Dog|dog-123.com
Mar
26
Filed Under (Pets) by dog
Beatrice asked:
When you see a dog in Office Depot, you know that society’s perception of dogs has changed. A few weeks ago, I was walking into an Office Depot to pick up the latest version of Quicken (part of my goal this year is to better manage my finances). On my way in, I bumped into a middle-aged woman who was walking out. With her was a medium sized dog on a leash. Normally when you see this, the dog is a disability dog. This was not that kind of dog. It was clearly a regular housedog. To my surprise, she was able to shop in the store and make a purchase without having to leave her dog in the car. It seemed strange to me that the employees did not seem to mind the dog in the store. A dog in Office Depot is not something you would’ve seen happen ten or even five years ago.
Another recent example is my last trip to the swap meet. The swap meet charges about fifty cents to enter. Next to the pricing sign, there is a sign that clearly states that dog are not allowed, unless they are disability dogs. Yet during my hour or so there, I bumped into several people who had what I call purse dogs with them. They were either on a leash, in a purse or being held. This was not as strange because the swap meet is outdoors, but I wonder why the sign remains if the swap meet has such a loose dog policy. Many of the merchants at the swap meet cater to dog clothing, dog bedding and other dog accessories. It makes sense to allow them to enter so why not remove the sign? How else is the dog going to try on the clothes?
My last example is at the nail shop. I get a pedicure about twice a month. The last time I went in, I was waiting for the next available manicurist, or pedicurist if that’s a valid term. While waiting, I noticed that a woman was getting her nails done with her dog in her lap. The dog was about twenty pounds, so a little larger than your usual purse dog. It had bows in its ears and was wearing a diaper. Both the woman and the manicurist were talking about the dog. The manicurist was asking if it was wearing a diaper because it was a puppy. The lady explained that it was not a puppy but still sometimes had accidents, which is why she kept it in a diaper when going out. I couldn’t help but wonder whether the dog was wearing a dog diaper, or a child diaper. It looked like a child diaper with a hole cut out for the tail. I also wondered how bad it would be if the dog had an accident while this woman was getting her nails done. Does she change the dog in the bathroom like a baby? How does she clean it up if it wets itself while she is shopping or in the car?
Getting back to my original point, our society now finds it acceptable to run errands with your dog. Just as we take kids everyone, we’re not also now taking dogs everywhere (especially the little ones). It is no longer necessary to leave the dog at home or in the car. The majority of establishments seem to have shifted into dog tolerant places. Despite this, these same establishments will not declare that the allow dogs in the store. They keep the sign on the door that clearly states “No Animals”. Yet the employees and management does not enforce this rule. Are retailers afraid to remove this sign? Does it have to do with risk management? Are they afraid of other shoppers objecting? If they open the door to dogs, what other animals might people bring in?
Whatever the reason is, I wonder how long it will take for establishments to take down the “No Animals” sign. I know that somewhere out there, there has to be a group who objects to the dog movement. A group that still sees dogs as just pets that do not belong in grocery stores or nail shops. Personally I hope that we can continue the shift of viewing dogs as valid members of the family. As I do my taxes, I think about all of my pet expenses I’ve had and I hope that I can one day deduct these from my taxes. My dogs were all adopted. I feel as if I personally am doing society a favor by taking these dogs off the streets and supporting them. Yes, I do it because I love them, but it is expensive to keep them healthy and in a way, it is like charity.
GRAIG
When you see a dog in Office Depot, you know that society’s perception of dogs has changed. A few weeks ago, I was walking into an Office Depot to pick up the latest version of Quicken (part of my goal this year is to better manage my finances). On my way in, I bumped into a middle-aged woman who was walking out. With her was a medium sized dog on a leash. Normally when you see this, the dog is a disability dog. This was not that kind of dog. It was clearly a regular housedog. To my surprise, she was able to shop in the store and make a purchase without having to leave her dog in the car. It seemed strange to me that the employees did not seem to mind the dog in the store. A dog in Office Depot is not something you would’ve seen happen ten or even five years ago.
Another recent example is my last trip to the swap meet. The swap meet charges about fifty cents to enter. Next to the pricing sign, there is a sign that clearly states that dog are not allowed, unless they are disability dogs. Yet during my hour or so there, I bumped into several people who had what I call purse dogs with them. They were either on a leash, in a purse or being held. This was not as strange because the swap meet is outdoors, but I wonder why the sign remains if the swap meet has such a loose dog policy. Many of the merchants at the swap meet cater to dog clothing, dog bedding and other dog accessories. It makes sense to allow them to enter so why not remove the sign? How else is the dog going to try on the clothes?
My last example is at the nail shop. I get a pedicure about twice a month. The last time I went in, I was waiting for the next available manicurist, or pedicurist if that’s a valid term. While waiting, I noticed that a woman was getting her nails done with her dog in her lap. The dog was about twenty pounds, so a little larger than your usual purse dog. It had bows in its ears and was wearing a diaper. Both the woman and the manicurist were talking about the dog. The manicurist was asking if it was wearing a diaper because it was a puppy. The lady explained that it was not a puppy but still sometimes had accidents, which is why she kept it in a diaper when going out. I couldn’t help but wonder whether the dog was wearing a dog diaper, or a child diaper. It looked like a child diaper with a hole cut out for the tail. I also wondered how bad it would be if the dog had an accident while this woman was getting her nails done. Does she change the dog in the bathroom like a baby? How does she clean it up if it wets itself while she is shopping or in the car?
Getting back to my original point, our society now finds it acceptable to run errands with your dog. Just as we take kids everyone, we’re not also now taking dogs everywhere (especially the little ones). It is no longer necessary to leave the dog at home or in the car. The majority of establishments seem to have shifted into dog tolerant places. Despite this, these same establishments will not declare that the allow dogs in the store. They keep the sign on the door that clearly states “No Animals”. Yet the employees and management does not enforce this rule. Are retailers afraid to remove this sign? Does it have to do with risk management? Are they afraid of other shoppers objecting? If they open the door to dogs, what other animals might people bring in?
Whatever the reason is, I wonder how long it will take for establishments to take down the “No Animals” sign. I know that somewhere out there, there has to be a group who objects to the dog movement. A group that still sees dogs as just pets that do not belong in grocery stores or nail shops. Personally I hope that we can continue the shift of viewing dogs as valid members of the family. As I do my taxes, I think about all of my pet expenses I’ve had and I hope that I can one day deduct these from my taxes. My dogs were all adopted. I feel as if I personally am doing society a favor by taking these dogs off the streets and supporting them. Yes, I do it because I love them, but it is expensive to keep them healthy and in a way, it is like charity.
GRAIG
