Photo: @arielle.dollinger via Twenty20
Should dogs be allowed in stores?
Wilko, the U.K.-based houseware’s chain, has received a largely positive response — but also a few complaints — to its decision to make two-thirds of its stores pet-friendly.
The move followed a successful pilot at two locations.
“A pet is more than just a pet, they’re family. That’s why we’ve decided to welcome pets in-store at 248 of our locations 🤩,” Wilko wrote in a Facebook post in early February. “We hope that shoppers will enjoy bringing their furry friends along with them 🐶”
Pets must be kept on leashes and are not allowed in food aisles. Participating stores primarily have on-street entrances.
The post has earned more than 10,000, most of which welcome the decision. Some shoppers said their pets help them to stay relaxed. Others said it meant they will no longer have to risk having their pet stolen while tied up outside.
Not everyone is pleased, however, with some calling the activity “unhygienic” and others raising concerns about pet phobias or potential dog misbehavior.
One disappointed customer wrote, “This is no good for my child that has anaphylaxis reactions to animal dander and saliva. Service dogs have their place in stores and we can avoid them and monitor, they are well behaved etc.. pets do not belong in stores.”
Many of the positive responses were reactions to negative ones. One said, “Get a grip people. Dogs are often better behaved than some humans!”
Andrew Goodacre, CEO at the British Independent Retailers Association, told the BBC that the move could help store traffic. He said, “There’s many more pet owners out there, partly because of Covid, and I think there is a great acceptance of pets.”
In the U.S., it’s rare to find a dog alongside their owner in a store, with the exception of guide or service dogs. Under federal guidelines, dogs and other animals are not allowed in restaurants, grocery stores and other places where food is prepared.
Many U.S. cities are known for their pet-friendly shopping policies. Most outdoor malls allow dogs on leashes in common areas, with some stores allowing dogs on a leash or in a carrier.
- A pet is more than just a pet – Wilko/Facebook
- Retailer Wilko welcomes pets into most stores – BBC
- YAPPY DAYS Wilko makes MASSIVE change for shoppers – and it’s good news for pet owners – The Sun
- Angry Wilko shoppers threaten boycott as store begins to allow dogs inside – Daily Record
- Pet Friendly Shopping Malls in the U.S. – Pet Friendly Travel
Discussion Questions
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Are you for or against allowing dogs inside stores? Are the concerns small enough and the benefits big enough for many more U.S. stores to install pet-friendly policies?
Poll
Loading …BrainTrust
No. And “stress relief ostriches” should also be left at the door. 🙂
So, no peacocks on planes right?
Speaking as a lifelong dog owner, I find this idea hard to support for a number of reasons. (With the obvious exceptions of service dogs and pet stores, where dogs are welcome.) First, hygiene is a legitimate concern — some dogs shed copiously, others drool, and dogs are not necessarily clean unless they just got a bath. Second, stores are inviting a problem with customers who may be allergic to dog hair. Finally, not all dogs “play nice” with each other or with humans of all ages and sizes, even if they are leashed and harnessed.
Even though I own the world’s best dog, the risks — in terms of potential liability to the retailer and the safety of other shoppers — outweigh the benefits.
Yes, they should be allowed in stores. But I like dogs and seeing them makes me happy. I know that not everyone feels the same and some people have concerns around hygiene and safety, which is why this probably won’t become mainstream. However, I always think well of stores that place water bowls for dogs outside – something that is especially welcome in sunny Arizona!
Allowing dogs in stores would add joy and comfort to these anxious times. They’re like CBD with fur. Communicating allergens and preparing hygiene protocols would reduce the risk of welcoming the whole family into stores.
“CBD with fur.” Spot on!
CBD? My first thought was Central Business District…though I eventually figured it out.
I love the idea but there isn’t an easy answer to this question. For people who love dogs it’s a wonderful solution, but for those who have health or fear issues it is not. It’s a fine line that moves with every shopper who enters the store.
I don’t know where in the U.S. you do most of your shopping, Tom, but where I live dogs in stores are truly commonplace. I am a dog lover, and welcome them near me (and jumping on me!), but it’s a tricky issue. Many have legitimate hygiene or allergy concerns, while others simply fear dogs. So while I love dogs, I think we need to respect the needs of those affected negatively and limit dogs in stores to service dogs. I do fear, however, one unintended consequence of restricting dogs inside stores: if they can’t bring them inside, I suspect many people will leave their dogs in hot cars while they shop.
Dogs on a leash? Really? One more thing to block aisles.
