Doesn't really bother me, but here in Wisconsin don't really see it much. Over the holidays we went to a little craft beer bar/store in Highwood Illinois and the owners had their pit bull in there. His name was Tonka, like the truck, and he was like a truck. He was the sweetest dog, so friendly and well-behaved. The female owner said she was never scared to close with Tonka there.

I also wanted to welcome Cynic back.

Pets/animals are not to be around any food items, against the law.

I heard of a place downtown there they had a pet themselves part of it all and they were told on and so they were told pet had to go, they said the pet mainly stayed on the bookside and not the cafe side, no, they can still get in and so either you put it out or we shut you down.

I wouldn't want pets to poop or pee and fur all over foods I buy, I wouldn't dream of taking my pet inside, my dog stayed in car screaming for mommy, so can theirs.

I have seen too many get away with it hidden in their huge bags they carry.

kathy

Yesterday morning we were at the grocery store early, around 7:30. I was hearing a dog barking as we were walking up to the door. He was tied to a pole inside the entrance, in the walkthru before the main doors. It was frigid outside, and he and his owner were out walking. She was at the counter and I asked if it was her dog (it was). I commented how friendly he was, and he was asking me to pet him, so of course I did. A nice Lab. She said he just loves people. It was perfect for him to be out of the elements, but not inside the store where food is all around.

Dogs in stores and restuarants don't bother me at all. I am used to it from traveling in europe. When relatives visit here, they don't understand why the dogs can't come along for dinners out.

When I got my Emma, a Maltese mix at 12 pounds now, we took her with us wherever we could. I put a blankie in a shopping cart and she went through Home Depot and Menards. The grumpiest of customers broke into smile, store managers and employees came out to see her and she got great socialization. All the pets stores here allow dogs entry, so we went there too.

She went to the dry cleaners, groomers, vets, hairdressers. We often stop at the nursing home//retirement center down the block for a visit with the seniors and the staff. And we always made sure she pottied before going into a shop.

Since it is illegal to go into a grocery store, she never went and I would not take her in there. Heck, she would be sampling products!

There is a grocery store on my way to work with a door opening mat at the entrance. One morning there was a German Shepard running loose and he opened to door by stepping on the mat. I wonder what he was shopping for? Kibble or meat counter??

There's this deaf man that brings his LARGE Newfoundland into the grocery store. It has doggie BO, ungroomed, nails clicking on the floor, but fat. It puts it's wet nose on anything within it's reach.

Yuck. I don't shop @ "that" store.....

Hi nicole,

Did you tell the store of your choice to disown them ... and the reason?

Seems to me that such feedback might cause them to do some thinking.

ole joyful

joyfulguy....yes..."and" the store is dong really well. It's across the street from a LARGE govt assisted apartment building.

pkramer -- As cute as your pup is and as many smiles you saw from people who spotted her in stores when you brought her in, there were most likely 5 times that number of other customers who were saying to themselves, "What is it with people?? Dogs don't belong in stores!!"

Although you sound like a responsible pet owner, most of the type of stores you mentioned where you take your pet inside would receive a letter of complaint from me if I saw a pet in there.

I know you don't want to hear this and it's clear you love your little dog very much, but so many of us would rather you leave her home when you run errands!

The 'fur baby' idea has gone 'way too far, and this is the result. Dogs are NOT children. Enjoy your pets, but please don't try to pass a dog off as a child. It's demeaning to dogs and to kids.

Jewel, I had written a lengthy response to you but I realized that you probably would never change your mind.

I hope that you do not feel this way about therapy and assistance dogs in stores, eateries and hospitals.

This post was edited by pkramer on Fri, Jan 16, 15 at 3:50

I'm mostly with pkramer on this one. Jewel, what is it that is so offensive to you to see a well behaved dog in a cart in a store such as Home Depot (etc.)? You'd actually write a letter of complaint? How does it impact you?

I completely agree that there are places that dogs shouldn't go, such as grocery stores. I'm not fighting or finding fault, but I really would like to know what it is that is so wrong about a dog in a cart behaving itself. (Give me 5 dogs in a cart instead of one loud, bratty kid - and yes, my kids had bratty moments).

*I hope that you do not feel this way about therapy and assistance dogs in stores, eateries and hospitals.*

I have zero issue with true service animals being in stores, etc. Not dogs that the owners refer to as "comfort animals", but actual service dogs who have been trained to assist their owner with a genuine physical injury/condition or a mental illness.

