Over the past year I've noticed a lot more dogs in Home Depot. One time a customer was basically using an aisle as a runway while demonstrating to another customer how to walk a dog with authority. And yesterday I saw a customer exiting the store with a little weiner dog that wasn't on a leash. I was pretty surprised the that the HD would allow off leash dogs inside the store.

Is this part of a promotion to get more dog owners to come to the store? I 've been wondering if HD is actively encouraging this.

I don't want to see your dumb dog in any store. Worse than HD is when people bring their dog to a restaurant or a place that serves food. Keep it at home where it belongs. (Same with babies. If you kid is crying at a restaurant take him outside) But then again, no one listens to me.

Bonanza,

I don't much care for it either...there are already enough customers blocking aisles, trying to carry in their hands large items that should be on a flat cart, without adding the dogs to the mix.

Went with some friends to a rather "high class" for my area restaurant. We were the first customer's for the evening as we are 5 o'clock eaters. Sat down, got beverages, etc.

Then the host brings a family of 4 (2 small kids) and sits them close to us. Of course the children immediately began to cry, scream, temper tantrums etc. We discussed among ourselves whether to stay or go. We decided to go.

I told the waiter to please bring the check for the beverages we had ordered as we were leaving. He was stunned. Told him that we came in to have a quiet meal and we were not here to listen to someone's small children scream and cry because because their parent had no control.

We left and they lost revenue from 8 people. The restaurant is large and why the family were sat next to us we didn't know. Years ago I would have taken the screaming, etc., and said nothing. But at 74 I am not going to now. I guess as you get older you have less patience. Never been back to the establishment again.

Both Home Depot and Lowes have always allowed dogs into the store. Often the clerks will have dog biscuits in their pockets to hand out. It is nothing new.

The show dog community has always used the big box stores as a place to socialize dogs and teach them how to behave around strangers and odd activities. it's a favorite place of those who are training legitimate service dogs.

Perhaps the pet dog community has discovered they can take their dogs in, now that so many of the stay-at-home workers have been doing DIY projects.

The best part is when the animal takes a dump,

people scatter and the owner of the animal acts

like nothing happened.

Announcement:

BIG dump in isle 11 and a vomit pile in isle 12,

Lowe's and Home Depot are the second place we trained Scooter. We started at the farm store, then moved up to Lowe's.

Oregon is right - the hardware stores are a good place to train a service dog in training. There are fewer distractions than the farm store or the pet store. The farm and pet stores have DOG FOOD!

My biggest issue is actually people who see Scooter, with his vest on, and want to stop and pet him without asking. He will be laying down betwen me and the shelves, like ordered, and people stop and reach out without asking. THE DOG IS WEARING A BRIGHT RED VEST!!!!!!! Then they get upset when I correct them. What the Heck??

My local Lowe's has a regular customer who brings in his pet goat.

This was in the local newspaper a couple years ago. The headline was:

" Local man may be arrested as his dog is a thief!"

A local woodcutter always had his dog riding in the back of his truck. He went into the local Tractor Supply. He apparently was taking to long. His dog jumped out of the truck, went through the automatic doors, went to the dog bone section, got himself a good sized bone, walked back out the doors, jumped back in the truck and enjoyed chewing his bone. Of course, the cashier saw it all happen, but she wanted to see what the dog would do. When (Carl) came to the register she told him all about it. Well, the wrapper was chewed so they noticed what bone was taken and Carl paid for it.

No charges were filed, but our local paper decided to give people a good laugh. When we see Carl, we ask

We had a case here in California where a Blind man with a seeing eye dog was attacked at a Ralph's super market. Another shopper took in the store their large dog with no lease. This dog was good with "people" but not with other dogs. So the unleased dog attacked the seeing assistance dog and it's owner.

Law, no laws, lawsuits and dog lovers -- that same day all several hundred Ralph's Super Markets stopped allowing ANY DOG, except a true Assistance Dog, into their stores. Many dog owners tried to reverse Ralph's decision. But to see a loving assistance animal and it's owner needing emergency medical care all because of some jerk wanting his pet to roam free is ridiculous.

Poor Doggies don't get to go anywhere.

All jokes aside, I was in the HD down here one day and suddenly I smelled something. Apparently a dog ( maybe human )had taken a dump in the main isle and people were walking in it.

I don't think most people realize that the dogs with the vest on are not necessarily to be petted. I never knew that until reading it on this site. I think Barb mentioned it on here before. Anytime I see a dog I want to pet it unless I am in a restaurant. Whenever a few of us at the convention met up to eat at this one restaurant they allowed dogs. There were a few people there with them outside. I was dying to pet them but I knew I was getting ready to eat. These were not service dogs but I would have wanted to pet them too. I will have to remind myself about petting the service dogs.

Dogs in HD as long as I can remember but not frequent as most people are there to get something and go do or finish a job.

I know they've always been there, but I've just noticed a lot more of them since Covid started. Maybe its just in my area?

I think what Barb is talking about is great -- good place to train (real) service animals. I have no problem with that. As for the other dogs, I don't think they really belong there but they don't bother me that much. I'm more concerned about some of the things the human customers do.

Funny story: a couple months ago I was in there and there was some guy holding a fluorescent light tube in one hand and trying to push a cart with the other hand. The tube had to be at least 8 feet long. I thought to myself "this may not end well" but then went about my shopping and forgot about the guy.

Off topic: you should always ask before petting a dog, whether it is wearing a service vest or not.

The service dog is working and doesn't need to have strangers distracting it by trying to play with it. Legally, a service dog is not requited to wear any sort of vest, so a dog without a vest might be a working service dog.

A dog you don't know that is not a service dog might be friendly and it might not. Better to ask before petting.

Good catch J - I wonder if this has to do with an increase in dog ownership

Ray,

Ray,