Dog life in the UK...

[elisa]

Long story short - I got a job in the UK and it seems we are all (me, my husband and Ansa the dog) moving to the UK next year (me first, rest later). What is it like with a dog there? Place-wise we are talking about what I would classify as a small city in the middle of nowhere.

I've been reading stuff on this forum and some fb groups that generally have people from the UK on them so I have some idea, but then the reality may be different. So if someone would be kind enough to answer some points I come up with here or point me to a website or something I'd greatly appreciate it. Or if I'm forgetting to think about something important. (Other than of course the actual move which is another matter.)

1. Dog walking. I see people walk their dogs on beaches and fields off leash. How do I know where to go and where not to go and what is the law on off leash dogs? And on leash dogs for that matter? Dog parks? (I do pick up after her, so that's not going to change.) Are there places dogs are not allowed at outside? (Here it is mainly official swimming places and the market at market time.)

2. General safety. Stories of dogs being stolen to be bait dogs and such - does not happen here... I never leave my pup alone outside. Where do I register her microchip?

3. Parasites and other health concerns. We don't get fleas here - only lice and ticks. Anything else I should worry about? Apparently the vets are cheaper there at least. But then I think there you have to get vaccinations yearly instead of every 2-3 years like here.

4. Getting an rental apartment? Really as difficult as some have me believe?

5. Transportation. We've never really needed a car, but here dogs travel well on public transport. I suppose unless there happens to be agility training right next to where we are moving we'll need one? We'll likely want to travel around anyways so I guess it would be easier especially with a dog. Or what is the policy on public transport (busses & trains) and dogs?

6. Dogs allowed in pubs? I understand dogs are generally more welcome in pubs and such there. This may make our walks more fun and get the husband to walk her more.

Change is never easy, but I am excited about my new job. And it may not be temporary...
Ansa the sprollie says she doesn't mind going to the green fields of her ancestral home as long as we are all together and have a nice home-cave.

[katej215]

Congratulations on your new job Elisa!!

From my experience ...how dog friendly a place is really depends on where you are in the country.. Where I live there are lots of dog friendly cafes and restaurants whereas when we head up North (besides places like the Lake District) it seems much less dog friendly..but I'm being very generalistic here, others may disagree. Generally you can take them into the bar area of most pubs and occasionally into the restaurant part of a pub.

We don't have Dog Parks in the UK...but small local parks tend to be full on under socialised rude dogs ..and would be somewhere I'd never go. Beaches can vary, near me dogs aren't allowed on the beach in summer (and there are signs saying such), other places they are allowed all year. I'm unaware on any on /off leash laws...my dog has always been off lead (unless there is livestock roaming) whenever we have been away walking /hiking. I would say that generally if you are not allowed to do something, there'd probably be a sign saying so.

You can travel with your dog for free on the train nationally (if its not busy Hattie normally sits on my coat on her own seat ....) but they're not allowed on Eurostar (grr). You can take them on the local bus not sure about coaches? and you can take them on london underground but must be carried on escalators.

In terms of safety..there are many horror stories of dogs being stolen in my area...so my dogs are never out of my sight but don't know if this is a national issue.

In terms of renting I have no idea...

In terms of parasites ..I've never had any issues with anything and I havent vaccinated since boosters...but I guess thats a choice thing, most vets recommend annually i think. ..

I'm sure others will add to bits I've missed. Good luck with the move

[JudyN]

1. Dog walking. I see people walk their dogs on beaches and fields off leash. How do I know where to go and where not to go and what is the law on off leash dogs? And on leash dogs for that matter? Dog parks? (I do pick up after her, so that's not going to change.) Are there places dogs are not allowed at outside? (Here it is mainly official swimming places and the market at market time.)

Some beaches allow dogs all year round, some allow them out of season (e.g. October-May), some don't allow them at all - and some allow them but have lead restrictions. But a quick google, e.g. Bournemouth beach dog restrictions, should tell you what is allowed on your local beaches.

Dogs are allowed off lead in most open spaces. Even where they say they should be 'under close control' this isn't enforced and most people ignore it. Places like formal gardens, grounds of stately homes, etc, either insist on them being on lead or ban them. I used to wonder why they weren't allowed in some formal gardens until I remembered the damage Jasper can do to a lawn with a quick scrat As far as I know, we have no official 'dog parks'.

One thing to bear in mind is that if a dog is spotted worrying sheep the farmer has the right to shoot it on sight.