*How does it impact you? I really would like to know what it is that is so wrong about a dog in a cart behaving itself.*

There are LOADS of reasons, but I'll give you just one: allergies. I would not at all have been happy to put my son, who is highly allergic to cat and dog dander, into a cart (into direct contact) of the last occupant who was a dang dog. That's not even addressing the host of other reasons why so many people find that dogs in stores is offensive.

I know you both are in disagreement but, based on the posts to this thread, I'm solidly in the majority with my feelings on the matter.

I don't think it matters if you're in the majority;
you're entitled to your feelings anyway.

but I'd give people a pass on the comfort animals;
it's not my place, or anyone else's, I think, to insist that comfort animals are to be allowed only if the owner has a physician's statement that (s)he has a "mental illness".

Many people go through terrible, stressful times in their lives, & sometimes they/we have panic attacks.

If I were subject to panic attacks & the presence of a beloved animal prevented, stopped, or eased them, I'd take that animal with me any time I had to leave the house.

but I wouldn't want to have to prove to anyone else that I was entitled to have the comfort animal.

It's kind of like getting all bent out of shape because someone in the handicapped parking spot looks perfectly healthy.

We can't see every handicap;
the person may have COPD or arthritis or brittle bones or who knows what.

If your son is severely allergic to pet dander, you might want to bring sanitary wipes & wipe down the seat in the cart anyway;
who knows what little behind sat in there last?

That kid could have wet or pooped its pants or could have been sitting on the ground or a dirty carpet or in the dog's bed before the trip to the store.

I try to remember to keep a little bottle of sanitizer & a tissue or napkin or paper towel in my pocket or purse to wipe off the handle of the cart.

Hands can be the dirtiest things in the universe!

I profoundly love and admire dogs, and I also completely agree with Jewel and Chisue on this. Dogs (and cats, who I also respect but don't particularly care for) aren't children or little people. Sorry, but I think people who treat them or refer to them as such are a bit odd.

They don't belong in stores. I don't want to encounter your dog when i go into a store, I don't care what kind it is. I think as jewel says, most people feel that way. Your dog is safer being left at home. There are exceptions, like the Petcos of the world. That's expressly a place for animals, other places aren't.

-As an aside, I'm astounded by how many people drive with their little yappers sitting on their lap or in a car otherwise unsecured. Forgetting for a moment how unsafe and distracting that can be for the driver, those people should talk to an emergency Vet about what happens to an unsecured dog in a car that's in an accident. You don't want to think about it but maybe if you did, people would more readily leave their dogs at home when out running simple errands. Or, they'd buy and use one of the safety harnesses that connects to seat belts in a car's back seat.

Edit for PS -

The whole aid or comfort dog thing is more often a scam than not. People use it to take their ordinary dogs where they otherwise couldn't - like on airplanes for free. There have been so many stories about fraudulent use, usually involving phony credentials.

Yeah, I feel better to when i pet my dog. Also when I drink wine. Can I do that when i drive?

This post was edited by snidely on Fri, Jan 16, 15 at 17:26

The repeated references to the "majority opinion" are not only irrelevant, they're wrong.

Sometimes, majority opinion matters, but sometimes it's exactly the opposite of what matters;
sometimes majority opinion is the thing that people are entitled to be protected from.

There were times in the past when "the majority" didn't want to see:

women driving cars
women voting
people in wheelchairs
people who were mentally delayed, especially those who looked different, such as Downs Syndrome people
black people & white people in the same schools
"unsightly" handicap access to schools, public buildings, & homes.

It took civil rights legislation & the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) to protect people's rights to *not* be marginalized or excluded, *even if a majority wanted them excluded*.

Until you know for certain, based on information about each individual instance rather than what you think you are seeing, then I don't believe you have any business calling anyone's companion animal a scam.

If you don't want to buy from a grocery store where you see a companion or service dog, go somewhere else.

Very nicely said, Sylvia.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and their own rights.

Intolerance is not pretty.

"They don't belong in stores. I don't want to encounter your dog when i go into a store, I don't care what kind it is."

I guess blind people will just have to suck it up and starve. And police dogs?

I'm thinking most of us agree that we don't want to see a dog pissing on the grapes.
But surely there is some room for opinion beyond that.

