OK, I don’t want to offend anyone, so let me preface this with a few things: I like dogs. I do–I used to want a big one, but DH is allergic. I know lots of people think of them as their children. Even though I don’t get it, I’m totally fine with the fact that people like to bring their dogs for a ride in the car while they run errands and such (as long as it’s not endangering others on the road…).
Buuuuuuuuutttt…does the dog really need to come in the store? OK, I’m at Michael’s today, and I watch this woman take her smallish dog out of the car, wrap it in a mangy blanket, and carry it inside. THEN I have to wait several minutes for her to move while she situates her pup in the SEAT of the cart. Now, I know there are lots of you all who love dogs, and I think that’s great, but am I totally a jerk to think it’s a little out of line to put the doggie in the cart?? I mean, if he’d been walking on a leash, I think I would have been OK with it. I see that at Home Depot all the time. And maybe even in the cart while inside a purse or carrier would have been OK. But in the yucky, hairy blanket in the seat where my kids sit…? I tell ya what, if my allergic husband had been there, he would have blown his top!
OK, end of quasi-rant. Hope I haven’t offended any of the dog lovers here. I just don’t get it. Is it just because I’m not a little dog person, or does that strike anyone else as a bit much?
Michaels is a dog-friendly store. dosen’t bother me at all, I love getting to play with doggies when I’m at work. There’s a whole shopping mall here that advertises as dog-friendly. :shrug: as long as the dog is people friendly, I’m perfectly fine with it.
So you can just take your dog into Michaels? I had no idea. I love my dogs very much but I only take them to places where I know for sure they are allowed and won’t be intrusive (like the pet store, or an outdoor sidewalk cafe) And I wouldn’t take their yucky blanket with me either (if they had one)
I don’t hate dogs either, but I HATE people that think they’re special enough to bring their dogs with them everywhere. It’s a DOG!
If you want something that you can bring with you everywhere, have a kid OR carry a stuffed animal with you. Leave the dog at home.
I know this is supposed to be a loving forum, but this is one of my pet peeves. no pun intended.
Some people are really allergic. If you go to a pet store, you expect there to be animals there. You don’t expect a dog to be at a mall because nobody brings a dog to a mall…
Pets for people with special needs are different and completely acceptable.
I think if it’s allowed to bring an animal into a store, so long as the animal is well behaved, and under control at all times, it’s no problem. I don’t have to pet it, talk to it, stand near it or even look at it if I don’t want to.
People are allergic, yes, but there are also people allergic to perfumes. I wear perfume. I’m sorry if it makes you sneeze.
I would love to wear my snake around my neck to every store I go to, but for some reason smelly, noisy dogs are much more accepted than my quiet, gentle snake. :shrug:
I love my dog, but he doesn’t need to go in any store that isn’t filled with kibble, squeaky toys, and other animals. And he doesn’t want to go to Michael’s or anywhere else, so I leave him at home where he’s happy. Really, he doesn’t need or want to go to the pet store either, he just wants the bounty when I get home.
If I have him in the car for some reason and need to make a quick stop–I will consider leaving him in the car if it’s cool, daylight, and I can see him the entire time I’m inthe store. If not, I drive home and go back out to the store. It’s my dog, he’s my responsibility and people who are allergic or afraid of dogs don’t need to deal with my friendly dog in stores where they wouldn’t expect him.
Now, if allergic or fearful people show up to a dog park, or a Petsmart, or a Dogs R Us or whatever…I’ll probably have my dog and it’s THEIR problem for showing up. However, everywhere else? It’s MY responsibility to leave my dog at home where he belongs. My two cents of course
And actually…if I knew certain stores were dog friendly, I might bring him occasionally. But I would NEVER bring an ill-behaved dog somewhere like that…I can’t stand irresponsible pet owners who think it’s “cute” for their dog to jump all over strangers and link themor whatever. It’s inappropriate! But I don’t know of any dog-friendly stores so I don’t…this Michael’s policy is a surprise to me! Does anyone know if it’s a branch-by-branch policy or nationwide?
Okay, I’m a huge dog lover so I have to respond to this post. I am one of those people who think of my dog as my ‘little girl’. She’s my baby, my life and I would throw myself in front of a bus to save her life, just as you would for your ‘real kids’. It’s no different for us animal lovers. You don’t have to understand it, just accept it. Plain and simple.
As for having them in the store, well I could go on and on about that, but I’ll keep it short. Who gives a flying flip if it’s in the cart? :?? Was it barking at you? Growling at you? Attacking you? Peeing or pooping in the cart? (children do this in their pants and sit in those seats :ick: ) If not, then who cares. Most people who have little dogs like that are so attached to them the thought of leaving them at home is beyond them.
Yes, people are allergic to pets, but I can’t walk through the perfume dept at any store or I’ll get a migraine from the smells. And I’m not protesting perfume counters. I can’t stand listening to mothers and fathers screaming at their children in the stores, listening to crying babies and so on, so I don’t, I leave and then I’m happy.
Bottom line is if it bugs you so much go to another part of the store. It’d be different if they were letting them run loose through the store, that’s irresponsible. But there are a lot of irresponsible parents out there and we all have to co-exist, even in stores.
Now this is just my opinion and I don’t mean to offend anyone, but when people don’t understand animal people I must stand up and defend. It’s my civic duty. :angelgrin:
And, to clarify, that’s just what I did. I guess what really bugged me the most was:
a) the disgusting, filthy, coated-with-shedded-fur state of the blanket she was dragging around and putting in the seat of the cart, and
b) that she made such a production of making sure the dog was seated with the nasty blanket, making sure everyone was watching her to-do, while not realizing (or not caring) that I couldn’t get to the carts while trying to hold my twins’ hands and not drop my purse.
