Almost kicked out of Petsmart because . . .

That is insane!   What crazy, unbelievably rude people.   Good job, Ash, for being well-behaved almost the whole time.   You handled it so much better than I would have.

ORIGINAL: denise_m

Now that is why I will never take my dog into a pet store. Kids go to pet stores to see all the pets and interact. They don't expect to encounter something dangerous. Maybe not the right assumption, but I understand their logic. Then there are all those other dogs. You cannot count on only responsible owners and well socialized dogs to be there. Add in all the tempting treats, toys and furry little rodents and it becomes all too over whelming for me. If I'm looking for and enjoyable shopping experience I hang out in shoe stores!

 
Well, I go into a pet store to shop for my dog. If kids go in there to play and pet animals, then they should know how to behave and ask. My dog is not a petting zoo. I wasn't looking for a particularly enjoyable shopping experience, but I wasn't looking for a horrible one either. I understand that kids want to pet animals and dogs. That's not a problem. What is a problem is that parents don't teach their children how to behave around them or how to ask. A child could get hurt very easily by running up to a strange dog. If Ash hadn't had the muzzle on, she may have snapped at the kids. Ash isn't aggressive, but she is wary of strangers. She likes to make the first contact. She had been behaving fine and even through all of that, she was very well behaved. She just didn't even move. She just sat there. I was very proud of her because honestly, I was expecting her to growl at any moment with all those kids petting her, but she just sat there, behind my knees.

Of course, the first thing I thought when I saw that pic was "wolf" ... crikey, how do people get hired at pet stores?
I'd be fuming too... I'm so sorry you had to go through that. good for you keeping your cool though I think by the second exchange I'd might have started to raise my voice. I'd write a letter to the regional manager as well... at least you'll feel like you're DOING something.
You'd think at least in petstores people would be dog savvy enough not to go running up to dogs and ask first... SIGH.

I just re-read my post (in reply to Denise) and I must apologize for sounding defensive. I didn't intend to come off all snarky, but I know that I did. A co-worker walked by as I was writing this and commented about how I had gained weight. [:@] ut me in an even worse mood and translated in my post. I apologize.

OYE!  Sounds like the werwolves don't realize that the full moon is OVER.  I would have been mighty tempted to kick him.  Wonder where HIS dog was?

It's funny I've gotten asked if Willow was a wolf too.  Some people are just so clueless that anything with pointy ears that they can't identiy easily is a wolf.

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."

Jeeeez.  It takes all kinds of people in this world, doesn't it?  If your ACD is a wolf, then my Xerxes is a Dingo.  And then when the kids run up to him I can tell the parents that "maybe the Dingo will eat your baby." []

I'm sorry you had this experience in that store.  You were doing everything correctly.  You took the precaution of having her in a muzzle, on a gentle leader and you tried to explain what you were doing.  Stupid people have a way of ruining everyone's day, and you were definitely surrounded by stupid people, from the guy with the kids running amok to the dumb employee who has no idea what an ACD is.

you definitely handled it better than i would have. kids or no kids he would have gotten a resounding "F--- YOU!". some people cannot be reasoned with. the petsmart employee would have gotten the same, and no way in hell would i have bought anything. [sm=2cents.gif]

I totally agree that parents need to teach their children to ask permission before petting a strange dog.  My husband is a military K9 cop.  Most military dogs are NOT friendly.  You wouldnt believe how many parents let their children run up to my husband's dog to pet him.  Of course, my husband is well trained and stops the dog from reacting as he tells the child to stay back.  So many parents look suprised that their child cant pet a TRAINED ATTACK DOG!!!.  What do people think?!?

