Do You Take Your Dog Into Stores With You?

[wdwmom2]

Poochie and Kaylajr,

You guys are in the minority. I usually get more ewe's than awe's!!! It was a big joke at work when I got him. They set out a collection jar with a "Make a Wig Foundation" label taped across it !!! But thanks for thinking he's cute. He really does grow on you!!

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I personally wouldn't take my animals to stores with me. One dog is so friendly that he would whine and paw at every person and dog that he saw, which even I find annoying and I love him. My other dog has dog aggression issues that we've worked on her with and she's doing much better, but I wouldn't put her in the position of being in a closed in environment where she would likely come in contact with other animals (ie Petsmart) and I would never bring the dogs where they were not welcome.

Glad to know that Richmond is a dog friendly city! If I ever have dogs that I can travel with easier I will remember that.

 

[luv2nascar]

I was in Lowe's last night and a woman had a small dog in the shopping cart. They had a sign on door no door except service animals??? And to boot the dog was not friendly it growled everytime she passed someone. What the heck was she thinking.

 

[summerrluvv]

BUT, if other people do, it never occurs to me to get upset. I have trouble understanding how so many people get so irritated by things others do that really have little to no effect on them.

Allergies
Dog Bites
Pee/Poop in shopping carts
Animal Hair on clothing
Pet Dander

Those are all valid reasons for getting irritated by someone bringing their pet into a store where it doesn't belong.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Allergies
Dog Bites
Pee/Poop in shopping carts
Animal Hair on clothing
Pet Dander

Those are all valid reasons for getting irritated by someone bringing their pet into a store where it doesn't belong.

So I guess you (or someone with allergies) wouldn't go into a store like Petsmart, even if it was just to get fish food. Mind you. I've been totally grossed out there when I've seen dog poop or pee that someone has just left there and not cleaned up. If your dog has an accident, clean it up!!! And of course that's a store that a highly allergic person would expect not to go into and it wouldn't be a surprise.

Many places in Europe allow dogs. I wonder how they handle this issues.

 

[summerrluvv]

Dogs with "normal" personalities don't just bite someone because they stick their hand out to pet them - it takes SIGNIFICANT provocation for something like that to happen. Yes people have stories about being bit by a dog without reason but I suspect most of those dogs haven't been properly socialized or have problems either been undetected or ignored (not trying to excuse the bite). Frankly I trust my dog more than some of the people/kids who come up to him - I'm absolutely amazed at the way many kids approach a strange dog, even a friendly looking one like mine! Clearly they haven't been taught how to do that properly and safely, so we spend a lot of time "educating" kids on how to make friends with a strange dog - not because I'm worried about my dog's reaction (he's a goofy lab) but because the next dog they start bonking on the head HARD to get his attention might not be so forgiving.....

I think it's the pet owners responsiblity to make sure their dog doesn't bite someone no matter what the circumstances. If you aren't 100% sure your dog (not meaning you personally) will not bite someone, it shouldn't be out in public with the potential of being around children. Children are impulsive sometimes regardless of what they've been taught. I've taught my son to NEVER touch someone else's dog, but there could be that one day where he reaches out his hand to do so, touches a dog wrong and gets bitten. We get quite a few dog bite cases at work and guess who usually wins..not the pet owner.

 

[summerrluvv]

So I guess you (or someone with allergies) wouldn't go into a store like Petsmart, even if it was just to get fish food. Mind you. I've been totally grossed out there when I've seen dog poop or pee that someone has just left there and not cleaned up. If your dog has an accident, clean it up!!! And of course that's a store that a highly allergic person would expect not to go into and it wouldn't be a surprise.

Many places in Europe allow dogs. I wonder how they handle this issues.

You probably wouldn't find me in a Petsmart since I have no need to be there. I was mainly talking about the issues of bringing animals into other establishments where there would be no need for it...i.e. a store or restaurant not catered toward pets like a pet store is.

I can't even tell you how many people in our development don't clean up after their dogs. One day my son rolled his plastic lawnmower right through a pile. Really gross

 

[Taylor]

I take Brutus to our local Outdoor World-Bass Pro Shop. They allow dogs in the store and the big guy gets a lot of attention.

 

[cstraub]

How will you keep the people that don't control their dogs from going out in public places? Will there be a law that states only certain dogs are allowed in stores?

It's "cute" to take your dog to the grocery store or in a restraunt when it's just one. What if it was 20? Dogs can be assertive towards each other as well. If you allow everyone to take their dogs everywhere you'll have to be prepared for a lot of barking and growling. Dogs in groups tend to get excited and unruly. You are always going to have different opinions on what is and what is not exceptable dog behavior. Is letting your dog smell another dogs butt in the restraunt ok?

There is just way to much involved with this to be a practical idea. Don't get me wrong, I love dogs and always smile when I see them in public but I think a lot of them in public at one time would just be out of hand. You are going to get people who diagree with what is ok and what is not ok for dogs to do in public.

