No dogs allowed! Nu uh there's a new law

[zzapp the witch]

Someone brought up how a new dog law could block store owners from NOT allowing dogs in if they didn't want it, they've already made laws that take choices from storeowners. Smoking comes to mind.

[customersruinmylife]

When I was at work, I was the only person on the bar, and this lady came running into the bar chasing a dog, screaming "MAX COME BACK!!" She ran up and down the bar, I told her animals weren't allowed inside, but there wasnt much she could do about that, seeing as she had no control over the dog.

The dog eventually ran outside. I asked several co-workers if they had seen what happened, and not one person did except me! To this day they still dont believe me.

[Whyme]

"But really, who could think dogs are allowed everywhere? Especially where food is allowed."

That's what I would like to know. I work in grocery store and at least once a week I have to ask someone with a dog to leave. I always explain it's due to the fact that the Department of Health will shut us down if they see a dog hanging out in the produce section, yet a majority of people will try to argue with me. "Well, I can't leave him in the car", "I'll just be a minute" or the creative "I need her to help me find my purse in the cart". Yappy little thing almost bit a cashier on it's way out.

For goodness sake's people, it's a grocery store not a pet store!

Once when I worked at Starbucks I'll never forget a man who insisted he would be quick could we please, please, please let his dog in to the store. His dog ended up pooping on the floor and he left us to clean it up! We made our manager stick to the no dog rule after that one!

[myswtghst]

Sunny, my mom's yellow lab who I pretend is mine, gets to go to the pet stores where she's allowed once in a great while (she's kind of high strung and big!) and gets to go for car rides from time to time. That's it. She's far too much of a handful to be out and about all the time, and loves people in a jump up in their face kind of way.

I never understood the people with little dogs who feel the need to bring them everywhere. Even when I had a miniature poodle in high school, the worst I did was carry her around the house on my hip while I did stuff, or take her for car rides when I ran errands that were short enough that she could stay in a the car with the windows cracked for a few.

[BookstoreEscapee]

If it's a little purse dog and you're just, say, popping into the bank to use the ATM, then who cares?

I've done that. I had him tucked into my coat (it was cold out) and went in to the teller counter. As I was turning around there was a guy filling out his deposit slip with his chihuahua on a leash (at least he said it was a chihuahua, but he was awfully big for the breed so I think he must have been mixed with something else). I had actually seen him pulling into the lot and the dog had a little booster seat so he could see out the window .

[Sailornight6]

well i have never had any dogs, other then seeing eye dogs being brought into our store. cats on the other hand. we have had twice customers bring cats in there little kitty crates. ppl don't seem to understand even if some ppl are delighted others might be deathly allergic to these animals. i however was delighted to see the kitties. i miss my cat.

don't get me started on the birds that got in our store, thats another store for a day i do not have mid terms T.T

[LadyAurora]

I work in a resturant, and we do allow dogs out on the patio, and only if they're leashed. I have a customer that comes in, once a week, to sit with his Great Dane out on the patio and have lunch.

Well the guy came in a few weeks ago and was sitting outside with his dog, when a lady and this cage came up and walked right in to the main resturant. Here's the account as to what happened when I caught up with her.

ME: Uh, Miss? You'll have to sit outside with your animal, we don't allow any animals in the resturant.
SC: But, that gentlemen has his dog!
ME: Ma'am, that gentlemen has a seeing eye dog, and the one out on the patio has his animal leashed. You're more than welcome to sit out on the patio and have lunch.
SC: but it's too hot! and Clarence will get over heated! *pulls back towel on cage to reveal the hampster sitting inside, looking none-too happy.*
Me: Ma'am, that's a hampster. It's not allowed in this resturant.
SC: I want to see you're manager! He is not a hampster! Clarence is my dead husband!!!
ME: .... Excuse me Ma'am, I'll be right back.

Now at this point, I'm a little disturbed, but I go and get my manager, and when I tell him what's going on, it takes him five minutes to stop laughing, and another five to acctually find me serious. By then, the lady's seated herself, Hampster named Clarence, ON THE TABLE, and is talking to it.

Manager: Miss? I'm very sorry, but is seems that animals are not allowed in this resturant unless they're helper animals.
SC: This is not an animal! this is my Husband Clarence!
Manager: ... Ma'am, were you by chance meeting someone here today?
SC: Why yes, my Live in Nurse.
Manager: Alright then miss if you'll just come with me, we'll get this settled.
SC: okay..

Meanwhile, he has me on the lady's cell phone, trying to figure out where this nurse is. When the nurse finally shows up, the nurse is horrified to find th lady in the shape she's in.

The Nurse took the lady away, and we placed a sign outside stating that all animals be seated on the patio. Which is no end for confusion to our customers.

[Gurndigarn]

For what it's worth, owners of property are allowed to restrict or prohibit people from coming in for many reasons, so long as they don't interfere with the civil rights act (at least in the US, but probably similar in the rest of the world). So they can prohibit people with dogs. But most places find that not prohibiting people for minor issues means they end up with more money, so they keep the prohibition list fairly small.

[BookstoreEscapee]

The Nurse took the lady away, and we placed a sign outside stating that all animals be seated on the patio. Which is no end for confusion to our customers.

Seems if taken the right way, that sign could really cut down on the SCs inside the place

[Becks]

Why don't people think that others may be allergic to their pets? There are also people who are deathly afraid of certain animals.

[LostMyMind]

I believe in Key West, they allow cafés to become dog/cat friendly. Making an exception to the no animal health rule. But I thought they restricted it to those cafés that have outdoors service areas. Their thinking was to make the beach area (which already allowed animals) more friendly. However it's still up to the cafés if they want to be animal friendly or not.

[repsac]

Several years ago, I remember reading a Dear Abby letter that rings true in this thread. (This was when Abby was still alive and her daughter wasn't doing the articles)

In the letter, a woman from France was complaining to Abby that she had been told to leave when shopping in a store. Supposedly, she had tried to enter a store with her dog (I think a standard poodle) and basically had been told that the health department wouldn't allow it and she needed to leave. The woman went on to say how in her home country, dogs were allowed every place people went, and how offensive it was to her not to be allowed to bring her dog with her into restruants and the like.

To her credit, Abby went at length about the differences in laws and standards; and suggested to the woman that while she may have felt offended by the store's actions, to consider the others around her.

[XCashier]

Oh, and I really like those book stores (usually a used book store, in my experience) that have resident cats who wander the aisles and beg for attention or sit on the sales counter as if guarding the cash register.

I've seen those at train stores. It's so cute, seeing a cat curled up on a shelf amongst some O-gauge engines!

[Dips]

Oh, and I really like those book stores (usually a used book store, in my experience) that have resident cats who wander the aisles and beg for attention or sit on the sales counter as if guarding the cash register.

The Fairy Gordmother's store has resident cats. They can be hazardous, though. The store has a raised platform with a waist-wall around it at the back. They use is as an office. One of the cats fell asleep on a computer monitor and slid off right onto the head of a customer passing underneath.

Luckily nobody was hurt, just...surprised.

[Getoutofmylobby]

I'd prefer a dog to a human any day, but here at the hotel they are banned. I can;t sell a room to anyone with a dog...

Well... all except for one lady. As I was checking her in she mentioned she had her dog with her. I frowned and told her about the policy and as i was done she unzipped her bag and out popped the head of a minature beagle.

He yelped at me and that was it.

I just couldn't resist.