Going to the store and tying up your dog

[Kipawa]

Oh my, I saw the most frightening thing this afternoon. A VERY sweet mixed breed dog was tied up outside of the drugstore. He was contently looking towards the doors, waiting for his person. My husband and I just cringed, because the dog was so adorable and all we could think of was that anybody could untie this dog and steal him!

In a million years I would never dream of doing this to my dog (when I get my basenji). More people recognize purebreds now, and might be tempted to steal one because of resale value, but this cutey could fall prey to the same thing.

I guess I pray that everyone here would NEVER put their dog in that kind of a situation. Not sure what response I am looking for in starting this thread, but seeing that dog like that really upset and disturbed me.

[nobarkus]

That would seem a no brainer but people do it. I saw 2 beautiful pugs tied up outside a Trader Joe's market about 2 weeks ago and I thought this person must be an idiot! There was just a story on the news that somebody tied up their dog outside a store and came out and it was gone and she waved down a police car and they cruised and caught the low life walking down an ally with it nearby. If you leave your dog in the car with the window low enough they will steal it too.

[SeattleMax]

I think this all about risk.

There are no guarantees. But where you live, the store in question, visibility and the length of the store visit can determine if this is a risk worth taking or not.

My previous dog was a big Catahoula. I would leave him outside the small general store in my local neighborhood all the time while I stopped in for a couple of minutes. No one would dare steal Mojo! Shaun, our basenji, is a totally different story. I am too nervous to do this really.

This is an excellent thread by the way…

[lvoss]

I think a lot of people don't think about all the risks involved in leaving a dog tied up outside a store while they run in to grab something. For most people the only consideration is whether or not the dog will chew through its leash and run off. Many don't consider that someone might untie the dog to set it free, that someone might steal the dog, or that someone might provoke the dog into doing something like a nip or bite. All of these can have catastrophic outcomes. All of them can happen in what most would consider a "safe" community.

I found a wandering dog outside the grocery store once. Apparently, he had been tethered out front while the owner popped inside, someone else untied him because they were concerned that he had become entangled in his leash and then didn't want to tie him back up but also didn't stay with him from what I was able to gather from other people who watched without doing anything. I guess they just assumed he would stay put without the tether.

[Shaye's Mom]

I would be scared to death to leave my B or my mix tied outside a store - I'd never be able to forgive myself if they were stolen or hurt - I guess people just don't think of the threat.

[NerdyDogOwner]

Here in Norway it's actually illegal to tie up your dog outside a store. People still do though…pisses me off.

[Janneke]

I did it all the time with my sheltie mix when I lived in a small'ish' town. Even when I didn't have a leash, I could tell her to wait and she would. If I would still live in the same town, I would probably do it with Tillo as well.
We live in a big city now and I don't really trust the people here.. (:D) so I won't do it in this city. But if I visit my mom and I have to pick something up in a store and I have to let Tillo wait outside (doesn't happen a lot).. I wouldn't have a problem with that..

[sharronhurlbut]

I don't think it's fair to the dogs to leave them outside when your gone.
I have seen this many times and anyone could untie the leash and let the dog go.
No smart or save imo.

[Janneke]

I don't think it's fair to a dog to put it in a crate 8 hours a day and to never let it walk off leash. I don't see a problem in making a nice 45 min walk to the store and then leave the dog for 10 min., of course only if you trust the situation/people/etc and your dog knows what's happening and won't panic.

[lvoss]

@Janneke:

of course only if you trust the situation/people/etc and your dog knows what's happening and won't panic.

And I think this is the problem. How do you trust strangers not to cause a situation that could result in, at worst, the death of your dog? Even in small towns, there are people who will do things like let the dog off it leash or people who may provoke a bite even if it is not done intentionally or with malice.

[Janneke]

@lvoss:

And I think this is the problem. How do you trust strangers not to cause a situation that could result in, at worst, the death of your dog?

I just do.. At least.. I trust the people in that particuler small town. I won't leave Tillo for hours and I always have a bit of vision on him from the store.. I find the risk too small to really worry about it. If I would have to consider all the things that can kill my dog, then I can't walk him off leash etc etc.. I just think those things are worth taking that risk.

[pari1art]

Can you imagine your basenji tied to a post or railing and a little kid spies the basenji's curly tail. The child's immediate reaction is to go over to it and give it a tug. It's not only children that want to give that tail a tug. Many a time I have had to physically stop adults from touching my basenji's tail. As we all know, basenjis are swift to bite. In my humble opinion (sadly) we live in a society that forces us to ensure our pets are under control, not only for the dog's protection, but also for our own (through litigation).

[sharronhurlbut]

Yes, you and I are in total agreement. Now if you live in a small town where you know everyone, and folks are respectful of animals tied out, fine.
I just wouldn't do it…

[MacPack]

I have to agree with Janneke, about weighing risks vs. benefits of anything you do with your dog. Safely leaving your dog tied up outside a store for a few minutes depends on where you live. It is very common in some places, no one thinks anything of it. In other places you would never do it! We have a coffee shop near us with a 'hitching post' and water bowl outside for dogs while folks go in to get a coffee!

[-ClarEmmKai-]

It's either or for us. It's either, he's coming in with us, until the shop owners says otherwise or Kairoe is tied to a pole and within sight. You would be amazed at how many employees or shop owners have no idear about the laws that govern animals in a store and how many will just sit and stare and not even make it an issue. We find that the majority of the shop owners will always ask if our dog is friendly.

We do, however, ensure that he does not go into places where there's obvious signage and when there's food being sold. However, it doesn't hurt to ask for permission. We've been doing this from day one and since then, there's been a couple of mini marts in our neighbourhood that let us bring Kairoe in.

Big box chains like Best Buy and some Block Busters will allow pets and many Home Depots - even though they have signage will allow pets in their stores. One large retailer only requested that we carry our dog. One of the benefits of having a medium size breed animal is that people think they're cuter and not so ovebearing.

If we need to post him, we wouldn't dare leave him for more than a few minutes, nor would we keep him out of sight whilst in the store. We live in a very busy neighbourhood with people all around and quite frankly I trust my dog to not bite. It's the reason why we let everyone touch our dog - tail and all, and a reason why we do daily bite training….

With regards, to taking risks...it's pretty much the same as leaving your bike unattended, it's the same as leaving $4000 worth of camera gear at a museum coat check because the museum doesn't allow cameras and it's the same as leaving a bunch of show dogs in x-pens at a specialty...

[BART]

In one of my previous apartments I used to frequent a particular, locally owned, quickie-type market. Occasionally, I would bring my dog. They had no problem with me bringing him into the store while I carried him. In fact, he became a bit of a celebrity because the clerks would point us out when we came in, saying "that's the dog I was telling you about, a basenji" to other customers. I had the experience of a bit of teaching about the breed. many were appreciative, some were just jerks because "they were 'real men' and they had to have a "real" dog" UUGGHH! So what's a "real dog'? Made me angry but it was a 'quickie-mart' - how angry could I get?