got kicked out of trader joes!!!!
 

ok i know i may be in the wrong but i need to vent...Today, like many times before I went to "trader Joes" , for those of you that dont know its a supermarket...Bruno comes with me in his bag..Its a mesh see through bag that is zippered up..Well as i was at the checkout counter getting ready to pay for my items, this elderly couple in front of me who just finished paying started to complain that i had a dog in my bag..i guess as they saw that the kid at the checkout just smiled she got more upset and went to get a manager...manager came and said in a very rude manner "dogs are not allowed and you have to leave"..I Couldn't believe it...He is in a bag, quiet , unable to touch anything..I asked if I could at least finish paying for my items and she said no...I admit, the fury in me at that elderly couple put me in a rage and i felt the female shift manager was even worse.. The old lady had such a smug look on her face like she won..I understand about healthcode violations but give me a break!!! whats the difference about a large seeing eye dog? that can walk around and drool...I left the store so angry because my little bruno who weighs 4lbs is so precious...Humans are nastier and can carry more germs..I ran into the couple in the parking lot and shouted that my dog was cleaner than thier face and that they obliviously are no dog lovers...Dont they have anything better to do ?? Im so mad that i feel like calling the head manager and explaing the situation..If they are that strict then why isnt their a sign at the door? I definitely respect places that say "no pets allowed".. Im sorry for rambling on but im still fuming and i know i wont be returning to that store...Has this happened to anyone else before and how did you handle it????....

I'm sorry that happened to you, I was asked to leave a place when Joey was in a bag and it feels like such a slap in the face. There's no way we can leave our babies in the car here, it's just too hot. I don't understand why they can't go in if they are in a bag, I mean, how is that contamination? Now that I think about it, there would be some irresponsible pet owners that would allow their dog out of the bag, and they ruin it for all. Some store managers won't say anything, unless someone complains. Anyway, don’t take it personally, I feel sorry for the woman who had to complain about this, she probably hasn't even had the love of a pet.

Id be pissed off too. Sorry this happened to you. I know I take puppy everywhere with me, I've even had security at the mall and Ross stores come hold my puppy. I just usually have her in my purse. She always sticks her little head out and looks around. She's very quiet and doesn't bark, cry or whine. If we go to restaurants and they have outside seating, I'll put her the stroller. Some people have nothing better to do but find something to complain about. Life's to short to be doing that, they are better off minding their own business and move on with life with a smile!:rolleyes::rolleyes:

While I generally agree with grocery store/food establishment policies prohibiting pets, I can't help thinking about the humans I have seen contaminating products at the store. :p

Trader Joe's should have let you pay and asked that in the future that you not bring your baby.

I'm sorry these people put a cloud over your day.

Mia goes everywhere, and I do mean everywhere with me. If we are caught, I simply apologize, and leave. My friend is inspector for the local county public school cafeterias. She said if there were a violation, the place would have to be closed down and cleaned. This manager at Trader Joes knows he could be shut down, and fined. He could lose his job. If he had seen you, you'd still be ask to leave, but it probably wouldn't have been as bad. He knew if he didn't react strongly, the couple would call the health department to complain, and his store would be in a heap of trouble. I agree, service or not, a dog is a dog, but the law is the law, and service animals are protected. I personally think poopy diaper babies and sick, runny nose toddlers are more of a health risk. It's frustrating, but don't be too upset. I do understand you though.

:thumbup: I almost stepped in a dirty diaper and mess left on the floor at a grocery store! :eek: I'm sure the baby was sick, but why didn't the parent alert someone in the store to help clean up?

I'm sorry that they complained and that the manager was rude. ...but TJ's (aside from the rudeness) is in the right. It is common knowledge that animals are not allowed where food is sold. There have to be rules. If small dogs in bags are allowed then that is discrimination against large dogs. And in this worls people get really grumpy about things like that. And then there would have to be policies about the size of the bag (medium breeds can fit in duffle bags). Vaccines may not be up to date. So many animals have fleas and their owners don't know it. Mesh can rip. Some dogs can open zippers. Then cats have to be allowed as long as they are in a bag. How about ferrets and pet rars? Piglets? These are pets to some people... I think if a dog is going to be sneaked in then to each their own but realize it is a legal issue and may be dealt with harshly. It puts business owners in a very awkward position.

