AIBU about the dog in the shoe shop

[GreatDaneBowers]

NC because identifying.

In my town there is a kids shoe shop that also does haircuts for children. It's not a big shop, quite narrow.

Today I went in there for the 3rd or 4th time with my DD. And the owner/manager had her dog in there. A Great Dane. I'm not short and it easily stood ears level with my shoulder.

The dog blocked off the whole shop and stuck its nose in the pram, she made no attempt to call it off or ask me if it was a problem. I'm not scared of dogs but I'm not exactly confident of them either and this animal is beyond huge. I left pretty quickly (was going to browse and buy DD some shoes but didn't).

I don't know how regularly it is in there (I've not seen it in there before, but fairly regularly I'd say as it had been lying on the sofa in the hair cutting area, and had a blanket in the entrance), but AIBU to think that you don't want a dog that big just mooching around a shop that you have to take small children into? (Because haircuts and shoes require DCs to be present).

Obviously the blanket in the entrance is to signal that the dog is in there and I suppose people can vote with their feet if they don't like it (which I did). And I'm sure it's a lovely dog, but lots of children (and adults) are scared of dogs and even the most docile dogs could have an accident or snap, and this one is as big as a small horse!

Firstly OP, great name change. That's made me all nostalgic.

As ever, MN comes down to people who have and love dogs and those who don't.

I don't. I've never been in a house with dogs that didn't stink. A Great Dane in a shop with kids seems a recipe for disaster.

I wouldn't shop there, whether the dog was in that day or not.

I wouldnt buy anything from a shop with a dog, be it shoes, clothes or food. My family are all the same, my friends are 50/50 split, some wouldn't care, some would vote with their feet.

Why would businesses alienate 50% of their potential cusomers, it seems crazy. Not everyone loves dogs.

There are ways to socialise dogs, this is not it!

Oh I love Great Danes yabu.

But why does the shoe shop do hair cuts too?!. This bothers me much more!

I do think it is fairly unusual so Yanbu to be surprised and choose to leave. I do think it is a lovely idea though.

Out school has a school dog which makes the classroom stink but the kids love it.

Would put me off. Have recieved plastic surgery due to dog bite to face but prior to this loved dogs. Still like them but from a distance! I would choose not to go there defo. Had very vunerable feeling pushing baby buggy in front of me in lanes ect re dogs. Used to plan in my head what to do if one attacked or confronted us. Horrible. I don't think its right to be honest esp being so large and if it was able to put its face in your pram! There is one sometimes at our local post office that barks horrible at the back of the shop, don't like that but i don't go there often so may have been just an odd occassion. Maybe he doesnt come out any further. But have fond memories when young of a few lovely dogs used to being around general public that would melt your heart. Down to your choice really if you go there I think. I couldnt esp with little ones. Plus with myself the thought of a dog being small would still not change my decision. Children trying on shoes down low and myself having to bend down to feel there feet with a dog present - na could not do it. A jack russel had me as a teen so having that hang off my face and three operations later - I know where I am better at!

I had a dog bite to my face when I was little, I was a preschooler and my brothers dog went for me. This is not a good idea, especially a shop for kids.

I want to live where Midnite lives.

usual are you still reading?

"Where midnight lives" would be a brilliant title for a novel...

chloe and areoflot your experiences really worry me and confirm to me my nervousness around dogs is actually not misplaced. How awful for you, it must be hard to be a confident parent when approaching dogs from that point on, when your children are around.

I think doggy people often think that people who don't like strange dogs out in public haven't had any experience of them and they just need to be exposed to dogs (or their children do) and that will make them like dogs more. It's precisely my experience with strange (as in not known to me) dogs over the years that makes me nervous! From being chased by a golden retriever on my paper-round, where one dog used to savage the newspaper from the other side of the door when I was still holding it, to having one child knocked down in a park by a very big dog and having to reassure her to keep still while the owner struggled to keep up, my other dd being cornered in another park near here by a snarling dog (and a very unpleasant man who eventually called it off but not nearly quick enough for my liking), it's been a catalogue of not very nice experiences.

My children also started off really loving dogs, asking owners if they could pet them, and they still want a dog at home, but if they see a large dog blocking the way, they'll move out of its reach now due to a few bad times. I've been around dogs a lot, been on holiday with a friend's dog, even had a dog for a while, but I find a lot in public to be under-supervised and occasionally out of control. At home, the people I know with dogs know them well, know their limits (the bitey ones we keep away from) and mange them well. I worry less about that.

I just asked my dd if she would like a dog (hypothetically as we can't have one) and she said 'yes, I love all dogs' so perhaps she isn't as battle-scarred as I thought. She would still move back from a large dog in a small shop though.

I don't think yabu. There is a baby shop near where I live and the owner has a pug dog. Last time I was in there the dog was sitting in one of the car seats that was on a floor display. Ridiculous.

"Where midnight lives" would be a brilliant title for a novel...

My word, it would!

I thought of it first!!!! (< rushes off to pen a best-selling oeuvre >)

There is a baby shop near where I live and the owner has a pug dog. Last time I was in there the dog was sitting in one of the car seats that was on a floor display. Ridiculous.

Aaaaaw! Bet that looked cute! totally misses point of post

Not fair, we don't have any shop dogs here.

