I have a few pet peeves, but none more annoying than the “laws” against dogs. Being that I take Bruce Wayne everywhere with me and he is my registered Emotional Support Animal. Yes, he is actually legally “certified” in that I have a letter from a licensed therapist stating that he is needed to help combat my anxiety.
That being said, I’ve come across some pretty stupid “excuses” as to why Bruce Wayne isn’t allowed in certain places. Yes, stupid! And I don’t like to use that word unless it’s truly necessary.
Food and the Damn Health Board – Sigh, sad face. This one really gets to me. I had Bruce Wayne in his stroller last summer and was asked to leave our local Target because “they sold food”. I wish I had a dollar … or better yet, even a dime each time I saw “little Johnny” touching some kind of food in the produce section. Kids transfer more germs than one can imagine. Don’t believe me? Go hang out at an elementary school for a few days. My point is, is that kids spread germs through contact between human to human quite easily. Bruce Wayne in his stroller is not going to spread any germs. He has no way to actually touch the produce, unlike little Johnny.
People have allergies – Allergies? Yes, I know all about them. I am allergic to almost everything outside: trees, grass, pollen, etc. But you know what? You don’t see anyone going around in front of me cutting down trees, do you? No. I’m expected to be an adult and either take an allergy pill or just deal with it. No joke, this is the excuse I heard when I went miniature golfing in Ocean City, Maryland. May I remind you that both courses I went to were OUTSIDE! One flat out denied me and the other said that I could play as long as Bruce Wayne stayed in his doggie bjorn holder and did not touch the ground because “people have allergies”! No joke. I know people get competitive at miniature golf, but is someone seriously sniffing the ground during a game? And again, we are outside!
It’s not the correct season – If I could insert the dumbfounded thinking emoji here, I would. This is what I run into every year at Ocean City, Maryland. I love the beach, but for some reason, each summer season, Ocean City hotels, boardwalk and beach suddenly becomes non dog-friendly. Why? Why is it that in the winter months, they magically become dog-friendly? What’s that sound? That’s the sound of a cash register! Hotels and tourist places like the beach know that in the winter seasons they are slow and they need to make money, so they become dog-friendly to make up for lost revenue. I hate it, because literally nothing changes except the fact that they aren’t making as much money. Nothing.
Look I get it. Not every dog is well-behaved. Not every dog is potty trained. I’d much rather companies be straightforward to us then hiding behind stupid excuses. Even though I still think that is dumbfounded, because not every kid is well-behaved, I would respect it more. The excuses get old and as respectable pet parents, we can all see through them.
What are some of the stupidest reasons why you weren’t allowed to bring your dog in somewhere?
I completely agree with you. I hate when I am not allowed to bring the Z’s into somewhere. They are the cleanest and healthiest boys, not to mention their impeccable manners. One time, I did try to bring them into a store, and was upset when I was asked to put them into my car, but the manager did bring up a good point that made me less angry and fully understand why a company wouldn’t want a dog in their store/restaurant. He explained that yes, while my dogs are very well behaved, nobody knows that. Not all dogs are trained as well as mine, and it’s unfair that they would allow us access and not the next person who brings their dog into the store. And everybody has their standards of the "perfect" dog. One customer with a messy and untrained dog has the right to be upset when I am allowed access and they are not. As far as allergies, I’ve actually seen somebody having an allergic reaction because a man brought his dog into a restaurant. It was very sad and easily could’ve been prevented. For the food, honestly, I have no idea why dogs aren’t allowed. I don’t foresee animals jumping up and eating something. The final point he brought up is fighting. If two pups see something that they both like, they easily can become territorial and one dog will lose. Then the store becomes a liability for either of the dogs, or even if a person gets attacked. You never know what could happen.
While I was upset, I really do understand why owners don’t want dogs in their store. I LOVE taking my boys places, don’t get me wrong, but I truly get it. I wish that more places allowed dogs, maybe some can open up restaurants specifically so somebody can enjoy an evening with their pup! ~Double Z and Mom😄
Thanks for you input, Zorro, Zekek and Mom! 🙂 I would like to see stores let dogs in that have passed the AKC Good Citizen Test. I think that would be a good measure of behavior and hold pet parents accountable.
While I do feel bad for the man that had an allergic reaction, I just can’t extend that much sympathy. I have a ton of allergies. I’m allergic to basically everything outside, cats and some perfumes. I’ve learned to deal with it and that I have to adult and be responsible for myself. I think we, as a society, cater to much to people sometimes. At some point, the kiddie gloves have to come off. I can’t ask a lady on a date next to me in the theater to leave because I’m allergic.
Hopefully, one day, we can all go where we would like and be respectful to all. 🙂
Wow! I never even thought of that– the AKC test. That would be such an amazing idea! Wow! Zorro has his. Zeke was in the middle of getting trained for his but that is when he was diagnosed with IVDD and we just never got around to it. Have you ever considered getting a petition? I would love to get involved to help you. @doubleztrouble
That’s awesome to hear! 🙂 I hope to get Bruce Wayne’s AKC Good Citizenship too, but there aren’t many places around here that do it, but I heard Petsmart is going to start training their trainers to be able to train and test for it, so we are looking forward to that.
Thank you for your help and support. We are certainly looking into how we can change the laws. We are starting locally and hopefully going from there. 🙂
I am with you on every single one of these issues!!! The ignorance of the people saying these things is almost funny. They believe WE are ignorant to buy it. We don’t, we just have to live by their rules. Have you considered getting a service dog best for Bruce Wayne? I don’t think they can legally tell you no with a letter from your doctor. But I’m pretty sure they cannot refuse you with a vest. At least that’s the way it is in Texas. I just spoke with a lady that got a service vest through Amazon. I believe it only asked for the doctor’s name. It’s worth looking into. Plus, I would check your state’s laws for people with disabilities act. I believe they are breaking the law.
You hit the nail on the head with the hotel. Bookings are down so they open it to anyone during the summer. It would be interesting to see how well they clean everything, bedding, carpet, etc., when they stop letting pets stay there. Because I could almost guarantee they don’t change the way they clean. Most hotels, including, 4 and 5 star hotels, don’t wash comforters between guests. Isn’t that a disgusting fact???
Thank you for your support. We are going to look into our laws, we are hoping to change things around here. Unfortunately, emotional service animals do not have the same rights as a service dog. We would like to see the AKC Good Citizen Test recognized as a way to determine if dogs can be allowed in certain places. That would also hold pet parents accountable.
You are 100% right about the hotels. The extra cleaning fee always gets me, lol. Shouldn’t they be cleaning the room in-depth no matter who is staying in there.
Thanks for your love and support! xoxo
I am on the fence about letting dogs in. I do love my mastiff, but if dogs were allowed into public places (pets not service dogs) I feel as if it would be fun for me, but a huge risk of another animal being hurt, and not to mention constant shedding everywhere. Imagine sitting in a restaurant covered in dog hair. Yuck! And don’t get me wrong, Bruce Wayne being your emotional animal is awesome, my Gracie is mine as well, but I just feel as if it’s not enough to just allow them public access. A lot are poorly behaved, and it would be unfair for a manager to allow some and not others. Do you have a real problem with anxiety to the point where you can pass out? Maybe then you can train him to alert you before these episodes, and he can become your service dog. The ADA doesn’t recognize emotional or therapy dogs as service dogs, and have no rights other than flight and housing, so if you really do have an awful anxiety problem to get it so bad, you could possibly look into this! But please don’t buy him a fake serivce dog vest!