I do see the point about service dogs; however, for the people that use them it is a necessity and not so much an option. If one needs a pup with them for medical or psychological ussues then there is a process for that. Most people who require service animals probably would like nothing more than to NOT take them everywhere.

I'm sorry they were rude to you but I'm 100% on the stores side on this one. It's pretty common knowledge to not take your pet to a store unless it says pets allowed or a pet store( petsmart, petco, etc..)

I completely agree with you...but just try to see it from the managers side...like KimInMd says, he was "putting on a show" for the azzoles that complained...if he hadnt, they would have gone over his head, he probably would have lost his job, and the store would have probably been fines, because those old farts would not have stopped at corporate headquarters, they would have reported it to the Health Department. I hope that old woman has nightmares about snotty, runny nosed little yelling, nasty kids, sneezing and coughing and spitting all over the fruit and veggies that she has to EAT, while from inside a little purse, she is being watched by two little sweet Yorkie eyes!!!!!!!!

I agree. There's a sign that says no animals permitted (except handicap service animals). You were wrong for trying to sneak your dog into the store, knowing he wasn't allowed.

i've never fully understood why small dogs in a bag are a health risk myself, but it's one of those things. if they allow our small dogs in our purses then they will have to start to allow all dogs and before long it's really just a madhouse of pets in and out of the grocery store. sorry but i don't want to buy my meat at a counter drooled and slobbered on by someone's saint bernard or find someone's pet snake that was in their purse that got loost in aisle 5. it's just a downhill battle if they allow one person to do something ya know. and as for the babies comment. sure some are pretty yucky, but they are children and in our world children will always be more welcome than pets...(at least in most places ;) )

I too understand the whole health thing with pets but, as many have already said...she should have quietly told you to pay for your groceries and not to bring the dog back. I too have seen some pretty nasty looking people in the grocery stores...our dogs are probably cleaner than some of these people...I think that Old (woman)HAG..did I say that out loud! :eek: just wanted to cause an issue...I had to bring Sadie to the vets a few weeks back...I needed to run into the store...well it was like 95 outside...I wasn't about to leave her in the care even for a second...so I brought her in with me...I apologized to the woman and told her that I would NOT leave my dog in the care....especially on such a hot day....she never said a word! Some people just like to be heard.

I am very sorry for the ugly moment. I do not take Mina in any store that sells open food,like produce. That being said I think that the manager should of handled it in a more respectful manner. As for the elderly couple I think that I would of asked the lady if she was really proud of herself and felt that she had done her good deed for the day.
If this bothers you a lot then climb the foodchain so to speak and complain about how the situation was handled. You certainly have the right to choose not to set foot in the place again.

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

This 100000x.

I like dogs a lot more than kids most of the time (lol) but kids are... kids. You aren't allowed to just leave them at home for an hour by themselves while you run to the store. You CAN do that with a dog.

I bring Jackson as many places as he possibly can go with me, but I realize he cannot go everywhere. He's perfectly fine at home while I grocery shop for an hour or two. They will survive.

I never look at dogs as just "dogs" but it's just bad all around. One bad apple always spoils the whole bunch.... we have so few places we can take dogs, and some people that don't follow the rules always seem to ruin it. I just think following the rules regarding our pets is important. Like said above, who is to say if you can bring your small dog into TJ's, why can't I bring a 100lb German Shepherd?

While I'm sorry you had to go through that fustrating and humiliating experience, I agree with most commenters here. There are various factors:

1. It's common sense (health code) that PETS are not allowed where food is sold
2. It's disrespectful: some people don't consider hygienic, others don't like dogs, & they have the right to shop comfortably.
3. Self-centered: many times pet owners are concentrated on their "I want my dog by my side everywhere," but not on others or the pet. I think dogs feel better left in their homes running free, jumping, eating, playing and not confined to a small unconfortable bag

We need to respect other's rights, consider more the well-baing of our pets and stop thinking omly on what one wants. There's so many places dogs can be taken without the need to punish them by keeping in a bag & experience a boring trip to the store. They aren't babies. We can leave them home safe, confortable & everyone's happy.