Sylvia, you left Global Warming and the Ebola epidemic off your list of injustices. Those issues and the ones you mentioned are wholly off-topic.

I thought y'all were more thoughtful than the last few comments would suggest. A Guide Dog for someone lacking eyesight is recognizable. A Yorkie or Chihuahua riding in a cart on a blankie (as someone commented) is what I thought the topic was about.

Not everyone was watching the same TV channel for this discussion.

global warming?
ebola?

Did you understand what I wrote?

*Not all handicaps are visible*.

& nobody owes you an explanation of what their handicap is.

Some seem determined to muddle this discussion.

None of the posts protesting 'purse dogs' in grocery stores have been other than totally supportive of true service dogs in ANY store.

Only a handicapped person NEEDS a dog in a store.

There are laws against allowing animals OTHER THAN SERVICE ANIMALS in many public places. The laws exist for good reason. I would like to see them enforced. Who would be *harmed* if they were enforced?

In the past week I have seen young adults carrying dogs in Target and CVS.

"Not dogs that the owners refer to as "comfort animals", but actual service dogs who have been trained to assist their owner with a genuine physical injury/condition or a mental illness. " Yeah, I will let the vets who suffer from PTSD know how you feel.

"Give me 5 dogs in a cart instead of one loud, bratty kid - and yes, my kids had bratty moments)." Like the one that ran up to me in the grocery store and wiped its snotty nose on my pants??? And then went on to pull items off the shelves with those germy hands while Mom was shopping. Cripes, the women didn't even have a tissue with her when I asked her for one. Please parents and grandparents, leave them home with someone else!

"Please parents and grandparents, leave them home with someone else!"

pkramer, you wrote a long post last night with comments to this effect and more, with a time stamp of 1:08. At 3:50, you edited your post to remove those comments. I know because I read your original post last night and then saw it had been changed when I was reading late this morning.

With the number of readers here who are mothers and fathers, it was a good idea to remove what you said.

Little kids can't be left home alone, and often there isn't someone else to leave them with. Dogs can be left alone, for hours and hours at a time. I think you know both these things.

Dogs almost always have wet snotty noses, with kids, it's just sometimes.

**Yeah, I will let the vets who suffer from PTSD know how you feel.**

Where is this coming from, pkramer? PTSD is a verifiable condition for which trained service dogs are shown to be incredibly useful. WHY are you trying to accuse me of believing or asserting otherwise?

Since you're to the point of wildly concocting accusations out of hurt that not everyone is as enamored with seeing your dog in stores as you are, it's time to step away from this thread.

Now, see, there ya go again, deciding what other people are allowed to do.

*Those issues and the ones you mentioned are wholly off-topic.**

**I thought y'all were more thoughtful than the last few comments would suggest.**

Totally agree with you, Snidely.

Oh my gosh! Everyone out of the pool right now :-)

What's up with all of these threads turning into pissing matches lately?

Sylvia -- Our society has laws. They "decide what people are allowed to do".

Laws prohibit dogs in grocery stores for good reason. An exception is made for service dogs because they are *necessary*. Purse dogs are not *necessary*, and their owners should obey the law.

There are no laws prohibiting children in grocery stores.

At the base of this discussion is the (false) contention that because some people treat dogs better than children, that they ARE children and have the same status as children. They aren't, and they don't.

There are laws!

My point exactly!

No grocery or other store is going to question the dog's owner about why or whether the dog is a service animal.

The Americans With Disabilities Act has strong consequences for people who attempt to limit a disabled person's accessibility to a public place, & the dog's owner might file suit as well.

If you want to evict someone with a dog from a store, go for it.

But if you don't want to take the responsibility & the risk, don't expect a store owner or manager to do it for you.

I have NEVER seen this until today, after reading many of the posts. I was in a garden/home decor center--totally winter so totally inside.

Bizarre!!

If ditsy people would stop this behavior, no truly disabled person would have to show his dog's credentials. No real service dog would be hassled -- by a store owner or Ms. Ditsy's untrained Poopsie.

I was really hoping that some of us might give these people enough of a 'cold shoulder' that they'd think twice before bringing Poopsie to the grocery. Some of us might think about complaining to a store manager. It has to start somewhere...I should say END.

I have to admit that the town close by does allow and bring their own pets, its their own businesses, no pets in food areas thought, they are outside and coffee places, the dogs are tied up outside and the owners go and get their drinks and come outside and no matter the temperatures are.

