It is not illegal to allow your pet into stores, but some people do not want their pets to be there. Most people would rather leave their pets at home when they run errands. This is more comfortable for most animals and safer for them as well. However, you cannot just leave your pet anywhere, including the produce section, bakery, or unprotected food areas. Here are a few tips for keeping your pet in stores.
The presence of service and guide dogs is not illegal. However, federal guidelines say that pets should not be permitted in grocery stores and restaurants. There are exceptions to this rule, such as when service dogs are required to accompany a patron with a disability. Stores also have to adhere to sanitation laws, which can pose a hygiene risk if you allow animals inside. For this reason, owners are required to post signs at the entrances of stores that allow dogs.
Most pets sold in pet stores come from breeding mills, where the animals are forced to reproduce, and then taken away as babies to sell to pet stores. Even the caged birds in pet stores have been bred in captivity. These factories keep thousands of exotic birds in small cages, with little room to spread their wings. The majority of freshwater fish sold in stores were also captured from homes and raised in unsanitary conditions.
