Participant #9, 
Jeanette, will be receiving her pair of silver bracelets from TGtbT.com as winner of our random drawing at last week’s Wacky Wednesday.. as soon as she lets me know who she is.
Thanks for joining in the discussion, Jeanette, and give Max a pat on the head for me.
Which brings up an interesting topic: pets in the shop.
It’s a great side-bennie, for sure, to be able to have your animal companion with you, and a shop animal certainly gives many shops a dose of personality, lifting them out of the Sea of Sameness that has infected the retail world. I remember bringing my childhood dog with me when I worked in my mother’s shop when I was in high school. 
But that was before I became allergic.
So my question is, if you do have your pet by your side, does that interfere with customer allergies? How do you deal with that? Do you ever get remarks, or customers declining to shop with you? I love animals but am so allergic, I have to avoid shops with pets, especially resident cats. Is this a problem for you?
Read all the Wacky Wednesday Giveaway topics and discussions.
And watch for this week’s topic on Wednesday! (Hint: it has something to do with St. Patrick’s Day or my name isn’t Kathleen!)
Auntie Kate The Resale Expert 
I love to see little animals in shops but I think it is generally a bad idea. I finally stopped going to a print shop that I used. I liked them, their service, etc. but they have two Dobermans that come up to great everyone. I have run in and told them to bring the items to my car because I’m afraid of large dogs and they really had no reaction.
Their business to do what they wish and they obviously wish to have their dogs, but I won’t go back there. And no, I didn’t tell them why I’m no longer using them. I would be honest if they asked, but they haven’t.
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I would say that it depends on the pet and on the place of business. A pet that isn’t calm, well-behaved and good with strangers of all ages and sizes definitely shouldn’t be taken into a store.
A pet doesn’t belong in a place where clothing is sold or cleaned. (I’m assuming we are talking about furry mammals here.)
But a cat in an independent bookstore, for example, just adds to the atmosphre.
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Now Amy, that brings up another interesting question! How do we feel about animals which are not furry mammals? Anyone for iguanas? 🙂
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I also used to bring my toy poodle. I brought her when she was just a puppy, I got her when she was 8 weeks old and she would fit in the palm of my hand. Customers loved her and she loved people especially kids. She stayed behind the counter with me and everyone wanted to hold her, some of my regulars would come in and just take her and walk around holding her. As she grew and wanted to be out in the store I stopped bringing her, I was afraid someone would walk off with her. That was close to 4 years ago and people still come in and ask where Daisy is.
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I like to visit stores with pets, and always remember them fondly. I never met a dog lover that I didn’t like.
I don’t bring my own dogs to work, not because I’m afraid they’ll bite someone, or that someone will be afraid of them, but because I’m afraid someone might let them out the front door.
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(My store is not open yet but) I probably wouldn’t bring my dogs to work. One is 85 pounds (golden retriever) and the other (a puppy) is only 25 (golden/lab mix) but she will get bigger. If I had a very small dog, I would ponder the idea, but if I had some type of pet allergy I would not want to shop in a store that had a dog or cat. I also would not want to take the risk of something happening and being sued. My dogs are extremely friendly, but nobody knows if or when a dog may feel threatened and attack. I used to think the idea of bringing my pets to work sounded fun as long as they were kept in back, but after working at a store where the owner would occasionally bring in her dog, and watching that dog (with muddy feet) jump on people, and leave paw prints all over a brand new sweater I got and having the dogs nails unravel some of the threads of my sweater, and witnessing children screaming when they saw the dog… I have concluded that it’s the best idea to not have pets at work, especially around clothing. (Imagine a consignor picking up her clothes that was allergic to dogs and then finding dog hair on them?) But perhaps my ideas will change when my store opens. I live in a small, touristy town and there is a dog boutique right across the street from where I want to open. If someone wanted to bring in a small dog that would be carried, I might not be opposed, but the last thing I want to deal with is a dog possibly relieving himself (especially on merchandise- yikes!) or worrying about a dog biting someone. A dog might scare off potential robbers though!
Contrary to what I just wrote above, I adore animals and there are a few stores I have shopped at that have shop pets, and I think it gives the stores (and salon) character.
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Not a present pet owner but my opinion is that pets do not belong near clothing.
How about people who bring their pets when shopping?
I recently joked that I would rather have a shopper bring a pet – than the 5 yr old Hurricane (little girl) that ran wild. (The child took a lot of my time to try to refocus her to a little toy basket then entertain (AND WATCH) her when that failed.)
My thoughts are always that inventory is NOT mine and I have taken a vow to handle it will the utmost care.
I am located in a small town where people out walking stop in and they have indeed brought their pets in. Big and small. The small pooch did not seem as bad at first, however it WAS a puppy and an accident would have not been good……….but a large lab with a wagging tail – wow.
How do other’s handle these things? A hitching post? haha
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Bringing ANY pets to your store is a mistake! Remember this, if one customer complains there are at least 10 others that also would complain but just aren’t the type to speak up.
Here’s another thing to consider. My Sister owns a dry cleaning business and use to bring her dog to work with her every day. One day a customer startled her dog and he wet the floor but no one noticed. I guess you can figure out what happened next. Yep, a customer slipped and fell and broke her wrist. My Sister paid her medical expenses and fortunately the customer didn’t sue her. She was very lucky because in our litigious society most people would have come after her with a vengeance. Needless to say, she no longer brings her dog to work.
I love my dog, but his place is at home, not my business.
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I brought our dog to the store when he was a puppy so I could train him. He is a golden retriever lab mix and was really cute and well behaved, but even that little, there were people who were afraid of him. As he has grown, I have only brought him in after getting groomed as the dog wash is just down the street. I haven’t brought our new puppy to the store yet, and probably won’t for a while as she is a black lab mix and is very hyper and likes to jump on people. I would not want to scare anyone with her behavior. I love going to shops that have resident pets, but I don’t have any allergies. My husband and son are very allergic to cats, so that would prevent us going into a shop with a resident cat. Good thought provoking question this morning.
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I take my Maltese to work with me on occasion. I have pet allergies also, so I understand. I would love to have a shop cat but I would be a weepy, wheezie, snotty mess.
My Maltese, stays in the back room with me, and only goes out on the floor in my arms. Since they are one of the hypoallergenic dogs, I have not had anyone complain. We also allow well behaved pets in the shop that can be carried (that means the little dogs) or are on a lead. Most folks that have a dog with them are very good about their dogs behavior. And most large dogs don’t come in because of the breakable and the tail wagging. We also have people treats and dog treats in jars on the check out counter. That way if a pet comes in, they get a treat and the pet parents are thrilled with the extra attention.
I usually get a visit right after they have been to the groomer and their pet parents want to show off their four legged cuties. It has been a good draw for the shop, and my customers do not abuse the privilege of bringing their pets in when they shop.
It also allows us to get to know folks on a more personal level. One of our outreach quarterly programs involves the local Humane Society. We collect items for the shelter and then drop them off. It only takes a week and everyone seems to enjoy being able to help. We collect for dogs and cats and it is a great way to create goodwill in the community.
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