My opinion is this: If you truly NEED your dog for whatever reason--disability, therapy dog, etc--then by all means have them registered and take them with you. However, if there is no medical reason (other than a self diagnosed, "I'm just happier when I'm with my dogs") stating you have to be accompanied by your beloved be then for Pete's sake, get over it and leave them at home! It is very disturbing that people blatantly LIE to take advantage of a system that was put in place for the benefit of a group of people who truly require the assistance of a dog all because they can't stand to leave Fifi at home and think the they are above the rules. I wish people WERE required to show proof when asked by store owners! I bet it would put a stop to the LIARS who use that as their cover. It's no different from someone who is perfectly able bodied parking in a handicap spot when they don't need it.
I don't know why stores forbid from coming in, but it's not my place to say. Rules are rules and they aren't my rules to set. Maybe it is because people are allergic or even deathly afraid of animals, or because the store owner is afraid of a mess. I know that I have seen the ER several times because of my husband's extreme allergies to cats. I would hate to think that I caused that for someone else because I just had to sneak my dog into Target with me. (And yes, I realize people are allergic to perfume and hairspray and they can't avoid that blah blah blah, please spare that lecture.)
I guess no matter how many times the subject comes up, the "I don't care
I'm gonna do what I want and take my dog with me anyway because the rules don't apply to me" attitude is still a shock and enough to get my blood pressure up. (Maybe I need a service dog for that...) |