It's really sad that everyone had gotten so defensive about this issue. There are so many horrible things in the world that we could be spending our energy working to fix.
I'm not taking sides, because I think that both sides have valid points. I understand that a little bundle of Yorkie love can be one of the most therapeutic things in the world. I have said many times that Duke saved my life. I went through a really dark period in my life a couple months ago and sometimes the only thing that got me up in the morning was knowing that he needed to go potty. He always seems to know when I need to be comforted and I worry about him every second that I'm away from him. I would LOVE to have a free pass to take him everywhere with me.
I also understand that being around a dog can be life threatening for some people and that it's really hard to avoid a dog you can't see.
With that said, this is my policy: I will try to be discreet about bringing Duke into a store, but he always wants to see what's going on and if there is anyone around to give kisses to, so at the very least, his head is peaking out of the purse. Most of the time I just carry him in. I have been asked to leave two places since we started taking him out in November: a restaurant where we had stopped to pick up a to-go order (it was super dirty anyway, I don't know why they cared if he was in there...there was NO WAY I would have set him down!) and Costco. I don't take him to Costco anymore (seriously, who needs more to worry about at Costco anyway?) and we don't go to that restaurant anymore...but not because they didn't let Duke in the store.
We take him out all the time, but if I'm asked to leave, I don't talk back, I leave. I don't take him to places where I don't think he'd be welcome and I never put him down. Most of the time, the people who work in the stores either: a) want to hold him; b) tell him he's the cutest puppy in the world; c) they or someone they know wants to/used to/currently has a Yorkie; or d) all of the above.
I must admit that I live in a pretty dog-friendly city, but who could resist an adorable Yorkie? Even my husband's 85 year old grandma who is afraid of every dog she's ever met likes Duke!
BTW - does anyone else think it's odd that the spell checker on YorkieTalk.com thinks that Yorkie is spelled wrong?
