew on them, swear at them, smell as bad as they do, abuse people, or hit them (well maybe if they’re eating a steak he may give them the ‘eye’). I’ve seen more people bite other people, than I have seen dogs bite people. My dog knows he can’t drive a car so doesn’t attempt to no matter how much he’s had to drink, doesn’t start a fight if someone calls him a mongrel, even though he’s not one, and is a hell of a lot cuter than most bar patrons.

Your first two sentences: bang-on.

Especially the bit about their being taken out the back and shot.

All the complaints by posters here about dogs’ habits apply equally, if not more so, to babies and children.

Most babies and children grow out of it. Dogs never do.

Dogs are substitute children and grandchildren.

They can be good companions, but the people who actually call them their children make me question their sanity.

I agree it depends on the dog. As a broad principle, they’re best kept out but if a bar owner wants to cater for that market he can do so – he just won’t be catering for another side of the market.

Usual deal, if you don’t like it, go elsewhere.

They mostly smell bad and if they don’t, they roll in something disgusting to ensure they do. I’d prefer not to have them allowed into bars/restaurants.

That said, my partner owns a dog. She tries to tell me that it is mine as well but I’m having none of that. The beast is all hers.

Generally of course nasty people have nasty animals and people who care for their animals also care for people. But a lot of city folk have little contact with the natural world nowadays and are scared of animals – not surprising when they see a lot of dogs whose owners regard them as defensive weapons.

It’s a sensible law change and a welcome reinstatement of common sense and property rights over bureaucratic control freaks.

Tough Guy Dogs are just not welcome in NZ

Working dogs are doing a job and should be payed, coz they do more work than some of the lazy dysfunctional tough guys do with the ridgey
Oh yeah, pick up your dog’s shit

And if some bar has a pet dog or cat, I don’t really care either. I don’t even care if a proportion of restaurants become “dog-friendly” and people bring their friendly family dog.

What I’m not looking forward to, is when some aggressive violent piece of shit mongrel comes into the local Chinese takeaways with his staffy-cross bred-to-fight shitbag on a choker chain, and demands that “it’s my rights” to bring the dog into the restaurant despite the protestations of the owner, and the uncomfortable glances of the other patrons.

Restaurants, by default, should be dog-free, and dogs should only be allowed if the place is established as a dog-friendly business.

And then, as others have implied, there’s the question of what the hell National is doing is parliament. Perhaps they would like to tackle issues surrounding house colour, or ergonomic chairs next.

Fortunately you can stay at home if you don’t like it. Where you belong… (if you can assert that dogs belong at home, then I can equally well assert that you belong at home).

Why do dog-owners want to foist their bloody mutts on the rest of us? Can’t they keep them at home, where they belong?