What's with people taking their pets to the pet store?

[laconicsax]

Yes, its allowed, but does your golden retriever really need to come along when you're buying a bag of Purina?

Yes it's allowed, but does your cat need to see the toy selection from inside their carrier?

[Joe Shlabotnik]

1. Ya, like taking your kids to a toy store. peaceful, orderly ......what could possibly go wrong. n/t

[Brickbat]

2. I would take my dog to the big boxes to wash him, and then wander around the store when we were

waiting or when we were done. But to run errands? No thanks; we need time apart.

[XemaSab]

3. My dogs really want to go with when I run errands

The pet store is one place where they can go with.

[OffWithTheirHeads]

4. I don't take my dogs. They take me!

That's why they call it a pet store, not a people store. I assure you, my pets have no interest in going to Nordstrum!

[NRaleighLiberal]

5. We took our male choc lab once - he peed on the magazines near the floor (had a good sniff first -

thinking it was a copycat - copydog? - crime!)

[hlthe2b]

6. Are you kidding? My dog takes ME...

Seriously, this absolutely makes her day to go in a store and she knows EVERY single one that she is allowed. She's great if I have to run into starbucks and just sits there out front patiently waiting, but walk by Orvis... or the Container Store (yes, they let well-behaved dogs in) or the occasional pet store, where she knows she'll get a doggy "cookie" and she's dragging me. Or the Marriott where the valet service guys keeps dog treats curbside.

She's had terminal abdominal cancer for three years now, yet still doing pretty well. But, given we are on "quality" and not "quantity" time, I don't say no too much. She's my living sweet miracle dog. She' wants to pop into a store that allows dogs and feel special--I'm there.

You don't know what you are missing... A well behaved and loyal dog by your side is just an incredible companion. And, unlike the many unruly kids you see in stores, no one has EVER complained about my dog's behavior. They all line up to give praise.

[Angry Dragon]

8. ............

[hlthe2b]

22. Much appreciated...

Every day's a gift.

[laconicsax]

10. When you say that your dog takes you...

You don't mean that she puts you in the car and drives, right?

[hlthe2b]

11. She certainly tries... She's a herding dog, after all...

Was nipping at my heels to get me to do her bidding from the moment she opened her eyes.

[A HERETIC I AM]

12. Whenever I see someone with a dog in their vehicle....

be it a car or an 18 wheeler, I always say "So let me guess....that car (or truck or motorhome or whatever) belongs to that dog and he just lets you drive it around for him."

It invariably gets a smile and a "You got it!"

[hlthe2b]

17. "Invariably get a smile"

[bigwillq]

7. I like it. It is a PET store after all!

[laconicsax]

9. I don't take my furniture to the furniture store.

No matter how much it begs.

[bigwillq]

13. Your furniture talks?

Very lucky, dude.

[Doc Holliday]

21. I dunno....

....how many of us would actually want to have furniture that talks to us?

Not me. I'm pretty sure that every piece of furniture in my house would sound like the stereotypical whiny Jewish mother....or (worse) Raymond Barone's mother.

No, thanks. Who wants to hear your easy chair say, "Hey. Yeah, you, lardass. You want to ease up on those jelly donuts? For both of us, man... really."

[bigwillq]

23. HA!

I tease my mom that she is Marie Barone! LOL

[charlie and algernon]

14. PeeWee Herman, is that you??

[jberryhill]

15. The same people take their drugs to the drug store

[HopeHoops]

16. To watch them run about 70 mph on a polished tile floor and get absolutely nowhere.

[hobbit709]

18. It's a pet store, isn't it?

[TreasonousBastard]

19. Around here it's encouraged, and customers usually...

like playing with the dogs.

Besides, how else do you get the pet to the vet and/or grooming services inside?

(And, ummm... meet people?)

[snooper2]

20. You do know they make harnesses for cats...And where else would I take Samy

That has all those caged birds and fish swimming around

I don't think the zoo would like it

[Brother Buzz]

24. My girl far prefers the drive-thru bank

FREE dog biscuits!!!

[undeterred]

25. Actually its a good idea

First of all, its the only place dogs are allowed to go, and its a good way of socializing them around strangers. My dog LOVES going to pet stores. He is very friendly and it gives me a chance to work on his behavior greeting people politely.

