. . . I didn't want children petting Ash. Oh yeah, and Ash is a wolf now.
Yup, you read that right. I was almost kicked out of Petsmart this weekend and Ash magically became a wolf.
I've been trying to work on socializing Ash more and so this weekend, I decided to brave the land of Petsmart again. I stopped taking Ash there a while back because too many people would try and pet her and Ash needs to be the initiator of contact. This weekend, I took her to Petco and she did fine, but I like Petsmart better and so we went there the next day.
I had Ash on her Gentle Leader and she had her muzzle on. We walk in and we're doing fine. We're shopping and Ash is great. People are walking by and everything is fine. Then, a man and his two children come down the aisle and the little boy cries out, "Look Daddy! It's a wolf!!!" I turned my head to see this wolf and then realized after a few seconds they were talking about my baby. Before I could even correct them, the little boy and little girl run up to Ash and start petting her. Ash, surprisingly doesn't growl or anything, but just tries to get behind my legs. I tell the father, "I don't mean to be rude, but my dog is very nervous around strangers and has the capability to bite. I'd apprecitate it if your children didn't pet her."
The father calls his kids back to him and says, "Wolves are not allowed in stores like this. And how can it bite if it has a muzzle on?" I say, "She is not a wolf and if she wanted too, she could bite through the muzzle." Father then says, "That is a wolf. I've seen people with those before. It's a wolf hybrid, at the very least. You can't pass that off as a normal dog. Wolves are illegal to walk around in stores with and if you know she can bite through that, then why do you bring her in here?" Meanwhile, a store employee comes up and says, "Ma'am, I'm gonna have to ask you to leave. We don't allow wolves in the store."
At this point, I am wanting to laugh. My dog is a wolf? Lol! Are you kidding me? Is this a joke? My 38 lb cattle dog is a wolf? I was speechless as I stared at Ash behind my knees. This "wolf" sure wasn't acting scary and in fact, had been on her best behavior even AFTER those kids ran up to her.
I look at the employee and then at the man and say, "She is an Australian Cattle Dog. She is not a wolf. She's not even a wolf hyrbid. As for the muzzle, it's a precaution. She has not bitten anyone (not entirely true because she has bitten one person before, never breaking skin though)."
By now, I can see people staring at us as they pass the aisle and MORE children have come up to pet Ash. Not one of these kids have asked to pet her and none of the parents are stopping their kids from doing so. In fact, most of them continue to shop. The employee says, "I don't know what an Australian Cattle Dog is, but she looks like a wolf to me. Either way, I'm going to have to ask that you purchase your things and be on your way. If she were to bite one of the children, we'd be liable. If you'd like, you can leave her in the car and continue your shopping." The man says, "I know that's a wolf. My brother-in-law has one just like that."
I couldn't believe my ears. I asked to speak with the manager. He comes out and I begin to tell him of the VERY unpleasant scene that had just happened. I asked him to tell me if my dog looked like a wolf and he said no, but he's seen ACD's before and he could see how someone might think that. I explain how my dog hadn't growled at a single person this entire visit (at this moment, Ash was lying on the floor because she was so bored. I'm sure she looked real vicious) and even when being petted, she just sat there, even though it was apparent that she wasn't comfortable. I went on to say that the store employee was pushing me out of the store, even though Ash and I had done nothing wrong. I told him how the store employee doubted that I knew what breed my own dog was.
He apologized and said he was sure it was all a misunderstanding. I then said how I had been asked to leave or remove Ash and he didn't respond. I asked him if I was indeed supposed to leave or remove her and he finally said no. That was it. I continue to shop and come across that man again. The one who started all of this and I said, "Excuse me, but you caused an unneccessary scene back there. I don't appreciate being told what my dog is or isn't, as if I don't have a clue about my own dog. I also don't appreciate people or children petting my dog without permission. Do you allow your children to pet strange dogs normally? You know nothing about that dog and what if it did bite your child? It's irresponsible to just let your children wander up to a stranget animal and pet it. Would you let your children walk to up a human stranger and give them a hug?"
The man says, "Look here lady. I know that "dog" is a wolf and those things are dangerous. Most of the dogs that come in here are not dangerous and so I don't have a problem with letting my kids pet them. But a wolf? You can sit there and pass it off as whatever you want, but I know it's a wolf and it shouldn't be in this store."
Ash starts to growl, but has remained seated. I say, "If you "know" that she's a wolf and that's she so dangerous, then why did you allow your children to pet her up until the point where I asked you to make them stop?"
He didn't say anything and I almost smiled because I knew I had got him. But then he turns around and goes to the store manager and complains about Ash growling at him!!!! I couldn't believe it!!!! I STILL can't believe it! I'm getting mad all over again. The manager comes up and then asks me to remove Ash because she was showing aggressive behavior.
I walked out of the store at this point because I was just too mad to even argue anymore. Plus, I can understand how the store would ask me to remove Ash since she was growling now. But still!!! All of that and I honestly think it was just because I asked that man to not let his children pet Ash. I even asked nicely!!!
When I went home and told my mom this, she didn't believe me at first until she saw how livid I was. I was furious!!! It's unbelievable. I'm caught between the humor of that man's ignorance and the anger at my ruined shopping experience. I can't help but laugh and smile at the fact that this man and that store employee thought my Ash was a wolf. I thought I'd post this because of all the wolf talk going around on here and because of that thread going about people being clueless about breeds. I started a new one though because I didn't want to hijack a thread and I knew this would be long. Sorry!
Here's my wolf . . .
[link
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f196/ashland03/ashperfect.jpg]http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f196/ashland03/ashperfect.jpg[/link]