I’m not going to waffle and say that the dog itself in the store didn’t throw me, but I wasn’t irritated/grossed out until I saw the things mentioned above. Like I said, I guess I just don’t understand why the dog needs to come at all. :shrug:
ETA: When my kids are acting up and might be bothering people in a store, we leave, and I come back alone later.
Where I work, we allow dogs into the store, though most people leave their dogs in the car. On the other hand, I work at a small hardware store.
As far as the dog being in the cart, I don’t see why that is any more of a problem than it walking, except that the lady was in the way while settling the dog there. Common courtesy in my mind would be to either allow you to take a cart first, or to move aside before settling the dog.
The real question that I see is whether dogs should be allowed into the store - and in my opinion that is up to the owner or manager of the store. As previously mentioned, yes people are allergic to dogs but they are also allergic to a lot of other things. If the store is a pet friendly store, then pets are allowed in. As far as the disgusting blanket goes… well I’ve seen some pretty disgusting people shopping where I work and other places, and while it is really gross, there’s not much anyone can do about it.
People who think animals are children are not being fare to the dog.Who told people it was ok to treat a dog like a human?Dogs not people.Don’t get me wrong I LOVE DOGS.Have been training them most of my life,have 2 dogs now.Don’t use your dog for your emotional hang ups like needing children.If you can’t be around your own kids volunteer at a school or day care.They would love to have your help.Dogs just want to be dogs not people.Therapy dogs that help ALL kinds of people are never treated like people.Dogs LOVE jobs and therapy dogs are happy dogs with jobs to do.The happiest dogs are dogs that walk around because they get exercise.They weren’t bred to be carried around all the time.
Only pet stores should allow pets to be brought in.
And another pet peeve I have is people who drive around with dogs in their laps when they are DRIVING.
So people keep your dogs on leashes,let them WALK around,Don’t drive and with your dog in your lap,Keep your dog out of stores, and PLEASE pick up your dog’s poop when out walking.
Hope I didn’t offend anybody because this is just my personal opinion,and one of my pet peeves is how people treat animals like people
for their own selfish needs.
Okay now…lets keep it nice here and agree to disagree.
IMO don’t think dogs should NOT be allowed in stores that sell food, but as long as they are well behaved it shouldn’t be a problem. I like to shop and I gotta tell you I rarely see dogs in any store that isn’t a pet store so I doubt if allergy issues would come up unless a person is severely allergic and is standing next to the dog. We’ve taken our dog into Home Depot a few times, but she sits on a “clean” blanket in the cart and is leashed as well.
And just what exactly is your criteria for people treating their animals “like people”? Your post has me so confused I don’t know what you are saying. You “love” dogs, but they are only supposed to be working dogs, or dogs to be walked, or what? :??
And just what exactly is your criteria for people treating their animals “like people”? Your post has me so confused I don’t know what you are saying. You “love” dogs, but they are only supposed to be working dogs, or dogs to be walked, or what? :??[/quote]
Well, holding dogs in your purse, or having them in the child seat of a cart, or otherwise “spoiling” it would be treating the animals like people. I’m with momwolf here. I own a dog, and have all my life and I love my pup dearly. But he’s a dog, not a child…and it’s disrespectful and in my opinion borderline abusive to treat a dog like a child or human. momwolf is right, the vast majority of breeds WANT to work. They want to run, and be walked, and have a “pack leader” (ie the owner) in control so they don’t have to stress about it. They want to herd, or fetch, or protect, etc etc etc. They don’t want to be bored and sitting in a car, or in a purse. And when dogs get bored and unhappy you start losing shoes, door jambs, couches, etc.
Dogs want to be trained–that’s challenging and stimulating work for them. We’ve bred them and domesticated them that way for hundreds of years, so it’s our responsibility now to give them the training and work that they need. Even small dogs need to be stimulated with training…and when they aren’t it leads to inappropriate behavior: jumping up on people, barking at guests, etc and too many owners think this is “cute” or “friendly.” It’s not. It’s poor training.
As far as why it’s a problem for the dog and it’s nasty blankie to be in the cart–well, dogs do carry far more parasites and potential disease on their fur and in their stool (which can be transferred even if it’s just sitting there).
Again–if a store allows dogs, then it allows dogs and I think it’s cool. But if you bring your dog you still need to be respectful: don’t put it in the cart where kids are gonna sit, don’t bring in nasty toys with it, and when in a store unless you are 100% sure that your dog WILL NOT leave your side and will respond to your verbal commands of “stay” and “come” 100% of the time–REGARDLESS of distraction…keep your dog on a leash!
I think what she was saying is that dogs are much happier being treated like dogs than they are being treated like babies, or accessories.
Dogs were bred to walk and run and jump, and some of them have strong hunting tendencies in their genes. Is it fair to take a terrier (a breed that has long been bred for hunting rats and other small prey) and carry it with you everywhere, dress it in silly little coats and never let it be a dog?
People who really love their dogs will make sure that they get lots of exercise, that they will get to spend time outdoors, and that they get to do things that DOGS like to do.
Dogs don’t really care for shopping…they tend to be in stores because their owners “need” them there, and not because it is an activity they particularly enjoy. Also, they like to walk…it’s not much fun for them to always be in someone’s arms or lap. And to only go outside to go to the bathroom is just plain mean and lazy on the owner’s part.
I am not knocking animal lovers at all…but I have to agree with the pp that there are an awful lot of ladies out there who have made their dogs into surrogate children or, even worse, into their favorite accessory.
So true!!