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.

Dogs other than service dogs are not allowed in a lot of supermarkets, and there are clear signs stating this. That is factual information. If a policy is no dogs, then don't put the manager in the difficult of position of asking him/her to change a storewide policy to suit you.
Calling me 'irate' to further your argument is quite meaningless. partly because I am not and partly because that's a subjective opinion.
Failing to address the many points clearly made on this thread (such as allergies, fear of dogs, hygiene, dogs reacting to each other, risking the right of actual service dogs being allowed to come into shops) doesn't help your 'argument' either.

This is helpful and to the point. https://pethelpreviews.co.uk/are-dogs-allowed-in-supermarkets-uk/

Nonsense. Each charity has their own procedures. Some provide dogs and with some, you can register your own dog provided you and your dog meet the criteria of the assistance dog (registered) charity that you are joining. You would become an in training member once you are accepted. Your dog would need to be trained to perform the behaviours to assist you with your specific disability/disabilities - this can take quite a while. However, there are certain dogs that won't be accepted such as banned breeds or tpy breeds (which I believe Chihuahua's fall under). I work with assistance dogs - it takes much more than just a good dog who listens a, although that is a good start.

@Litmus1001

Thanks for that. There is no law against dogs in food shops. Your opinion doesn't change that. The rules posted by shops are at the shop's discretion, so if op asks and the shop is ok with it, you don't have a leg to stand on.

You're right, your state of mind makes no difference to my point, which is that your opinion can't be stated as fact with any authority other than your own. My opinion goes with the law, and the rules of the shops we're all talking about, so you can defer to them if you don't like it. They'll tell you how it all works, I'm sure.

Generally speaking, most supermarkets allow well-behaved dogs on a leash inside their store

Did you read the article you posted, @Litmus1001 ? It's codswallop.

I see dogs in supermarkets every visit so I don’t think anyone upholds any “rules” about them being banned.

I am confused as to how/why you can’t get home delivery though.

@Litmus1001 omg. Once again, I am talking about supermarkets that explicitly have a policy to allow small dogs in if they are held. They are few and far between. You do not need to go to them! In the same way that I check if I am allowed in with my dog before going in (because that is what suits me and I don't go in if I am not allowed in) you can check if they do allow dogs and only go in if they don't (because that is what suits you!). I am in no way advocating that people with dogs enter into spaces that are not designated as dog friendly spaces! Any supermarket that I have been allowed into with a dog has a policy of you are allowed the dog if you carry it – so it's not going to be slobbering on food, or urinating in aisles. There are plenty of supermarkets that do not allow dogs into them (far more than do!) and people should not be taking dogs into those spaces – I am not arguing with you about that, nor saying that all supermarkets should be dog friendly! It's really not that hard to understand. and I'm agreeing with you that dogs shouldn't be taken into supermarkets that don't allow it?!

I get your modus operandi now, insults to prove your point.
Boring and pointless.

Once again, you are failing to comprehend/ignoring all the information presented to you. You're come across a tad arrogant too, so we'll leave it at that.

Yeah please don't.

Looks like OP has vanished.

I have nothing to say.

It would be hygienic if the dog is in a pram. I think it is an environmental hazard, like hay fever.

https://twitter.com/Tesco/status/990576733878353920?lang=en

Dogs are not allowed in Tesco according to Tesco unless they are service dogs or guide dogs.

So give over.

I get your modus operandi now, insults to prove your point
Boring and pointless

No, my point was that your article states that supermarkets in the uk generally allow dogs in. It's not true. It's codswallop. That's not an insult. The article you posted is neither stating the truth nor from a reputable source.

You're come across a tad arrogant too, so we'll leave it at that

Whereas you actually do know everything, @Litmus1001 ? Haha! Your comments get funnier and funnier! You're talking rubbish and then calling people who correct you names.

It's good you're leaving it there... although I bet you're not, really.

I genuinely hope you get some support through this OP, I’ve had severe anxiety in the past and it’s horrible working through it. I couldn’t go into crowded spaces for a long time, so I get it, but taking your dog in isn’t the solution.

