to take dog into supermarket

[amechange]

I can't get supermarket deliveries. I am autistic, I am disabled because of it, and stress/anxiety causes me to do self destructive stims and behaviours, brings on disassociation, paranoia, sleep issues, suicidal ideation etc and I have agoraphobia as well. I have only ever been a few minutes away from home up till today when I pushed myself to go to the supermarket, I didn't go in. If I couldn't take my dog, I wouldn't have left the house. She is a tiny chihuahua. She is well behaved, she understands commands, but she isn't registered as anything, but she pretty much is a service dog. Even though she wasnt specifically trained to do a specific task to calm my anxiety down, having her there with me reduces my anxiety a lot compared to if I didn't have her. And at home when I feel anxious, she comes and sits by me/lets me hold her. I'm now in a position where I have to go in there to do my weekly shopping. She has a dog pram that closes all around, it was expensive and looks like a babies pram but isn't, its the ibiyaya retro luxe pram. She wouldn't be a danger to anyone/bother anyone/contaminate anything/get in the way, no one will notice it's a dog, I wont be showing her off/taking her out to show people if I took her in.

Thank God I live in a diverse area!.
People would not get away with taking their non guide dogs into supermarkets without a hitch.
And the fact that so many come from cultures that have very unambiguous ideas as to food, hygiene and an animal's place ...
This would be the fastest way for a supermarket to lose money to the surrounding independent grocers as so many people do not solely depend on supermarkets for their foodstuffs in diverse areas in the first place.
No guide dog, no entry with an animal in a supermarket.

AKA people have been ignoring rules forever, and being slightly selfish, so they can all crack on?
Why exactly?

I'm sure I will. I'm also sure I'll see more doggy "accidents and messes" as well as more dogs fighting and complaints by customers. Then there will be a push back and dogs will be banned again. It may take a long time, but once you get the type of dogs in that you see out in parks/the street behaving really badly it will have to stop.
There's a reason why some places start allowing all dogs then often change their minds.
If you're that unreasonable to my comment of agreeing that assistance dogs should be allowed but with rules, and you respond by saying suck it up all dogs should be allowed then there's not really much point debating it with you.

Where did I say suck it up exactly? I said they're already allowed so you may aswell get used to the idea. Not my rules, take it up with Aldi and Tesco if you see a dog 💩 on the floor

Have you forgotten about allergies? People with pet allergies don’t want dogs in a space that is meant to be hygienic and is serving food. It’s bad enough allowing dogs in cafes.

Tesco's actual website suggests that it's only assistance dogs allowed in stores

www.tesco.com/zones/invisibledisability

'What you want' isn't relevant. I want you to go to the supermarket in a reindeer outfit, but it doesn't make any difference to anything, does it?

There are no laws around this issue, and people will have different opinions, so the manager of the establishment must decide, and that will depend heavily on how op approaches the issue. Sneaking a dog in is very different from asking permission, and if anybody wants to be respected on someone else's property, they need to be respectful.

I would be very surprised if a chihuahua would be recognised as a service dog. They tend to be reactive yappy nuisances and as such very unlikely to be acceptable in supermarkets.

There really are some misguided posts here. 'Recognised' by whom? What authority are you referring to?

And this is the problem, anyone can slap an assistance dog vest on any dog and argue it’s a trained assistance dog as there is no regulatory body.

https://www.assistancedogs.org.uk/

Why can't you get supermarket deliveries? And how have you managed up till now?

As someone who has an actual assistance dog from a registered charity, please don't do this. There is a reason my dog is a labrador, she needs to be big enough to do many different tasks, when I go out with my wheelchair she helps me so much but I find fake assistance dogs everywhere and they bark and misbehave and it's awful for correctly trained dogs. Maybe you could carry something with you, like a toy, it doesn't have to be big but something you can touch to help you feel better, it's called grounding and I used a small key chain toy before I had my dog.

Some supermarkets are dog friendly (mostly for small dogs that can be carried) – perhaps ask the security at the door? I often take my very small dog into supermarkets I know are okay with it (she's carried in my arms) and have never had any issues. If anything it makes people smile and she gets lots of pats. If the supermarket isn't dog friendly, however, I wouldn't take her in. I know Planet Organic isn't dog friendly, but a lot of Co-Ops and Budgens are. Despite what MN would have you believe, most people I've encountered when taking my dog out with me seem to actually really like it. In the past three years, I've had one negative comment from someone and it was in a shop (not even a food shop) that was openly very dog friendly with dog bowls etc so it really didn't bother me!

