[Reinell]

I take my dog in a carrier into the mall and into small boutiques who do not sell food. Wal-Mart is a no, but I have taken him into Home Depot. He is quiet, zipped up in his carrier so he shouldn't cause a disturbance.

I can understand why people think that the dog should be left at home versus stuck in a small purse carrier like the one I have. However, in our case our dog would much rather be with us anywhere than be alone. Dogs are social animals and don't like being left alone - if a person had more than one I think leaving them both at home would be a good solution. Leaving dogs in cars alone is not good for at least two reasons. 1 - they could get injured on the car parts or chew up wires etc. under the seat or be affected by the temperature (heat or cold), 2 - they could be stolen.

I say take your dog into stores in a carrier to avoid attention. I took my dog into Shoppers Drugmart just near the entrance waiting for my husband to quickly get something and leave and was asked to leave the store. We were very cold waiting outside and now I avoid Shoppers Drug Mart. People with lice and other gross conditions can enter the store but clean dogs cannot ... makes me think they should refuse some human clientele as well.