Think about the last time you waited in vet office when it was busy. Dogs are growling, peeing, pooping and it reaks! Would you want to see that in a restraunt or grocery store? As much as I love dogs I COULD NOT bring myself to eat anything in a vet office.

Like I said before, one dog in public is "cute".......20 is not. How would we regulate that?

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I can't even tell you how many people in our development don't clean up after their dogs. One day my son rolled his plastic lawnmower right through a pile. Really gross

We see that, too, and I am totally grossed out by that and I am a dog owner. How hard is it to bring a bag with them when they take a walk? Or at the very least, they can find a twig or a leaf and flick it off the sidewalk. One time someone let their dog leave a BIG pile right where the bus stops for the elem kids. We had fun keeping the kids from stepping in it!

 

[phillybeth]

I was in Lowe's last night and a woman had a small dog in the shopping cart. They had a sign on door no door except service animals??? And to boot the dog was not friendly it growled everytime she passed someone. What the heck was she thinking.

Maybe he was a service animal. They are not just seeing eye dogs. Emotional support animals for people with phobias or other serious psychological problems are also consideree service dogs and cannot be excluded.

 

[Planogirl]

How will you keep the people that don't control their dogs from going out in public places? Will there be a law that states only certain dogs are allowed in stores?

That's exactly what I was wondering. It's nice that responsible pet owners wouldn't allow their dogs to run amuck or to bother other patrons. But how do we keep the irresponsible pet owners from causing problems?

Also, before someone uses poorly behaved children as an excuse to allow poorly behaved dogs everywhere, frankly it would be nice to exclude them too! However, we're not allowed to discrimininate against spoiled brats but dogs are given no such rights as far as I know.

 

[summerrluvv]

Maybe he was a service animal. They are not just seeing eye dogs. Emotional support animals for people with phobias or other serious psychological problems are also consideree service dogs and cannot be excluded.

Oh good grief, where does it end? Anyone could go into a store saying their dog is a "service dog" for emotional support.

 

[Planogirl]

Oh good grief, where does it end? Anyone could go into a store saying their dog is a "service dog" for emotional support.

This stuff is kind of strange. Also, what if that person needs a horse or a chicken or an ostrich?

I guess that there really has to be a line drawn somewhere.

 

[Cindyluwho]

First of all I'm a total animal lover! I have 3 dogs, 2 cats and 10 chickens (with 2 dozen eggs in the incubator as we speak). Anyway, as much as I love animals I think it's perfectly OK for someone NOT to love animals. I absolutely don't judge a person just because they say they dislike animals in their home. It's their home, for heaven's sake, it's not for me to say that they should of shouldn't allow animals. As far as stores are concerned, if a store decides to be animal friendly, that's their right as well. If you don't like it, shop somewhere else. This is America after all, the land of shopping, there's plenty of stores to shop at. On the other hand, if you own a pet and want to take it to a store make sure the store allows pets and don't throw a fit if they don't. It seems simple enough to me.

Now for my rant - all you animal lovers, why pick on the folks who don't like or even say they hate animals. And all of you animal haters, why do you care if I love my dog and why do you feel it's perfectly OK to judge me because I have a little foofy dog that hangs out with me? GEEZ you guys, have some frickin' tolerance and some respect for each other! With these kinds of attitudes it's not surprising how intolerant the US is these days.

OK, I'm off my soapbox now. But please folks, play nice!

 

[summerrluvv]

This stuff is kind of strange. Also, what if that person needs a horse or a chicken or an ostrich?

I guess that there really has to be a line drawn somewhere.

I could just picture someone going into Lowes with their ostrich and when questioned, saying he needs the ostrich there by his side for his emotional well being while shopping

 

[Planogirl]

I could just picture someone going into Lowes with their ostrich and when questioned, saying he needs the ostrich there by his side for his emotional well being while shopping

We have a few ranchers in the area that have ostriches so you never know.

 

[summerrluvv]

We have a few ranchers in the area that have ostriches so you never know.

I used to work for a major vitamin manaufacturer and the CEO had ostriches on his ranch in CA. I took a business trip there once and saw them in person and boy do those things smell and they sure aren't pretty!! I think he spent something like $4,000 a week feeding them all. Crazy!

 

[binny]

I dont want pets in carts without a bag but if its on a leash I dont mind. Ive seen signs that say "Pets on leashes only" so I DARE you to find an ostrich that will let you put a leash on it!


Here is a great website that talks about Pet travel and this particular page has to do with Europe http://www.pettravel.com/0001215.cfm



I actually think its kind of arrogant to be grossed out by how other countries handle the whole pet thing. A lot of societies are more pedestrian focussed than the US is, so if are walking your dog anyway, wouldnt it be nice to stopin and grab something you need from the local store instead of making another trip on foot?

 

[binny]

as far as other animals being used as service animals I can tell you that several are. Including but not limited to cats ( you would be amazed at how comforting a cat can be to someone who has anxiety issues) and monkeys, yes monkeys and other animals may be included.



interesting reading from the fair housing council

http://www.metrokc.gov/dias/ocre/animals.htm