Dogs in public places

[Laurelin]

No, it's not very dog friendly here. I pretty much only take my dogs to dog events, parks, hiking trails, and pet stores.

I'm fine with that though I enjoyed visiting Erin (heyjude) and goign to Austin where it is a lot more dog friendly. It was nice having all the dogs on the patio.

But I don't really feel like we miss out. In fact it was weird last weekend having Hank at a home garden festival. We had an agility show in the same fairgrounds as about 3 other festivals and things going on. Maneuvering dogs through large crowded areas where everyone wants to meet the dog is always fun.

 

[JacksonsMom]

No, it's not very dog friendly here. I pretty much only take my dogs to dog events, parks, hiking trails, and pet stores.

I'm fine with that though I enjoyed visiting Erin (heyjude) and goign to Austin where it is a lot more dog friendly. It was nice having all the dogs on the patio.

But I don't really feel like we miss out. In fact it was weird last weekend having Hank at a home garden festival. We had an agility show in the same fairgrounds as about 3 other festivals and things going on. Maneuvering dogs through large crowded areas where everyone wants to meet the dog is always fun.

Lol see when we go in public, most people don't stop or want to say hi. I get lots of "Aww, a dog!" or pointing etc but most people just go about their day regularly. So it's not really a big inconveince and often it works out because I get my things done but Jackson also gets his exercise/socialization for the day which tires him out mentally more than a regular walk or whatever. Plus he just loves being with me. It's so cute, he's always prideful walking around with me, in a weird way lol.

 

[Snark]

Most of the area is dog-friendly - a lot of the small shops in the town where I work have office dogs or cats.

I don't generally take my dogs to human-oriented stores, just to take them. Living as far away from 'civilization' as we do, we tend to consolidate trips whenever possible and if the end destination is someplace I'd planned to take the dog(s), like my parents' house, I'll take the dog(s) into those dog-friendly stores where we need to stop (hardware, farm store, feed or pet store). The alternative is me or Sis staying out in the van with the dogs (we don't like to leave them unattended) while the other does the shopping.

I did take Michaela into Lowe's, the local farm store and Petsmart last week where we got in some socialization (she doesn't see a lot of people on a daily basis, since we're in a rural area). She behaved well, sat for petting and most of the people we saw liked dogs and knew enough to ask to pet her.

 

[Grab]

My area isn't very dog friendly. Home Depot allows dogs as well as Tractor Supply, etc. There aren't any cafes with patios, etc.

The area is riddled with fake service dogs, though, and the local FB pages are full of people telling others to just call their dogs service dogs, etc. So that's fun

 

[Sweet72947]

My area is sort of dog friendly and not dog friendly at the same time. We have the cafes where you can eat outside on the patio with your dog, plenty of dog events (like the Pet Expo) where you can bring your dog, and even many ice cream shops in the summer have special treats you can buy your dog. At the same time, in Prince William County, there are no dog parks. In PWC there is a very restrictive leash law; it is illegal to have your dog offleash anywhere that isn't your own yard, doesn't matter if it's a fenced area. So basically, dog parks are illegal here. I have to drive 30 minutes away to another county so I can use the dog park there. I could use the indoor one run by Dogtopia, but that costs $15 to get in. So it's just as well that all the baseball fields are kept chained and padlocked shut unless they are being used for baseball (people kept using fields to run their dogs and not picking up the poop), since it would be illegal to use them anyway!

Home Depot and Lowes let dogs in the store, but when I worked for Scotts Miracle Gro company and would be stocking product at both stores, I rarely saw a dog there. Once I saw these people with a shiba inu come into the garden center and allow their dog to jump up on the bales of hay, where she then squatted and peed. It's stuff like that that makes it hard for the responsible dog owners. Various stores here, like book stores and thrift stores, tend to have shop cats. And stores owned and operated by the same person tend to have a dog, because they bring their dogs to work with them. So yes, the area is dog friendly in a way because everyone seems to have one, but it also isn't because too many people seem to be ruining things for everyone else. :/

 

[Applebear]

Not really dog friendly here, though every [once in a] blue moon you will see one randomly in a store and not quite be sure why. Had one person with their minpin on a flexi, just stretching that thing out [what's this little button do again?]. No potential safety hazard there.

My fave though was the lady who brought her cocker spaniel in kmart, off leash running wild and said it was a service dog, "Yeah...he's not very well trained." What baffles me is it's a clear fake [and even if it wasn't, the store still has the right to boot if your dog is out of control] and they let her be.

I can see both sides when it comes to dogs in stores [that aren't SD], but in the end...all you have to do is look at how people are with their kids to see how out of control it would get.

I mean, if they can't handle little beings that speak our language...

 

[Samsonyte!]

I think the Seattle area is pretty dog friendly. Especially downtown it seems like you can bring your dog into most stores.

It's nice because more places to socialize Wilson. But also not so nice because everyone feels the need to pet him without asking me first and he really doesn't like to be touched by strangers.

 

[Southpaw]

I don't feel like I live in a dog friendly area and honestly I'm okay with this. Sometimes I wish my dogs were allowed more places. But ultimately... as much as I like dogs, I don't really want to put up with other peoples dogs everywhere I go, ya know.

And also, if I know dogs are allowed somewhere, I feel obligated to take my guys with (they CAN go with so it'd be mean to leave them home right....) even though most of the time I enjoy NOT having them with me. It's dumb I know.

 

[Torch]

I think Knoxville is pretty dog friendly, but at the same time I don't see a lot of people out with their dogs. The weather is pretty temperate here, so I often bring the dogs on errands and leave them in the car for a few minutes.

Typically I bring the dogs to Home Depot, Lowes, TSC. Occasionally Walgreens and CVS. Only one at a time, though. When the weather is good, I bring them out to the patios at Panera, Chik fila, Starbucks, etc. I live in an urban neighborhood and can walk to a lot of these places, which is nice too.

Henry in particular is really, really calm and well behaved in stores, and people sometimes ask or assume that he's a service dog. I don't like that and try to politely educate them that he's just a well behaved dog in a store that allows them.

 

[Fran101]

Seattle has more dogs in the city than children.
People take their dogs everywhere and for the most part, people love it.

The people who don't, while I understand their point of view....
....
I don't care lol
:rofl1:

 

[Dogdragoness]

Seattle has more dogs in the city than children.
People take their dogs everywhere and for the most part, people love it.

The people who don't, while I understand their point of view....
....
I don't care lol
:rofl1:

I totally agree!!!