as annoying as it is, i honestly dont see too many problems here in socal
the dogs are pretty chill and they don’t seem to cause any issues. i just don’t know why i’d expend the energy if things are generally fine.
- Get humped by a dog.
- Whine like a bitch.
I’ll take a dog over a kid screeching in a store.
They should simply send their servants to get the food, or decide to have neurotypical children only.
Animals don’t belong in places that sell food. Animals don’t belong in office supply stores. Animals don’t belong in post offices. Animals don’t belong in any business other than a vet’s office or pet supply store that specifically allows them.
If you can’t train your animal to be home alone long enough for you to run some errands, then you shouldn’t own a pet.
These rules seem arbitrary and capricious. If the dog is well-trained, the owner is able to meet its needs on the go, and nobody else is explicitly being bothered, there’s no compelling reason to block it from any of these establishments.
All of the above hold true for therapy animals, for instance. This isn’t about the animal being well-trained, it is about both the pet and the person to be comfortable and happy, without impinging on the comfort and happiness of others. Locking well-behaved pets out of all of the above establishments does nothing to improve your comfort or happiness. It only serves to inconvenience others.
Barring animals from places that sell food is not arbitrary and capricious, it’s a safety issue.
How many people have suffered physical harm from ordering food adjacent to a service animal?
Well no, the intent is not to inconvenience others, but to not inconvenience yourself.
I love animals. Dogs, cats, rabbits, whatever. Love them all. I’m highly allergic to most of them though.
As a customer of an establishment, why do I need to deal with the animal that belongs to another customer of the establishment? And I’m not being a jerk. I’m not complaining or making a fuss, but if I’m trying to buy toilet paper I shouldn’t need to worry about hair, dander, or if somebody’s dog is well behaved or not. I am the one being inconvenienced, and there doesn’t seem to be a good reason for it.
That goes to the point of the comment you replied to. And to your point, if nobody else is being bothered… Are they checking if others are being bothered? Usually not. That’s a generalization but I can say in my experience it’s true more often than not (and I notice when it is). I’m not saying to ban pets in stores, but it should not be the norm and expect others to just deal with it.
There are some stores, like Home Depot, Home Goods, and Michael’s (in the US), that are historically pet friendly. Leashed and good manners only of course, but it’s great for socializing a pet and making an employee’s day with cute puppies to break up the retail monotony.
A store that explicitly states service animals only, or has no sign, is not appropriate.
These policies work out for the business as well, especially when the store shares a plaza with a pet supply place.
People bringing their dogs to store A might see store B and want to shop there, too. If store B bans pets, that means people either have to bring their dogs home and come back (which is a pain, and people might not return at all), or leave the dogs in their car (which is dangerous or even illegal.) Smart business people don’t want people leaving without shopping, and people with any sense of decency don’t want dogs left in cars.
So when store B explicitly permits people to bring their pets, people can go straight there from Store A without worry. Customers are happy, dogs are happy, business people are happy, and no pets have to suffer in a locked vehicle.
Those should be an exception, obviously. But in CA we have a big problem with service animal fraud. It’s bad for people with disabilities because
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the ones who actually need animals get undue criticism, and
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people with severe dog allergies have elevated exposure.
I think a good solution would be if the service harnesses had a QR code that linked to a state govt website with the animal’s picture.
Animals don’t belong in post offices
Then how do you mail the animal?
Tbh I love it when customers bring their dogs to my work (as long as the dog is friendly).
Gives me something cute to look at and pet during an otherwise bland day