There are definitely more service dogs than those just for the blind, I know someone who's service dog alerts them to seizures for example and will give them enough warning to get themselves to safety and helps when the seizure takes place. That said, it may cause issues in the shop if your dog is not a registered service animal.

I really struggle with shops and I would definitely struggle if I couldn't get deliveries (I did really struggle during covid and thankfully had other people who could shop for me but without those people I don't know what I would have done). Does your supermarket have quiet hours when they dim the lights and stop the music? I find those really helpful when I don't have a choice, earplugs and sunglasses can help too although I can't stand sunglasses so it doesn't work for everyone.

I really do sympathise, supermarkets are my idea of torture, everything's too bright, too loud, too many smells and too many people who all seem to come out of nowhere and get too close and then they stare when you start stimming/having a meltdown which just makes it worse. It's 2023 and people still don't seem to have much tolerance for others. (As evidenced here with people telling OP to grow up because she struggles with something that most people are lucky enough to be able to take for granted).

I think you're making the mistake of thinking 'no-one has complained to me so no-one cares and it's fine' when lots of people generally avoid public confrontation.

It doesn't mean no-one is unhappy about it or annoyed or inconvenienced. Just that they haven't told you.

My son and my sister are both autistic and dogs in supermarkets would cause massive issues for both of them. 1) they are both frightened of dogs because they move in unexpected ways and they can’t read dog body language at all 2) they both have sensory issues and unexpected barking is awful for them 3) they both have fears about contamination of food- they would struggle to buy and eat food that a dog has been nosing around.

Guide dogs/properly trained service dogs are one thing- they don’t bark, approach people or stick their noses into things- but random dogs are not good.

If the dog is completely enclosed in a carrier I think that's fine. It isn't wandering round sniffing stuff.

@overdrawn

'Despite what MN would have you believe, most people I've encountered when taking my dog out with me seem to actually really like it.'

Could it be that many people don't like it at all, but have just not said anything? Why are you even carrying a dog around a supermarket anyway?

There are shop managers managing this, and unless they feel they're having a problem with it, there's no problem. People don't generally take advantage by claiming a disability they don't have.

Unless you feel that there are loads of dogs in loads of supermarkets? I've seen no sign of this, is it a problem where you are?

If it is part of a chain then it's not up to managers to manage it, it's up to them to stick to whatever the policy is. Of course it's different with smaller independent stores.

@Litmus1001 because sometimes when I’m out with the dog I need to pick something up from the supermarket? I’m not letting the dog nose around in any food or go on the ground or run up to anyone (she’s in my arms and weighs 4kg). The only supermarkets I take her into are those that allow it (I always check before going in, and many supermarkets that do allow dogs say only if you’re carrying them so the issue of dogs ‘contaminating’ food is a non issue) and so I really don’t see the issue with it. If you want to go into supermarkets where dogs aren’t allowed, great - there are plenty of those too! I’ll continue to use the ones that suit my needs and others can use ones that suit their needs (ie places that don’t allow dogs, of which there are lots). I honestly don’t understand why this is such a contentious issue 🤷‍♀️

I suppose you are not going to find it contentious because it suits you.
There is no need to take a dog into a shop. Also, as she's in your arms, how do you actually pick anything up? Are you touching things with the arms/hands that have been wrapped around her? It also doesn't matter how little a dog weighs, that's irrelevant.

Given the amount of people who don't wash their hands after using the toilet, someone holding a dog touching stuff in the supermarket is the least of your worries.

And shop managers already have loads of shit to deal with. Them not having the time, mental or emotional capacity to deal with extra crap doesn't mean much.

So how about people just generally behave in a social and appropriate manner and not wait till someone calls them out and then they get defensive.

Don't take dogs into shops unless it's an assistance dog. Don't shoplift. Wear shoes. Wear appropriate clothing. Don't let your kids run round and put themselves or other people in danger. If you spill something, at least tell a member of staff. Don't just fill up a trolley and abandon it. Don't take frozen or perishable items out of your trolley because you've changed your mind and leave them on shelves or on the floor.

Generally be a considerate person. Don't be an arse that thinks that your 'rights' or the fact that people haven't complained to your face, or that a shop manager or shop worker should deal with your crap means it's fine.