I guess I have to disagree. You can't compare a service dog with a pet. I'm disabled and, while I don't have a service dog, I do understand the need because I have to use a walker the way a blind person uses a service dog to go out. The Americans with Disabilities Act requires the admission of service dogs to establishments. These are perfectly trained dogs and, frankly, there just aren't that many people who use them so it's not like there are lots of them in stores all of the time.
If SOME dogs are permitted in stores, though, then ALL pets have to be admitted to stores since, I'm sure, every dog lover could make an argument for their pet. And while some pet owners are responsible, many are not!
As big a pet lover as I am, I would not want to go to a grocery store where there were dozens of pets. I had a chihuahua in a carrier lunge at me in a public place because I was close to its owner. That thing was an inch from biting me. I cannot imagine being in the produce aisle selecting vegetables with lots of people who are carrying dogs in close quarters. They could lunge and snap. Plus, there are many small children in stores who could approach the dog and be bitten. Many people have animal allergies, too. There are just too many reasons why dogs in stores can be aproblem.
I enjoy taking my dogs to Petco and that's "our time." We get ready, we go and enjoy, and then I bring them back. I schedule Petco outings for times when I have no other errands to run.
I agree that the other guy with the big dog behaved like an idiot; that's a really good indication, though, of what would happen if some dogs were allowed in stores.
Julie |