Ashland that's horrible and I'm sorry it happened to you and your "wolf" [sm=crazy.gif]
And it's understandable why you went back to the man and spoke to him. He was wrong  in allowing his kids  to run up to any and every dog like that. He was wrong in his assessment of your dog's breed, and he was wrong in creating the scene. And at some point you feel like you have to take a stand for yourself, and your dog, because if you don't stand up for yourself no  one else will. I think you handled it better than I would have. I would have been crass enough to write the district manager of the store, make a formal complaint as high up as  I could plus write a rant/rave in the local newspaper or an educational letter to the editor on petiquette whether they are  in the local petsmart, dog park, sidewalk, whatever. People need to teach their kids better manners for everyone's safety, well being, and feelings as well, including the dog's.

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[font=arial][color=#000000]I stopped taking my dogs into the big-box pet stores a long time ago.  They're on leash, in a confined area, with the smell of a bazillion dogs and other animals all around them.  And who knows what is going to come barreling down that skinny little aisle at them (dogs/kids/adults/shopping carts).  My dogs aren't normally aggressive/growly/nervous...but when put into such an over-stimulating environment like that, they get pretty antsy.  I don't feel that it's a good experience for them at best, and at worst it could be...well much worse, such as what Ash went through.   Have you ever noticed how most pet stores put all the really "good smelling" stuff like smoked bones and pig-ears out in the open on the bottom bins, right at dog-nose level?   My dogs can't have that stuff and have never tasted that stuff, but when they smell it - they WANT it so bad.   I just don't see the point in putting them through that.  For what purpose?  I might as well intentionally walk them past 40 feet of fresh road kill, and tell them no - they can't taste it. Socialization is important, I agree, but there are much better ways and places to do that.[/color][/font][/color]

What a horrible experience! I really feel what you went through, and it sucks. I REFUSE to take Kaiser to pet stores anymore...the way people react makes me sick. He IS big, and he's a black german shepherd, but he is very well behaved and quiet. I could understand if he was running around, showing his teeth and growling, but he's not. The last time i took him into petsmart was the last straw. We were walking down the toy aisle (Wyatt was with me as well) and there was an elderly lady and her grandaughter (i assume) in the same aisle. The old lady grabs the kid and pushes her to the side and said, "you stay away from them big dogs!" My boyfriend and I just gave her a weird look. Then, for once, someone tried to be friendly. A woman walks up to me and said, "Oh my, that black dog is gorgeous! What is he a mix of?" I started to say, "He's a german shepherd, he's just black..." but when i said "just" she interrupted with "A mix, yeah." i just ignored her and went on. The same trip, i was walking out the door and a woman was walking in. She grips her chest and acts VERY shocked. I said, "Ma'am, he's not mean at all." She just looked at me wide-eyed and moved outside, refusing to go in until i left. In the smaller petstore, someone with a little shih tzu wouldn't come in until i left. It kind of hurts, because Kaiser is a great dog...but i guess people don't want to give him a chance. I guess people are going to think what they want to regardless...

What an awful experience for you and Ash. People are just so stupid anymore and can't listen to anything once they are set in their ways. I wish more people would have better controll over their kids and set rules about touching other animals. If wolves are so dangerous he should make him kids not pet them muzzle or no muzzle.
 
I see so many people that don't have control over their animals or worst let their kids try to controll the thing. When it's people like us that work hard to make sure we have full control over our animals and try to the best for them. That stuff like that happens to us when it's the other person's fault. If you do ever take Ash out to another store I would make sure I take a book about ACD so you have proof since they don't want to listen to you on the breed of your own dog.
 
Yup I have a "wolf" too.[]

It makes me sad to read all of your stories about these pets stores, or even just the idiots you come across on walks!  People are so stupid its amazing. 
 
The thing that sticks out in my mind is that they have no regard for the DOG, who may in fact be SCARED of kids coming up and you are there to work on the issue and help the dog learn that kids and the public in general are okay and help build confidence... and you come across people like this who are more worried about their kids getting to pet a dog.  Its very sad that they cant use their brain and think that maybe they are making the dog uncomfortable and think, wow, I dont want to do that to him/her.  [sm=banghead002.gif]

If your ACD is a wolf, then my Xerxes is a Dingo. And then when the kids run up to him I can tell the parents that "maybe the Dingo will eat your baby."

 
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