Sorry if ths is not comforting , but you and your furbabe don't have to go though those unnecessary hassless. Good luck

Well I dont think a grocery store is a place for a dog but this is a situation where someone needed to be minding there own business too i mean the elderly couple it wasnt hurting them so I dont see why it was necessary to speak out about it

Its a 5k fine for the store if they don't make you leave immediately.

Unless you have a certified therapy dog.

I've been mad being askes rudely to leave before, and it annoys me to deal with certain therapy dogs, sorry I was sickening to being eating a restraint while a therapy dog puked up mar far chicken under the neighboring table. The owner couldn't do anything as the lady proceeded to let her therapy dog sit in the booth and crawl on the table.

We immediately left...these situations are hard for business owners and managers.

I was so irritated while ordering a cake a dog was carried up to the bakery...it had fleas crawling on it.

I love you yorkiemom!! u made me laugh..

I wanted to say that I did not feel like "I was ruining it for anyone else" and I did not feel like "I was sneaking him in" Bruno and I have been there many times before with no problem..by having a small dog enclosed in a bag who is is not making any sounds is not infringing on anyone else shopping experience...as one posted....I understand how some people may feel like if you let a small dog than why not a german shepard but im sorry, i disagree...my dog is not walking around the floor or touching anything..you can"t compare the two...Thank you for those who are supporting me..Some of you have even brought a smile to my face....It was an awful experience but i did learn my lesson...Thank you for those who posted that the store could be fined $5lk, i did not know that...I now realize that the bitchy female manager had to do what she had to do when the nasty old hag complained, but i still feel like I could of been warned and allowed to finish paying for my items...Anyway thank you all for hearing me....

Are you for real???? would it be better to leave the dog in the car on a hot day?? MY YORKIE IS MY BABY!!!! Who are you to be saying that he is in a "small uncomfortable bag"..as a matter of fact the bag is roomy and he loves to look at people walk by...You sound like a very judgmental person..and if you feel strongly that your dog is better off staying at home, then i feel sorry for your dog........

I agree with some dogs like small spaces and crates. I had Pom that loved it. Would go in there when he hear the car keys. My dog will usually go with me everywhere. But if i go somewhere it's not suppose to = Gym,store ect. He's better at home. In his home he feels safe,always has food,always has water,plenty of space to run . And will never be left in a car by himself. JMO

I agree with this.... at least let you pay and ask you not to bring him back in again in the future.

However, maybe I am one of the few here who think this, but I don't get why you needed to bring your dog to the FOOD store? I guess I just would never think to bring my dogs to a food store, or really any stores except a pet store for that matter. People have allergies, people are generally not welcoming to pets around the food they are buying. I NEVER see seeing eye dogs in the food stores up here. A dog is a dog. I personally LOVE my dogs to pieces and I LOVE other dogs. I would love your baby so very much. But I wouldn't want to see pets in the food store. I dunno... maybe it's just me!

There a always going to be people like this, they love to complain and threaten to turn you in. To the authorities. I had a person once threatened to turnme into the health dept for selling her a purse that she thought smelled. What the connection to the health dept for selling a puse I'll never know. She said purses shipped in from china are submerged in formaldehyde and that s why you see purses have bags of dessicants in them to soak up the formaldehyde. Lol ok that
Little packet in their is gonna do that.

I'm sorry you had to go through that!!
Some people just need to mind their own business!!


Riley and I were just in Trader Joe's in Bethesda, MD, on our way up
to PA for the weekend. I had him in one of his Kwigy Bo bags...
had both ends snapped shut so they couldn't see the mesh part.
We made it through the store and through checkout successfully.
I was a little worried because I also had my Huge Purse with me...
I just walked through like I was carrying some type of luggage.