Second, if I am buying something for him it gives me a chance to see if he likes it or it fits him. No, this isn't always necessary but if I am talking to someone in the store having the dog right there is easier than describing the dog.

And finally, its a companion animal, and a pet store is one of the few places we can shop together.

[hunter]

26. Most dogs LOVE it.

It's almost as much fun as taking them to the dog beach. They radiate joy.



http://www.dogfriendly.com/server/travel/info/tips/beachetiq.shtml

[Doc Holliday]

27. Nothing quite like

the look on your dog's face when he or she is having the time of his or her life.

Here in Lubbocktexas, the last day of the year that our public pools are open is reserved for dogs and their owners. I've been taking my little princess there for the past three years, and I swear she's like a kid in a candy store. She loves to swim, and being around other dogs and their people is good for her, as well as being big fun.

[RebelOne]

28. I took my Rottweiler to Petsmart twice

and she couldn't wait to get out of that place. She was shy and there too many people and dogs.

[LynneSin]

29. Actually when Abbott goes he is on his leash

My cat is so cool!

[GoCubsGo]

33. My cat would freak out.

The only time I ever took her to a pet store was when she was a kitten. I took her to have her picture taken with Santa. It was so stressful on her, I never did it again. The funny thing is, as we were leaving, a woman walked in with a leash that branched off into 3 leashes. At the ends of them were two small dogs and an orange cat. The cat walked better on the leash than the dogs did. The poor thing. When they stopped at the photo area, the dogs jiggles around. The cat just sat down. He had this look on his face as if he was thinking, "Jeezus. Will you two just sit the fuck down and stay still, already?" He was one of the most laid back cats I have ever seen.

[Myrina]

30. Yes.

Thanks for asking.

[RedCloud]

31. My Predator X gets free food that way.

Sometimes raw!

[frogmarch]

32. Pythons

A friend of mine who lives in Lincoln, Nebraska said that she has seen people in Petsmart wearing their "pet" pythons around their shoulders and necks. Eek.

[cbdo2007]

34. We think our dogs like it cause when they wait in the car....

they are always wondering what is going on in that big building we walk into and bring out bags full of stuff.

This gives them the chance to see for themselves what we are doing as a special treat. It isn't like we take them into ALL stores, just pet stores.

My baby (100 pound lab mix) loves shopping trips!!!

[Major Nikon]

35. In other countries I've seen people routinely take their dogs everywhere, even into restaurants

[haele]

36. My Willy-Bear used to love to go to the pet stores on a leash - he was a Korat

And he had to investigate everything and everybody. He looked like a solid lavender-grey green-eyed feline football with four legs and a long cork-screwed tail dragging the cart around (I'd hook the 8 ft. leash up to the front of the cart to give him investigation space). He'd walk up to pretty much anyone, but he seemed to know what dogs to avoid; you'd see him size up any dog he saw, and if he didn't like what he saw, he'd jump back up into the cart and glower at it.
Moggy loved his leash too, but he preferred to lay down in the cart under the kiddy seat, coming out only when someone cooed at him and wanted to give out scritches or treats.
They both liked me to stop the cart by the bird and pocket pet area, or by the fishies.

But then, they liked rides in the car, sitting on the dashboard by the passenger side, looking out the window at the cars whizzing by - as long as I didn't also have Shari (the dog).

Haele

[DainBramaged]

37. It's obvious you aren't a pet person

Our pets are part of our family, all of us here who are pet people. Just like taking them to a dog park, on a walk, to visit friends and relatives, they serve a genuine purpose of companionship and comfort. And taking them to PetSmart or any of the other pet stores is a real treat. The owners meet new people, the dogs socialize, and they get to see what we get for them. I used to take my English Bull Terrier to Pet Smart and spend upwards of an hour with her browsing the rawhide aisle until she found one she liked and she would either hop for me to get it or pull it of the shelf and drop it on the floor. it was a wonderful time and only a dog owner would understand. The other night we were going out and our little dog stopped at the top of the stairs, nosed his jacket and looked at us asking or us to put it on him. Car rides, the most important thing in a dog's life.


When you aren't a pet person, you miss moments like that.


My condolences.