We were told bring your dog in and they loved giving them treats, our local bookstore did that and my dog said oh, wow, I am coming here all the time but he only did it twice and my dad would stay outside with him and me would stay when my dad had to go inside places.

I would hear from seniors that their dogs would scream their place down and neigbours not like that, its true where I moved too dogs are not allowed to bark and disturb neighbours and can be asked to move out. And so I understand when you live alone, what do you do?

But cars, you can leave your dog inside and yes, my dog would scream and whine and I could hear him all the way in the store and hear comments and I would say that is my dog crying for his mommy.

We had a cat for years in local bookstore, then the cat passed away and new owners tried with another cat who didn't like people and I believe he lived in the back of store then away from customers.

I believe here there are so many dogs and walkers if they want to do buisiness they open up their doors to dog owners and dogs too.

I don't like ones being put into purses,etc. walk your dog no matter how small and little, it needs exercise and uses its muscles, its a dog, can be loved to death and family but its a dog so treat it like one and walk it, not carry all the time, I have seen little dogs and they love to smell and sniff and check things out like any dog and also get to meet other dogs too and people.

kathy

Sorry Kathy but I disagree, you shouldn't leave your dogs in cars. Many die every year from that. Cars can get very warm very quickly even if it's not very hot outside, and even if the windows are open a little bit. Unless you're leaving the air conditioner running, it's really dangerous, even for a few minutes.

If I ever saw a dog in a car on a hot day, I would call the cops and smash the window.

But cars, you can leave your dog inside and yes, my dog would scream and whine and I could hear him all the way in the store and hear comments and I would say that is my dog crying for his mommy.

I can imagine how people responded to that statement. And then what? You'd just leave him there?

I hope you've since learned what a bad idea that is, Kathy.

I was in Home Depot yesterday and there were a few dogs in carts (laying on blankets so their feet didn't fall through the grid. I didn't have my dog with me this time. But I mentioned it out of curiosity to an employee and she said "everybody brings their dog and they're welcome as long as they're in the cart and not barking or annoying".

I understand that they're not welcome by everyone - but, in this case, the store clearly allows it.

I don't see a lot of dogs in stores or restaurants around here. I do recall seeing a lot of dogs in restaurants in Europe - just laying under the table by the owner's feet. It doesn't bother me I guess but the more it happens, the more likely there will be a poo/pee accident that I'd be subjected to.

I'm rather annoyed that there's a dog at my dental office. Office manager (SO of dentist) has her dog there every day. It doesn't do anything specifically to me but it seems rather unsanitary for a place that requires sterile technique.

Glad I have cats who can stay home when I'm out shopping/dining/working/etc.

A dental office is far from a place that requires sterile technique.

*A dental office is far from a place that requires sterile technique*

I'll let my dentist know you said so next time they open a pack of sterilized tools when preparing to clean my teeth.

The dentist wears gloves and the tools are sterilized but the exam room certainly isn't a 'clean room'. I hope she keeps the dog in her office and it's not free to roam the office.

There are few parts of your body with more bacteria than your mouth. The exceptions are the other end of your body and the connecting route.

Dental procedures are anything but sterile. You might say that the vision protection, gloves, and mask they use are more to protect the dentist or hygienist from you than the other way around. They do wash hands and use gloves so as not to transmit problems from patient to patient, but there's no sterility involved (other than reused tools) as compared to medical surgery.

A dental or medical office is another place dogs don't belong. I question the judgement of a dentist that allows that, and I would do so to his or her face. I'd do so before leaving at the conclusion of the scheduled procedure, after which I'd find a new dentist.

Holy crap. Y'all are getting nuts. I'm out.

I got really pi$$ed yesterday. I dropped into my local CVS. There was a woman walking around with a big dog on a leash. It looked like a cocker spaniel . She had put a fake-fur dog coat on it to "look" like a true Service Dog. No writing on the coat. The dog was walking all over the place, very interested in the other shoppers and stuff in the store. Obviously not well trained. I didn't say anything to her. The dog wasn't acting in a threatening or aggressive manner, just walking up to people wagging its tail. But it didn't belong in a crowded store.

