I have taken Huey with me into a bunch of places where I'm sure dogs aren't allowed. I don't ask (ok, sometimes I do if he is spotted by someone as we enter) but I have never been asked to leave or to leave him in the car. I had him in the Bi-Lo (grocery store) one day in his purse carrier and I had him in the cart. No problems until a little girl-child said "hey, Mommy, she has a doggie". I shushed her and told her she was gonna get me in trouble, with a grin, of course. He has been in Steinmart (clothing store), not in a carrier, but I carried him the whole time & staff all shrugged when I asked for permission. He has been in several Walgreens. TG he is quiet inside places...he only nuts out barking in drive-thrus.

Ewwww. Me, too. And some dogs, especially some big dogs, drool so - seriously drip thick ounces of saliva down to the floor or whatever is under their mouths and when they shake, it goes flying everywhere. On the produce or baked goods stacked in the little bins! And then there is the hair that flies off some of them! Even short-haired dogs can shed. Not near my food, okay? Just let them stay home unless you are blind or so otherwise disabled you have to have the dog.

it's not against the law to ask. That is just a store or company policy.

Great post and great way to handle the situation. I totally agree but just had to add that this last part...:lol tears Thanks so much!! I needed this!!

My situation is a little different, however, kind of the same response from a manager in Walmart - while waiting in line to check out, I saw a boy around the age of 10-12 take some of those baseball cards that they have hanging by the check out line and put into his pocket. I told the manager and they said they couldn't do anything as an employee didn't see this and they can't ask him to empty his pocket.

Again, the food is covered, packaged, and sealed. How is the dog (even if it has drool) going to hurt your food?

With that being said..and my previous post...I've never taken or even tried to take any of my dogs into a store other than PetSmart :D

I work at a law firm part-time and we have a client who has a service dog - she takes him everywhere and it's correct that you CANNOT demand proof and the dog does not have to be wearing anything.

You are not supposed to be asking what people's illness or disabilities are - that's private.

I have seen exceptions to this rule, such as airlines asking for a certificate but they are on shaky ground there. If you pushed the matter you would probably win.

I do believe it's the owner's responsibility to cleanup any pooping or peeing.

Disclaimer: The information is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be construed as legal advice on any subject matter, such as cute little Yorkies.

IMHO people should be less worried about the dog licking it and more worried about what happened before it was package. Granted, I still don't want a dog licking the packaging. :rolleyes:

Also, dogs that drool, bark, bite, growl, poop or pee while in service are probably not real service dogs. Real service dogs are not allowed to get certified when they exhibit those faults.

I believe it is not against the law to ask...but my understanding is that it may be against the law to demand it and/or deny service because of proof not being provided.

Disclaimer: The information is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be construed as legal advice on any subject matter, such as cute little Yorkies.

Because it might touch my counters, it will touch my hands as I handle the package and when you are taking the food out of the package, a flap with drool or E. coli from a wagging tail on it could get on the food. If somehow that food gets missed, overlooked, not washed enough and served raw, such as raw celery or unskinned carrots, certain strains of E-coli can infect, sicken and even kill children and people - and your dogs. If you have EVER seen someone very ill in ICU with a case of that, going into shock and losing fluid faster from both ends than the nurses can squeeze it in, in and out of consciousness, with CVP and other lines running everywhere, you will understand. Some are even allergic to the bacterial toxin and go info anaphylactic shock from that. It happens but until it happens to you or someone you know, people don't think about it seriously. Why should people have to worry about having dog germs on their food anyway? Dogs don't belong in grocery stores unless they are service dogs.

I agree but its a hard sale on here for sure

Yes, you actually can demand because one would say "Is that a service dog?" I don't see why anyone would choose not to answer and if they don't it is not illegal to ask that person to leave the dog outside because they have not verbally identified that the dog is a service animal. They can also go one step further and ask how that animal assists them and that is the maximum extent they can go. Anything else could be considered illegal.

I'm sorry, but some of you give the impression that you think packaged food is not contaminated and cleansed or something because it's neatly packaged in saran wrap. Ummm... no it's not.

Again... I would not want a dog licking the packaging though. However, the condition of meats and other products tend to be germ and bacteria infested with or without a dogs presence. I am assuming most people cook their food partially for this reason.

Even the dogs' paws and mouths/muzzles can have E. coli and other fecal contamination on them from walking in the yard where poop is, from sniffing/eating feces and then doggie puts his paws up on a food container, sniffs, licks it or a big dog touches his paw to an orange stacked up. Cross-contamination can occur, too, such as one contaminated food touching another. Just be sure, now that we know so many dogs are around our food in stores, wash, wash, wash, wash all produce and cook the rest. If anyone doubts dog fecal contamination exists and can cause serious health issues, none of them especially pleasant to the patient if he gets an especially virulent strain, then hemorrhagic diarrhea and is maybe already weakened from flu, anemia, cancer or respiratory illness, just google that phrase and see the yuck that comes up and the public health issue dog fecal contamination is known to be. It's another reason to be sure to pick up after your dog when he's out for a walk. Just sayin'.

Can you imagine the fur left behind from just one majorly shedding dog allowed in... Fur on everything. We had a shedder stay with us fora week. Fur in the oven and everything! My sister's dog is a major shedder. She is no longer alloed on the couch bc hair gets on blankets, on coffee table, etc.

