Dog Community

dog in shopping cart rant

Meg

Posted : 4/13/2006 10:20:03 AM

We were shopping last weekend in Home Depot and we took Pudge with us. I had him on his leash, and was holding it so that there was no slack in it and he was exhibiting his best "Heel" ever, right by my knee when a teenage looking manager came up and proceeded to tell me that dogs were allowed in the store, but had to ride in shopping carts and were not allowed to walk around. I stopped and put Pudge in a sit, where he styed the entire time this was going on( I was so proud of his behavior that day) He said the reason being that a dog had been hit by a shopping cart in their store while walking on a long leash. This dog walked out from an aisle in front of his owner. So now HD will not let dogs walk on a leash in the store. I refused to put my dog in the cart, siting the fact that he was well within my control and if we did encounter anyone with a cart, I would be hit before he would. I informed him (nicely) that not every dog owner lets their dog drag them through the store and that I believe the case in point was a case of stupid owner not being responsible for his dog and it's safety. He insisted and even got rude with me, bending over very quickly to pick my 60+lb dog up himself, with out my permission! Startled, I asked him what the h*ll he was doing?!? and he stopped in his tracks with his hands still on my dog and told me the dog must go in the cart. I informed him that picking up strange dogs was a good way to get hurt (my dog isn't mean, but he didn't know that). With that I told him what I thought of his attitude and PR skills, and let him know we were taking our business elsewhere adn that HIS manager woudl hear from us. I grabbed a comment card on the way out. This store will hear from me in the near future.

After leaving the store, DH and I were joking about the look we could have gotten from the manager's face had we said something like, "Pudge, Sick balls" When he went to pick him up. Pudge doesn't know this command, but it would have gotten the point across about lunging at stranger's dogs, and given me a good chuckle too.
Here's Pudge, my baby.

Firestorm

Posted : 4/13/2006 10:37:44 AM

Wouldn't it be more dangerous for a dog to be in the cart....what if the decide to jump out? Hmmm....The manager was out of line.

marlania

Posted : 4/13/2006 10:43:12 AM

What an event!

Could you imagine sticking a 100 lb. dog in a cart? Grey would love that, but I'm not about to give that fool a new habit. Given how much he loves car rides, I can imagine how happy he'd be to be pushed around stores in a cart.

Meanwhile, I can't believe he tried to pick up Pudge. Eventually, he'll pick up the wrong dog and maybe learn his lesson, although I'm sure the dog and owner would get the blame and not his idiot.

sarah crompton

Posted : 4/13/2006 10:49:04 AM

What a stupid idea to

ut Pudge in the cart if he was behaving himself then I see no need. That store obviously need to brush up on there people & canine skills , by the way I absolutley love British Bulldogs the breed that represents my country and Pudge is such a handsome guy!!! My fave breed I want one so bad!!!!

twelvepaws

Posted : 4/13/2006 11:10:04 AM

Now there's a store policy that makes sense?????!

Doesn't it make you mad when you think of the good stuff to say AFTER the fact! I can't imagine anyone picking up a strange dog.

Marlania, I can't believe Grey would LIKE to be in a shopping cart! Oh yea, this is Grey.... [sm=lol.gif]

willowchow

Posted : 4/13/2006 11:29:51 AM

Well, hold on, while I don't agree with dogs in shopping carts or a stranger trying to pick up my dog. If that's the policy of the store, then that's the policy. I mean they don't have to allow dogs at all.

Firestorm

Posted : 4/13/2006 11:35:30 AM

I agree Willow i can see your point too. I went to petsmart the other day and someone had 2 labs that were dragging them all over the store...If you can't control your dogs then don't bring them in the stores....But any well behaved dog should be allowed where they do allow. There should be a sign up stating their rules.

Meg

Posted : 4/13/2006 12:12:04 PM

I see your point, but It just threw me innitially becuse before this incident our dogs were welcome ot shop with us in this store with no problem. I don't think this is a solution for the problem they think they have with dogs walking through the store.

One of the reasons I didn't want to put Pudge in the cart was becuuse of the "flooring" I guess you could say of the cart. It was not something that looked comfortable for him to have to stand on, much less keep his balance while the cart started and stopped, he would not lay down in this situation, too much going on, and I wouldn't put it past him to want to jump out, how is that safer?

I don't htink the original dog owner should have had a leg to stand on in his lawsuit, as I believe it was his neglegance that got his dog hurt. But the story was told to me second or maybe even third hand, so I only know what the manager told me.

Stella K.

Posted : 4/13/2006 12:34:31 PM

This might sound terrible but now I wanna go to Home Depot just so that I can give Stanley a ride around the store in a shopping cart!

sharismom

Posted : 4/13/2006 12:41:20 PM

If I was shopping alone and had to put Shari in the cart, I wouldn't be able to buy much!

probe1957

Posted : 4/13/2006 12:50:26 PM

ORIGINAL: willowchow

Well, hold on, while I don't agree with dogs in shopping carts or a stranger trying to pick up my dog. If that's the policy of the store, then that's the policy. I mean they don't have to allow dogs at all.

I absolutely, 100% agree. While I wish there were more stores that would allow us to bring our dogs in, it is totally up to the management of that store whether they do so and under what conditions. The stupidity of picking up a strange dog notwithstanding, it wasn't the manager who was wrong here, IMHO.

Of course, I am a Libertarian, at heart, and I think you should be able to discriminate in business to your heart's content. [

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cyclefiend2000

Posted : 4/13/2006 12:50:27 PM

i didnt even know it was an option to take a dog into home depot. i wonder which other stores allow dogs?

ORIGINAL: Firestorm

If you can't control your dogs then don't bring them in the stores.

what if (like me) you are in the process of training your dog. my dog is never more than a leash length away, but he is still pulling like mad. we are working on it, but until he will walk nicely on the leash should i just leave him home? would he ever learn to walk nicely through the store unless i take him there?

smilee1079

Posted : 4/13/2006 1:20:07 PM

I have taken Zoe into Lowe's but I held her the entire time. I'd probably do the same at HD unless I planned it and brought a little bed to have in the cart with Zoe. I have seen people do this at HD. I don't know what I would do if Zoe was huge because I never assume dogs are allowed to walk around stores except pet stores. For some reason, I feel it makes it more OK if there is no chance of an accident on the floor etc. and if I hold her, they know it won't be a problem.

fizzlbriches

Posted : 4/13/2006 2:12:52 PM

While I agree that the manager did not act appropriately I have to say: it is not for us to decide what rules the stores have. As for the manager trying to pick up your dog without your permission..that would have been a serious problem with my dog. Not only would my dog have bit him but I probably would have rammed him with the cart. To me, that is a matter of protecting what is mine, just as I would do if he decided that he wanted me to put my purse in the cart and not on my arm.

I think the more appropriate manner to have responded would have been: "sorry, we have shopped here before with our dog and had never been asked to put him in the cart. We will leave. (you could add: I will not put him in the cart for reason x, so we will be leaving and doing our shopping elsewhere today and not bringing the dog back)"

on a side note: did you fill out the comment card and have you had any reply from the higher ups?

ashland

Posted : 4/13/2006 3:13:47 PM

While I think it was wrong and foolish of the manager to pick up your dog, I agree with Willow on this. If it's the store's policy, then it's the policy. Just like Willow said, they don't have to allow dogs at all. I didn't even know Home Depot did allow them. If they had told me their policy, I would've just left. I wouldn't be able to get Ash to stay in a cart so I would've left.