We also stopped off at a restaurant in Bethesda, MD on the way
back home. I was nervous because the people I was with wanted
to go to this restaurant and said, he'd be fine in the corner of the
booth. Thankfully on the way we ended up finding a cool dog friendly
restaurant that had an outdoor patio. Ry hung out in his Kwigy
Bo for about 2 hours there.... He was sooo Good!!

I take him into CVS and some other places around the city, all the
time and I don't even snap the mesh or zip the bag all the way.....
He doesn't make a peep so nobody ever even realizes he's in there.

I don't see what harm a pup is causing if they are in a purse and being carried around. Some people are just miserable and can't stand seeing adorable little babies being carried around. I understand the manager has to follow rules, they don't want to lose their job, but getting a manager involved is ridiuculous. That couple is obvioulsly just unhappy. Costco let me bring my Ace in as long as he was in my purse, so yay for Costco! This story actually makes me not want to go to Trader Joe's anymore. This and the fact that some of the ground turkey I bought from them had bones, and they wouldn't give me a refund!
Next time I would just say that your pup is your therapy dog!

Funny that this topic came up. I just went on an excursion with Lucy to New York's Hudson Valley's Rib Fest (yum!)

I did some research and found a pet-friendly hotel. The "fest" was located in an outdoor fairground. My children and I had no problem getting in with Lucy (my daughter carried her in her arms as we paid the $5 entrance fee.) We were let right in with Lucy out in the open. While we were there, a guard or volunteer approached and said dogs were not permitted.:animal36 We were leaving anyway, so we just carried her back out. For the majority of the time there, we weren't bothered - we got our ribs, sat in the seating area with everybody else, listened to the music and had a great time.

Later in the evening, after returning to the hotel, we searched for a place to eat. LO AND BEHOLD, I found probably the only pet friendly restaurant in the country.:D The website stated that it was a pet friendly establishment. I actually called to confirm. I explained that I had a 5 lb yorkie. The owner said bring her in!

When we walked into the place, there was a sign that read "Dogs welcomed. People are questionable." It was a very clean establishement with excellent Mexican food. The owner even brought Lucy some boiled chicken.

I'll go back there again next year at Ribfest 2013!

So, I'd just add that if there's any doubt as to whether your baby can join you - bag or not - you might want to call ahead to just make sure. I'm glad I did!

Good luck, Tracey

Yeah, but I'd be very very careful with that. While the ADA requires establishments to comply, not all therapy dogs are covered. You need a doctor's note. Service dogs & therapy dogs are different. And it's a serious violation of federal law to lie about it.

The same thing happened to me when Milly was around 4 months old. I took her in her bag to sainsbury's (which is a large supermarket in London) and the security guy very rudely came over and said I needed to leave. I ignored him, second time he was even more rude and said he is calling the manager! I said OK come on then! :thumbdown The manager was much nicer and explained how some customers might not like a dog in a supermarket despite the fact that she was not in contact with any food etc! (god knows why, but OK I respected the managers words and stood outside while my husband paid for the goods). I just wish people would be a bit more nicer about lettings us know about no pets being allowed! Be NICE!

And having a little dog in a 'doggy bag' is not cruel at all. If the dog didn't like it he/she would most definetely let you know! Mine loves travelling in her bag especially if I am going inside a store, she loves to nap in there or watch people go by, and yes she does have plenty of walks! Totally understand your rant!:animal-pa

I have to agree with not allowing dogs in a food store. My BF has a restaurant and people try to bring their dogs in all the time. Thankfully he has a patio and they can eat out there.
In this case because you were already finished shopping they could have let you pay and then asked you not to do it again, but it was their right to ask you to leave.
When people have a business they are providing a service to those who want it and if they have certain limits that they wish or are required to enforce then that is their right...just as it is our right as consumers not to use their service.

The rules here are weird. Near my apartment, there's a street with a few restaurants that have outside patios and they won't even let me bring my dog onto the patio. Claims it's a health hazard which makes no sense because there's some places around the city that allow dogs on their patio...maybe you have to get a special permit or something.