2. General safety. Stories of dogs being stolen to be bait dogs and such - does not happen here... I never leave my pup alone outside. Where do I register her microchip?

I do hear a lot of these stories, though I suspect some are hoaxes. Dogs do get stolen, though. I'm not sure about the microchip, but when you register with a vet they should be able to tell you.

3. Parasites and other health concerns. We don't get fleas here - only lice and ticks. Anything else I should worry about? Apparently the vets are cheaper there at least. But then I think there you have to get vaccinations yearly instead of every 2-3 years like here.

There's lungworms, and other worms. Personally I use Wormcount (including a lungworm check) and haven't had to worm Jasper for a good couple of years, but I do use an oral flea treatment which covers ticks too. Vaccinations aren't mandatory, and the most up to date advice is to vaccinate 3-yearly for the core diseases (canine distemper, canine parvovirus and infectious canine hepatitis), and annually for lepto and parvovirus. Many people, like Kate, choose not to vaccinate, but I do.

6. Dogs allowed in pubs? I understand dogs are generally more welcome in pubs and such there. This may make our walks more fun and get the husband to walk her more.

It depends on the pub, and areas seem to vary - none of the pubs in walking distance from us allow dogs inside, but I haven't found one in Norfolk that doesn't welcome them! Those that don't allow them inside usually, but not always, allow them in outside areas if they have them.

Good luck with the move

[emmabeth]

Where are you moving to, the UK is so small theres a good chance one of us will be able to tell you what the area will be like, at least to a certain degree anyway!

I wouldn't worry about the scaremongering stories about bait dogs, genuinely I think dogs stolen for THAT purpose are very very few and far between because it basically makes no sense. These dogs turning up in rescues with horrible scarring are not bait dogs, genuine bait dogs die...

Dog theft IS a fairly big thing here but its easily addressed by not leaving your dog alone in a garden (particularly a front garden), or outside a shop, or letting them go off lead out of sight for long periods of time - all common sense stuff!

Renting - I don't think that renting with dogs IS quite as difficult as some people make out, but it does depend on where you are looking to rent and also how you approach the issue.

I tell people to make a portfolio about who they are as renters and include details about their dog - things that would make a property owner happy are things like, evidence of training courses, insurance and microchipping (ie, showing you are a responsible owner), and also offers to pay a higher deposit, or include a clause in the contract that states you'll get the carpets professionally cleaned before you leave, also a photo of your dog can often help.

The stumbling block when renting is that many landlords use a lettings agent who handles finding a tenant for them, and these guys are often a RIGHT pain in the ***. For example when I first approached one when I had a property I was letting out, I made it clear i WOULD welcome dogs where the owners met certain criteria (as above, evidence of basic training courses attended, dog insured and chipped and photo id for the dog so I knew which dogs lived there in case of any complaints or tenants sneakily adding more dogs)...

When they sent me the listing for the property they had automatically ticked 'NO PETS' which was absolutely wrong and really annoyed me as I had gone to some lengths to explain that I would rent to pet owners!

The way round that is to try and locate landlords or specifically ask agents to contact landlords and ask them about pets - another thing many landlords do is state no pets but when contacted by a good tenant, will then relax that rule - my friends landlord did just this but she had lived in the property for a year beforehand and he knew she was a good tenant, so he agreed that a puppy was ok!

There are of course pet-friendly lettings listings to help you find properties that welcome pets.

Oh, unless you are living in a fairly central area of a larger city, its more likely you will be renting a house than a flat/apartment - and houses are more likely to have dog welcoming landlords.


Public transport, as has been mentioned, trains except Eurostar, dogs travel free BUT... don't be surprised particularly on commuter routes to bigger cities, if people are TOTALLY aghast at you bringing a dog on the train. When I have done this I have been sure to say to anyone trying to sit next to me or at my table, that there is a dog under the table, but commuters tend to be in their own world (actually, British people on public transport tend to be in their own little trance!) and they don't hear me, the words don't register and then they sit down and a little face appears and they act horrified!

Buses will vary according to region, but the usual deal is that they are free or pay a concessionary fare (child fare), and they are carried at the drivers discretion, so sadly you might wait at the bus stop and then when the bus arrives, the driver will say no because he doesn't like dogs, or the bus is full, or there is already a dog on the bus. Its not usually too much of a problem though.

Annoyingly, some of the cities/towns that have an electric rail/tram service, you'll find that doesn't allow dogs on - this is the case in Manchester, where the Metrolink tram system does NOT permit dogs at all except guide dogs. Particularly galling as there is a stop built right outside the RSPCA charity animal hospital specifically for people going there that no one can use with a pet! Madness!