You’ve had some good suggestions in this thread, some outright rude idiots, and a bizzare bun fight over dogs and laws.

Maybe post in the mental health boards asking for positive ideas to help you cope.

OP I'm not sure this thread is helping much, but all dogs need to be socialised to behave well around people and other animals long before they get anywhere near shops. Dogs functioning as service dogs need extensive training. I suspect in your circumstances, you would struggle to train your dog to the standard required.

I understand why it looks like a solution, but it's unlikely to be successful, and truthfully, is probably not fair on your dog. I also think there is a risk it will add to your distress rather than resolve it.

A few people have asked how you got your shopping previously. If you felt able to answer, posters might be able to offer helpful suggestions.

all dogs need to be socialised to behave well around people and other animals long before they get anywhere near shops

Not really, they just need to be socialised to a standard level for a domesticated dog. There are food shops that let dogs in as long as they're well behaved and on a lead. The dogs don't need to be specially trained and it works fine. It's just about whether the shop will allow dogs in general, or be willing to make an exception to its rules for OP.

The OP struggles to go out though, so it is likely that her dog hadn't been socialised. It's probably not at the level needed for a domestic dog to be in a shop - never mind the requirements for a service dog. I'm not saying this to criticise you OP, if you are still reading. It's just that the requirements are likely to be harder for you to meet.

OP has specifically stated that the dog is well behaved and obeys commands.

Because you didn't get the answers you wanted?

Because you don't want to answer the obvious questions like "how do you walk your dog if you have agoraphobia?" and "how have you gotten shopping until now?"?

I completely agree with you. I’m sick to the back teeth of people who think they’re entitled to take emotional support animals anywhere with them especially carrying them or in prams. An assistance dog needs to mitigate a disability. How can they mitigate a disability in a pram or being carried? I don’t take my medical alert dog everywhere with me as I often go out with DH or with family members, I only take her when I’m going out on my own. I’m also curious as to how a chihuahua can mitigate a disability as most reputable charities who train assistance dogs won’t look at that breed to train.

I personally wont engage with this poster any more, they don’t appear to comprehend anything outwith their own agenda.

they don’t appear to comprehend anything outwith their own agenda

Nor do you, @BellaAndDave You're saying OP is wrong because you don't understand her point of view, not because there are any rules or authorities about it. If she feels she needs the dog, and asks the shop and they're ok with it, your 'It's got to be the kind of assistance dog that I, personally understand' comes to nothing.

There's a lot of people on this thread reading from a rule book that doesn't exist, @amechange A shop is a private space into which the public are generally allowed, and as such, the shop is allowed to decide for itself whether to let your dog in, according to its own policies, and whether it is comfortable making exceptions. It's worth you asking. People barking loudly on this thread about 'Dogs shouldn't be allowed in shops!!' aren't referring to anything but their own opinion, so, unless you go about obeying rules that other people invent because they feel like it, you don't need to respect any of them, any more than they would need to respect your opinion if you said that they, themselves, shouldn't be allowed out of their houses. It's twaddle! There are plenty of food establishments that do allow dogs in, including some branches of some supermarkets, regardless of the opinions being thrown at you here. I hope that you can hear the sanity in this, and that, as long as you respect the law, and any rules in private spaces, you can mitigate your anxiety however you please. The world is much kinder to dogs than this thread; you've got lots of rabid posts here :)

Why can't you order your shopping for delivery, though, or click and collect? Wouldn't that save you the whole hassle?

Have you seen the warehouses where food is stored before being put on the supermarket shelves? And how trolleys get used by animals at night? Dogs would be the least of your worries. I personally don't like the idea of all dogs being allowed in supermarkets but that's because I personally know someone who would absolutely think nothing of taking their very large, intimidating dogs with them with no thought to who that might affect, but I think the hygiene argument isn't as great as a lot of people think because the warehouses are disgusting and many supermarkets have rats.

@RandomButtons

Not sure who you're arguing with re Tesco? I'm saying it's up to Tesco whether they let dogs in or not, because there are no laws about dogs in food shops.

You seems to be arguing against this by saying that Tescos have a policy saying that they don't let dogs in.