Yes, I effing hate it. Like little kids who can't go anywhere without a lovey. So annoying.

Dogs are animals. Don’t discriminate. If you can bring your dog to TJ or Lowe’s, you should also be allowed to bring your cat, pig, llama, goat, heck why not your horse. Bring your snake wrapped around you deck, maybe your gecko would like an outing, how about your ferret?

I do not take my dogs in stores however: my dogs are cleaner than a lot of people, they don’t steal, they don’t scream and shout, they don’t sneeze and cough all over the place. You need to get over it OP

I'm meeting family at the New Mexico Hot Air Balloon Festival next month (driving distance for all of us), and had to specifically point out that even though it's an outdoor festival, their 2 dogs aren't allowed. As we were planning the trip, they said "Oh, if we can plan things that the dogs are allowed at, that would be great."

They have a very nice, luxurious RV they are traveling the country in... but can only leave the dogs for 4 hours at a time. What a hassle.

I see this WAYYYYYY more. And way way way more pets in hotels/tourist areas than in the past. I really like dogs and for the most part they've all been well-behaved, but it has surprised me like "Oh! there's a dog. We do this now?"

Anonymous wrote:DOGS everywhere is a good thing for the world. Dogs are magic.

You are mentally ill.

OP where have you been? This has been a thing for at least a decade, if not more. It's actually turning the other way where stores are specifically putting signs on their door saying service pets only. I have a pug that I recently adopted and I take her out with me sometimes, but only to places I KNOW are pet friendly. Sometimes I take her for a walk and need to stop somewhere on the way home vs making another trip. I have a special dog backpack she can ride in then--does that bother you too?

I have noticed this, too. I agree that I would rather see them in the stores than in a car. But I have a feeling this is going to blow up soon.

I think a lot of people got dogs over the last year or so, and some of them just don’t have a clue.

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I've noticed this since I got my own dog. It's crazy. These are not service dogs. But I guess I'd rather they be in the grocery cart in Target than left in the car.

I do have a question, though. My dog trainer told me to take my dog to Home Depot for socialization. Is that acceptable now since it's a hardware store? Or is she just one of the crazy dog ladies?

Dogs are welcome in Lowes and HOme Depot. sometimes they even have treats behind the counter. Also Pet Smart.

Was the dog pissing in the store? no? then what is the problem?

Yes, I've noticed this since I got my own dog. It's crazy. These are not service dogs. But I guess I'd rather they be in the grocery cart in Target than left in the car.

I do have a question, though. My dog trainer told me to take my dog to Home Depot for socialization. Is that acceptable now since it's a hardware store? Or is she just one of the crazy dog ladies?

Where I live (not DC) it's common. You always see dogs in stores with fake "ESA" vests on.

I used to train dogs, and have some experience with service dogs, and it's very frustrating to see non-service animals in those places. They make it much more difficult for actual service dogs to do their job, especially since so many are poorly behaved.

DOGS everywhere is a good thing for the world. Dogs are magic.

I am not talking PetSmart.

This morning, I was at the Target in Bethesda and saw a couple with a small dog casually shopping. No one blinked. Later I saw a different woman with a little dog upstairs in Trader Joe's, which is a GROCERY store. As a public health matter, since when are dogs allowed in grocery stores? For that matter, Target does sell food, too.

Did I miss the memo?