I'm sure my sil and brother think they're responsible dog owners, who keep their dog in control. Yet their dog still scarred my babies face, albeit a small puncture scar. Nonchantly biting her in an unprovoked attack.

I'm sure the man, whose dog was having a bit of a scuffle the other with my dog thought he was a responsible owner in control of his dog. The dog came running up to my dog, who was on the lead and we were in the middle of the car park. Owner nowhere to be seen. Don't know who said what but there was a bit of growling and the dog got its mouth around my dogs neck. Not full level fighting and I was trying to get it to go away. Then the owner arrived, called his dog, said something about mine being aggressive then to his dog said something like "you think everyone wants to be your friend and they don't". I saw him yesterday and explained what happened. He was most surprised as "he isn't normally like that". . He really does think it's under his control and it really isn't.

Even the most tempered of dogs can be unpredictable. I've lived abroad in a few countries and the attitude of the Brits to dogs compared to the Germans is very different. There dogs are equally loved, except they understand that dogs are animals, not fluffy children and fur babies. We could do with a dose of this in our country and our children would be far safer.

Dogs can be unpredictable. How can a shop owner possibly be able to have their dog under control at all times when attending to customers? It's not possible. Case in point, the shop owner didn't notice the dog until it had its face in the pushchair.

I'm all for dog friendly places and areas but not roaming free in shops or restaurants.

StarsandSparkles "Yabu my hairdresser has a gorgeous wee westie and he is the highlight of the visit. He comes and sits on my knee while i have my hair done."

You are so lucky! How absolutely wonderful. I have never had a dog, but I adore them. Whenever I go out for a walk I hope to meet a dog - or several.

Hubby lets me take my dog to his shop if he asks me to help out, Frank (dog) stays behind the counter unless someone wants to meet him properly then he is let out to say hello, he is a very big but friendly dog and people do come back to see if he is there but some people are scared and if so he is put into the workshop for a few minutes until the customer has left.
We had a mystery shopper visit and on our report it said "had to step over a chocolate labrador as it was also in the doorway, it was so lazy it didn't even greet customers" looks like we was lucky as it was written by a dog lover.

Ummm yanbu not everyone likes dogs. I am very carful with dogs and very very judgmental certain breeds I keep very clear from and others we only touch if I know the owners. I do like dogs and grew up with dogs but don't like the current trend in liking very strong fighting dogs.
Personally a Great Dane would have me going there. But my cousins had a lovely one when I was a child he was so big our Labrador just walked under him and he could and did (was not meant to) rest his head on the dinner table. All us children loved him he was lovely very soppy and a bit stupid. They are rare so I would love to meet a friendly one. My hairdresser has a lovely Labrador in the salon always have a stroke. Well socialized friendly and trained dogs of a not particularly threatening breed are the best way to teach children how to behave around dogs and thus make them safer should they cross paths with a snappy dog. Nothing worse than seeing a child behaving in a silly manor near a potentially threatening dog.

Nelleflowerpot what do you mean by very very judgemental in your post above?

I would love to shop there!

I had to pick up a parcel which Parcelforce had left at a post office a few miles away for some reason. It was one of those independently owned shops (attached to a house as I could see into the kitchen) with a PO counter at the back. There was no one serving so I stood at the counter waiting when all of a sudden a large dog jumped up on the serving side with his paws on the counter as if he was about to serve me!
It made my day

Sorry OP. But YAB a bit U.

I can understand. DS is absolutely terrified of dogs. The Great Dane we pass on the school run is as soft as muck (pardon the pun) but the scenario that gave my son his phobia was when a little jack Russell came bounding up to to him (off lead) and bit him. When I informed the owner (6ft something) he looked down his nose at me and said "my dog dont bite". Then toddled off. Thankfully DS was wrapped up to the nines that morning so the bite didn't do much damage. My very long winded point is that basically, a big dog doesn't always equal vicious. They are the size of a horde though so can understand the worry.
Our Village Pub allows dogs inside too and DCs school has a resident cat.

Where are all these places with hairdressers and shoe shops etc under the same roof. I need to move.

Mynestisfullofempty possible not the best term. But I do not trust certain breeds so I keep away. I was jumped on as a child by an Alsatian and in a separate incident chased by one which was a guard dog thus I don't like them. I don't like terrier types as my grandmother had a badly trained one it did nip. I absolutely do not go near any breed with a strong mouth that I know I could not opeen with my hands. ie I know a lab retriever type (soft mouthed dog) even if it doesn't want to give up a stolen item for example I can open the mouth with my hands easily. A stuffy for example I could not open the mouth as they are so strong and don't let go, they also do a lot of damage if they bite whilst other breeds will not do as much. Different breeds have different uses and traits and strength so I do judge on appearance first. Is this classed as some form of dog racism??? My children only go near dogs I have assessed. As I have already said my own grandmothers dog bit me, I wasn't left alone with it and it was not considered by anyone to be a child friendly pet, we were always told to leave it in peace, but I did push my luck as a child with it over food thus the bite. If I had done the same thing (I often did) with the labs or Great Dane in the family I would not have been bitten. Do others not assess from a distance first? I am happy to be proven wrong on any individual animal but caution should be applied to any dog you do not know!
That includes a Great Dane in a shop. Although I would love to see it!

it easily stood ears level with my shoulder

sure it did