It’s a rainy Sunday and we are in the middle of a home renovation project so you know what that means...trip to Home Depot!
Bean was dying to get out of the house so I brought her along. Some observations on this trip had me thinking about the pros and cons of a pet friendly policy for retailers.
Home Depot does not have an official pet policy, but they are unofficially dog friendly in most stores.
"The Home Depot places a priority on providing a safe environment for our customers and associates. As a practice, we do not allow animals in our stores. However, service dogs and dogs that are non-disruptive, secured properly and under the control of their owner, may be tolerated in the store, at the discretion of the manager on duty and if there is not a disruption to our other customers." - Source ABC 7 News
I love having the privilege of bringing my dogs with me when I shop, but it is also a lot of work keeping an eye on their safety and the safety of others. One of the things I was shopping for today were new lighting fixtures, its tough holding the leash of an excited social dog in one hand while checking out chandeliers with the other!
I like that Home Depot gives the owner the benefit of the doubt, expecting that they have a well trained dog and that they will be responsible for their pet during their visit. Hopefully this approach is not abused too much like these two examples of bad dog owner behavior.
Many people like the guy above are completely against seeing dogs in stores. Unfortunately when pet owners act entitled or are disrespectful during their visits it only perpetuates those feelings.
What are your thoughts on shopping with your dog, especially in large retail establishments? Is it inappropriate or is it okay as long as they are as well behaved as Sachi?
