I'm glad the Pom was okay after scary encounter! We haven't visited a pet store in awhile, but when we used to, Max and Teddy rode in the cart.
I carry them at the vet's office too.
I understand what everyone is saying about germs/exposure, and I agree to a certain point. More for human kids especially.
But after Max and Teddy picked up a bug in our small neighborhood and they were vomiting for 24 hours, I'm not keen about walking them in areas where there is a high concentration of dogs. We have about 80 dogs walking a 1-mile loop.