This may be the case in other areas with trams, I am not sure!

Dogs on leads are generally allowed outside in most places, where they are not allowed you will usually see signs. The law in the UK is that dogs actually CAN go inside in many places, for example shops and restaurants, HOWEVER.. most proprietors ban them as a rule, which is quite irritating!

Where I live (West Midlands, near Worcester), most of the pubs are either totally dog friendly or have a dog friendly inside area and also many local shops, cafes and restaurants are too, but when I lived in Manchester, almost all the pubs and shops were totally dog-unfriendly!

[Nettle]

Most of it is already covered and if you would let us know (without intruding on your privacy) if you are going into a town or country environment, we can help a bit more.

I live in the countryside - but as Emms says, England is very small so you are never all that far from a town. And we have no areas that are truly wild or that do not belong to someone. Our countryside has rights of way as in public footpaths, bridleways, byways and so on, where we are allowed to walk but might meet other users with which dogs are not compatible - for instance, bridleways will have horse traffic, some byways will attract offroad vehicles and motor bikes. It is not acceptable to wander off the designated paths, or to let your dog stray. There are pheasant pens, sheep and cattle, and during the shooting season, pheasants and partridges roaming freely. Dogs must not chase these. We also have a lot of deer in many areas, and dogs shouldn't chase these either. Some places have wild boar and these are nasty. So what looks as if it might be a peaceful rural walk can in fact mean you have your head on a 360 degree swivel, or else your dog on a lead. Similarly with stretches of water - if these are fished, anglers can get mighty irritable about a dog splashing about on a beat where they have paid a lot of money to fish. We have such small areas of public access that we have to be accommodating about the other users. And we have to be nice to landowners too, because without them we wouldn't have anywhere as lovely to walk.

It isn't as intimidating as that might sound, and you will find plenty of dog-friendly areas where your dog can run safely offlead. But the other day I met a lady and dog from Australia who had no idea about trespass laws and thought she could go anywhere she liked. You probably can in Oz, but certainly not here.

[elisa]

Thanks everyone! Little differences in dog culture will affect everyday life so it's great to get lots of replies.

I think the biggest difference is going to be our "everyday" walking places. Here we have like mostly forest all around but there it will be mostly fields. And yes Ansa is not used to livestock or deers - I have no idea what she would do. Just saw a horse today and it went surprising well, but off leash I'd rather not. Birds I think I could call her off from. Some training ahead for sure and a long line. And here by law you (and a dog on a lead) are allowed to walk anywhere, but as said walking in someone's forest is way different to fields. So public footpaths. Hmm are there perhaps maps of these online - googled and yes - handy.

And yes likely we will be renting a terrace house of some sort with a small garden hopefully. Luckily Ansa is great in the house. But yeah having a profile on her is a good idea. Adding in an adorable picture and our interest in agility, rally obedience and dog training in general. We are talking within 5 miles of Lincoln as I hate long commutes.

But yes lots to think about but luckily there's time to plan.

[Nettle]

Lincoln has two types of countryside - the Wolds, which consist of modest hills and a little woodland, (very modest compared with the rest of UK!) and flat reclaimed land (drained by Dutch engineers way back) known as the Fens. The Fens are intensively farmed, mainly crops, and there are plenty of public access paths. Fenland is divided mostly by vast deep drainage ditches called dykes in that area (elsewhere in UK they have different names). Be careful - you don't want your dog jumping in or trying to jump across.

Added to the deer experience, there are some of the biggest, strongest hares in England there. It's illegal for dogs to chase hares in UK now.

The English spoken is often heavily accented (I used to spend a lot of time there) and idiomatic. You will get used to it, but be prepared to spend time staring in trying to figure out what was just said. I did and I'm English

It is beautiful country with a lot of history.

[elisa]

I'm sure I'll spend a lot of time with a face to begin with - on more than just people's accents. Culture shock will hit even though I have spent a lot of time in Ireland and imagine I know what it is generally like. It is always different actually doing the everyday life in a place.

Hares are a problem for chasing. If only dogs understood the concept of illegality.

Luckily Ansa will not jump in a body of water though she is used to dipping her feet in shallow places and having a drink. Lots of lakes around here. (Never tasted salty water and I await to see her face when we go to a beach some day. Though she is also scared of waves poor thing.)

[Fundog]

Don't let her drink saltwater. It's not healthy. *green putrid face*