I love dogs, have dogs, and just feel happier in general when dogs are around me in public places, but I’d have to say a firm no to dogs in stores where there is food, or small boutique sized stores. The challenge isn’t the dogs it’s the owners, many of whom have failed to train their dogs to behave. Some dogs haven’t been properly socialized to other dogs or people, and kids are far too unaware of dog behavior signals to trust they won’t get bitten. Almost daily in the dog park I see owners not paying the slightest attention as their dog gets too aggressive with another dog and stores are an even more distracting environment. I think big box stores like DIY, liquor and others without food are places where it’s easier to manage your pup’s behavior and for other shoppers to avoid you if they have allergy issues, but it’s too risky elsewhere.
Yes, at Petco and PetSmart.
We have two terriers ourselves and they are definitely not ready for stores, the mall, or restaurants. But, some dogs are very well behaved so it wouldn’t bother me in the least to see those kinds in stores. The problem is that people don’t obey rules in general, so I imagine there will be reports of unruly dogs, dogfights, dogs off leashes, etc. Makes it a tough call. Thankfully, all the kids I see in stores are SO well behaved 🙂
Seeing pets at a pet store is typical and even expected. However seeing a dog in the grocery aisle is not. Allowing dogs in the store is not like slapping an image of a cat on your social media post to collect more likes or shoppers. You run the risk of turning off more customers than you expect.
I have three dogs, however I don’t think pets in-store is a great idea. The chaos of having pets in-store and the hassles of clean up, maintenance, and policing of just basic rules with already under-staffed stores seems like too much to take on.
Pet stores? OK, I expect to find them there. Target? Kroger’s? Men’s Wearhouse? No. Not at all. I’m a life long dog owner. My dogs are well trained and I think they’d be fine. But they’re dogs. Not everyone likes dogs. Worse not everyone really knows how to behave around other people’s dogs. When a toddler runs up to a strange dog that wasn’t expecting it — not every dog will react as their owners expect. There’s are also enough people who are afraid of strange dogs or who have allergies, etc. Dogs are great. I love having mine around the house, at the park, in the car. But I know not everyone feels that way and to impose my pets on people, where they wouldn’t expect to encounter a dog, isn’t right.
No — and no. And I say that as somebody who owns several dogs. Love them, don’t want to impose them on anyone else.
Dogs – especially big breeds – don’t belong in places that sell food.
Very often I feel as though we are discussing one thing when it is really about something else.
This seems to be us talking about the love of dogs (and other animals) and allowing pet owners to bring their beloved ones in with them while shopping. There’s no arguing the universality of the former and some agreement that there should be exceptions made for and against the latter. However this conversation is really just about how much businesses will allow, make that in many cases tolerate, of a potential customer’s needs/wants versus how much they might lose by not allowing it. By loss is two-fold: that that possible purchaser may decide not to shop with you if you do not give them what they want (in this case, to bring in Fido); and about regulars, who might be fed-up with an operations leniency for the sake of their own shopping sanity.
So, you see, this is not about appreciating dogs, it’s about the evolution (some might say devolution) of shopping: for the most, and in as many unencumbered ways as possible. By the way, and this may be harder to grasp but no less exasperating than worrying about an unruly dog or allergens for workers, undisciplined children come across just as much a wonder. Remember, there once was a day when parents either shopped without little ones or insisted they behaved. For anyone who works frontline, gone are those days. Kids or canines? They’re all part of the continuum, of rules enacted by those who easily make the decrees but aren’t in-store to impose them.
Speaking of, to say it should be about just “service animals” being the ones allowed in is very easy, but nearly impossible to enforce. Just the basic act of asking a person if their accompanying pet is for their own good is not as simple as it would seem. All one has to do is say yes, and we, of the working class, have little to no power to stop their entry. Because, again, the business really wants them in!
The question should be, dogs or young children. In most cases, I would vote for the dogs. I never see them having temper tantrums or running up and down the aisles.
I’m…well let’s just say “curious” about this claim: “Under federal guidelines, dogs and other animals are not allowed in restaurants, grocery stores and other places where food is prepared”; while I don’t doubt there are “guidelines” it’s hard to imagine they are any more than that…under which authority, exactly, would they exist?
But back to the main issue: in interpreting the generally positive feedback(s) cited, I think this may be a good example of the Silent majority…most of us see this as indulging a few self-centered and/or neurotic people.
Sadly, no. I worked at PetSmart and it was the right fit for our customer experience. But we spent a lot on clean up (if you know what I mean) and it was somewhat limiting in recruiting associates (positive for some, negative to others). It’s hard enough to staff in the current environment, so only for retailers that are really focusing on pet.
Ah yes, man’s best friend. If I’m looking at our own data from a recent Quotient survey, over one-third of respondents (33%) noted that they adopted a pet during the pandemic. Reasons for adoption spanned from simply wanting one to boosting mental health. So you could make the assertion that a more pet-friendly policy today would hypothetically have more eager entrants. No bias here (though I do love my dog Hokkaido).