Well, I need to add my piece to this topic. I am in my 70's so have lived a while and seen a lot. While raising my kids, we had three different dogs. I'm not totally crazy about dogs, but the kids loved them. However, those dogs were trained... and I mean 'obedience classes.' Once, the Sheltie was in the front yard and a bunny hopped by. The dog was told to sit and stay and he did... quivering the whole time. The bunny almost rubbed noses with the dog!

My dogs did not misbehave. Most, and I do mean most, of the dog owners I have encountered cannot say the same. Their animals are in control and have the owners trained!

And for those comparing unruly children to dogs, I must say I have never had a child lick my toes in public, or stick their snuffling noses between my legs, or hump my leg... as happened sitting on a park bench (dog on long retractable lead). Children are not in the habit of jumping at or on me either.

'Poopsie' does not belong in stores, grocery or otherwise, or restaurants. (Howled over the lady who managed to leave her well loved hubby at home!) And let's not bring in the true trained service dog defense. We are talking animals here... pet animals. Even the best behaved can get nervous, frightened, and startled in public. They react, unpredictably, and may snarl, bite or relieve themselves. Ever walk by a parked car with window partially down and have a dog suddenly lunge at the window, growling... while the owner is in the vehicle? And the allergy thing is a valid consideration.

While dogs are being used as the example, what if I have a pet (_____) and wish to have it accompany me on errands? We can fill in the blank to accommodate a boa constrictor that loves to hug me, a pet monkey that is oh so curious around new places, a large tropical parrot that occasionally squawks and flaps wings, even a very large rat on a leash. Trained and well behaved or not, these creatures belong in their homes... as do mommy's precious little fur ball.

There is a little retail clothing store in my town. The owner is a divorced lady who is nutso over her dogs - she has 2 yappy little rat-terrier type dogs that coming running out into the store whenever anybody comes in to shop. Sniffing, barking, growling.

I refuse to go in there any more. I think it's been 10 years since I've been in there.

Edited to add: Gee, if it's been that long maybe the dogs have died. Naw, I'm sure if they did that she has replaced them with more of the same.

This post was edited by littlebug5 on Mon, Jan 19, 15 at 22:34

Jewel, if "getting nuts" is calmly explaining to you why you are wrong then put me in the looney bin. Of course, You're "out" so you won't see my response (yeah, right). As Snidely so graciously explained, there is nothing sterile about a dental procedure. Of course the tools are sterilized from patient to patient to prevent cross-contamination, but the masks and gloves are for the employees protection, not yours. I'm sure your dentist will tell you the same thing.

I quit going to one of the big box stores because of dogs pissing on every thing at floor level.
The public shouldn't have to put up with other peoples pets period!
Did i mention i can't stand a frigging cat don't care who owns it.

This thread has taken on a life of its own. It started about grocery stores. I don't think that anyone disagrees about pets being in grocery stores.

Comments were made about well-behaved dogs in the bin part of a carriage in non-grocery stores. It's understood that some people have allergies and touching the carriage after a dog has been in it would activate those allergies. Consider me now educated about that; I'd not thought of it. I don't, though, know why it would bother anyone else. But I'm not arguing the point - to each their own.

Now there are comments about dogs in dentists' offices, on leashes in stores, getting tangled around people's legs, and now urinating on things. I can't imagine anyone not minding a male dog urinating on things in any store.

None of these things are the same. But yet the tone seems to be that none of them are permissible. As I said, to each their own.

Nod, you sound so angry! Is it this topic that makes you so? And I'm curious - have you ever had a cat of your own?

No mam i have no anger toward other's pets. This is America and as far as i know you can own about anything you want.
My problem is when others pets are in my space, i have rights to.
My kids own dogs and cats, but they know i don't want them around me. Just my thing i guess.
After i retired from the military i worked maintenance for a large apartment complex for several years.
I dreaded going to work in apartments that had pets, the smell of dog and cat urine would over whelm.
Just about every apartment that was vacated when the lease was up had to have professional cleaning and usually carpet replaced
Don't take any thing i say personally.
I thought a public forum you could say what was on your mind.
If i post something that offends anyone, don't read it.

Nod - you didn't offend me. I was just curious. And you still sound angry.

Just an aside, you have to read something prior to deciding if it offends.

No one has to like cats. Every single evening mine tries to sit on my keyboard, it's her way of telling me she wants a cuddle. She won't just get on my lap, nope, has to try for the keyboard, then I lift her off and onto my lap.