And why unnecessarily exposed the general dog allergy proe public to enure discomfort.

My son's big American Bulldog is shorthaired but he sheds badly twice a year. Once at my sister's, he'd been playing a lot, rolling around on the floor, etc., and Danny got up to get implements to clean up the hair, saying he was shedding. I thought he was kidding until he brought me over to the floor where the sunlight kind of backlit the hair and you could see so much dog hair on the tile flooring! Took Danny a little while to clean it all up! And his dog is the picture of health, in topnotch condition, well-exercised, full vetted the moment he sneezes, regularly tested/treated for any little thing so he doesn't shed because he's sick - it's just what those dogs do. Imagine more than one dog blowing coat in the same area of a grocery store of pharmacy. And imagine of even some of them are long-haired! Ugh!

chester is my service dog and legally they dont need a vest, but chester has one and they can ask and thats about it, no id paper work or anything that they can ask for

Lol this is like the worse image ever, lol.

Anyways I wish they had a clear insignia on dog friendly stores. Or maybe at least a No shirt No shoes No dogs sign on the door, a lot of stores may find that they get more patrons vs another location or retailer.

And finally, WHO are all these mongrel children that you ppl are talking about??? :eek: I mean I know some messy kids, but we are talking about food on clothes, finger in nose, rocks and sticks kids, but none of them compare to my poop sniffing, poop stuck in fur, lifted my leg and tinkled a bit on my other leg, who's underwear is in my mouth now, Mommy watch me lick my privates, Milo :p

Come over for a BBQ one weekend and I have my husbands friend come over with the umm excuse for a woman he is dating and her kids and you will see :p I would rather lick your Milo then touch one of her kids!!!

I remember once when my son was in kindergarten I had a Shih Tzu that was just a baby and I tucked him under one arm and walked my son in to his classroom. As I was walking down the hall and out the door, a woman walking by with a child goes Eww I didn't know they let people in the school with dogs. Some kids are allergic.

Ummmm Lady if a kid is so allergic they can't walk by a dog, then they need to be on some sort of shot or medication, IMO.

Yes...I most definitely can. I have had several Shep/Lab mixes (not by my choice but completely loved) and, believe me...they shed!!! :eek: My first one had such a thick undercoat at NH winters' end that she would leave a thick white 'crime scene silhouette' on the floor when she laid down...for weeks. The only way I was able to minimize the shedding was to bathe her at least weekly, starting just before the shed really began, with Ivory...and brush...brush...brush (and ache...lol) daily. I would fill a large brown paper bag with white downy fur daily. Her vet even recommended Ivory...her fur would fall out in fist-size clumps as she walked. My last one, who I just lost in 2011, would put on coat and shed repeatedly due to FL weather never deciding what temp it wanted to be...and he would leave silhouettes, too...black ones on white tile. All of my Shep/Labs were very smart, personable, and extremely well behaved and trained, and would have made absolutely wonderful service dogs...but I wouldn't have wished the shed mess on my worst enemy, and I would NEVER have taken any of them into any store other than a pet store where such things are 'expected' of some 'customers' even though they didn't drool or slobber and were well mannered, obedient, clean and well groomed. :p:D

I had a Yorkie-Poo for many years from childhood and he did not shed. I am thankfully back to having Yorkies...I love the looks, attitude, and temperament of the breed, and I will tell you...I do NOT miss the shedding! :D

Its more then just allergies though some kids have breathing problems. I can't be near a cat of my asthma acts up and then my allergies kick in.

So you never washed your food before?

Im sure the food is put on the countertop before its washed so then that bacteria is on your countertops so the washing the food doesnt matter your still spreading bacteria

Naaaaaw. Don't bother. Just gulp it like it comes in, even raw, dripping blood or insecticide. No prob. :)

Seriously, I didn't think about dog's licking or drooling on it as I had no idea people brought dogs around food so now I'm going to have to triple wash it. Me, I don't put food on the countertop, always use a clean bowl or platter, because I know about countertop bacteria being so unsanitary.

I am assuming your being sarcastic. Yet, I was asking a legitimate question because your post implied (from my perspective) that you NOW wash your produce because of dogs. Meaning previously you didn't. I wanted to clarify. :rolleyes:

Funny, I had been reading this post a couple days ago, went to Walmart yesterday and a gal had a little pup in an enclosed dog bag in the grocery dept. Of course I had to look at the little cutie.

I think when they are enclosed like that, is alright, although I don't do it. I have taken mine in a bag in the garden dept and to the dog suppy area, but not ever into the food section. I just don't believe they should be around the food.

The place I see the most dogs (besides petsmart) is Lowes. People even walk their dogs in there on a leash! I live in a retirement community, so a lot of us old foggies take our dogs with us places that we know are welcoming.

Also on this note. My vet warned me many years ago to NOT take my dog into a pet store unless I carry her in a bag or my arms. He said you just don't know what other dogs might be leaving there.:eek:

Lowes is a "pet friendly" store, at least in my area.
I usually put Huey in the cart in all stores, including petsmart, partly to keep him safe from both being stepped on as well as contaminated floors, and it keeps him from adding to any contamination...:rolleyes: