Pub Near London Sparks Outrage for Allowing Dogs but Not Kids

The Lower Red Lion in St Albans near London has gone viral for posting what they probably thought was a fun, cheeky message on their chalkboard easel that reads 'Dog Friendly, Child Free.'

This photo has over 61 million views at time of publication.

The tweet, shared by X user @HifromKyle has ignited yet another Internet firestorm, and the babies vs dogs crowd have all come out to debate.

One person commented, "It’s interesting to see parents of small children in the comments pretending they are a protected minority class being hatefully excluded by this bar when the only reason they are parents is because they chose to be. Child free spaces are not an example of bigotry." Another added a comment I can totally agree with, "I would protest this because my cats don’t seem welcome, but they are little weirdos anyway."

Won't someone make a bar that allows cats?!

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I'm gonna take the Melanie Smooter played by Reese Witherspoon in the 2002 movie Sweet Home Alabama side on this. I don't need to see a baby in a bar.

Now, I have a pile of mostly grown kids. I adore children. Not other people's children usually, but my own. But even when they were at their most adorable, chubby-fisted, precocious and precious toddler phase did I ever haul them to a pub or a bar.

You wanna know why?

Because I went to pubs and bars to escape my children, and I think a lot of parents feel the same.

Sure, if I'm at an adult beverage venue with a large patio where they also serve food it's totally fine to see some random baby or kid at lunch with their parents. But if I'm inside at a dimly lit joint with pinball machines and the Stones on the jukebox I want to slurp down my double vodka tonic and not see some kid playing Roblox on their iPad or heaven forbid, listen to some crying baby.

Having the option of petting a well-behaved dog sitting next to a bar stool while their owner enjoys a cocktail? I'm all in on that.

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I draw the line at hanging out with dogs in a bar where food is also served, unless the dogs are on a patio. As much as I love dogs I also don't want pet fur in my French fries, and I don't want a dog begging me for bites while I'm enjoying a burger. I can get that at home, thank you.

You can still love and appreciate kids without having them go wherever adults are allowed to go. It doesn't make you a bad person to want to eat a meal or go to a pub or even an adult movie without listening to some toddler screaming about Bluey in the background.

Now, if I went to a bar and there were twenty dogs barking at the same time that would annoy me too, but I think the majority of dog owners wouldn't bring their reactive dog to a bar or restaurant anyway. I think the problem is that a lot of parents with a crying baby would bring that baby to a bar or restaurant and think it's their right and it's just what babies do.

I've been at adult places like a fancier restaurant or a grownup movie where a baby has started crying and the parent has gone outside with the baby to soothe them and that's good manners. It's great. If every parent behaved that way I probably wouldn't mind it as much.

But I'd still rather coo over your dog at the bar than ooh and ahh over your baby.

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