As I said - what I say is my opinion.
Irresponsible - because you (or anybody) is thinking of yourself/themselves, and not the safety and comfort of the patrons who do not bring their dogs in a store. People go to stores to shop. Why do dogs go to stores? Certainly not to shop - only because their owner takes them along. And yes - children go to stores but not to shop. They go with their parents or another adult because they cannot be left at home. You can leave your dog home but choose not to, so doggie tags along only because his owner wants him there. Even when I go to Petsmart, my dogs ride in a cart and do not walk beside me. I would rather be safe than sorry. And yes - I do realize that not all dogs are of a size to ride in a cart!
No one said you should take the blame for someone else's dog. If you were to sit your well behaved dog next to one not so well behaved, could I tell the difference just by looking at them. Of course not! Can a store owner tell the difference? Of course not! It would be next to impossible to judge if the dog is store friendly, and could not be done on a case by case basis. And I'm not singling out a particular breed either. I've come across a couple of very loveable pits (in my limited exposure to them), and some very nasty and ill tempered little dogs. The size or the breed is not the issue.
Perhaps it's my age showing here, and I'm not in tune to the changing times. I know that I'm a whole lot older than most here. I was brought up in a different generation that had a different set of values and a lot more respect for others. Somehow, those values have changed, and us old dinosaurs haven't. So I will stick to my beliefs on issues, but I harbour no hard feelings toward those who think differently than I do.
Just remember, there is usually no right or wrong, or black or white, but somewhere in between those extremes, there can be a happy medium.
Bookmarks