Why do people do it????

[Biglets Mummy]

My lovely 74 year old Dad ( who is busy fencing the mini Shetlands in again) is a real animal lover and is particularly fond of dogs so when he rang me last night to say how worried he was about a little cocker spaniel I wasn't surprised.
This little dog aged approx 4/5 months is regularly tied up outside a supermarket near where he lives and left whilst the owner goes shopping.Dad has sat in his car watching the puppy ( who used to get quite upset) and waited for the owners to return as he has been worried about it getting free or getting stolen. He wouldn't dream of saying anything to the young owners. Its just not his style bless him.
Cut forward to last night and he is so so upset as their are now posters up from the distraught owners as it transpires that the puppy was seen being untied and taken. Supermarkets CCTV were down !!!
He is blaming himself for not saying anything to the owner but he was worried about being yelled at for interfering.
I am really angry with the owner.Why do people tie their "much loved" pets up outside a shop. I am sure they are upset and worried sick but surely with the rise of dog theft surely we as dog owners have to do everything we can to protect our pets.
pro-active not re-active....dont tie up outside shops, don't leave in unlocked cars,dont leave alone in gardens etc etc. Sad to have to do this but surely its better than never seeing your dog again.
In the mean time my poor dad is so upset and looks like he didn't sleep last night.

 

[lelly]

I have said this myself, why tie dogs up outside shops? The days of this being safe are long gone. It happens all the time around here, I've not heard of any being stolen but there's always a chance. Poor dad.

 

[Baileybones]

A little dog near where I live lost an eye as it was tied up outside a shot and a group of youths came past and one kicked it!

We also sadly had a few dogs stolen last year from the area (actually snatched from the owners)so one time I politely pointed this out to a chap who was about to tie his dog up outside the shop. His response was ' what should I do then? Not walk the dog???'.
Sadly you can't cure stupid...... :-(

 

[AmyMay]

People are just so, so stupid. Poor little dog

 

[pippixox]

if the shop is in walking distance (for average people about 5 minutes walk tops or they will drive), then that is not a proper walk for a dog anyway, so just leave it at home and walk it separately.... simple!
poor dog, I can see how your dad feels bad, but lets face it, they would not have listened to his warnings if he had spoken to them before

 

[Kaylum]

There were two tied outside a supermarket with dresses on barking their heads off next to a busy main road. I hit a dog once the got loose from a house fortunately it was ok but car was a mess and I missed another car by centimetres.

 

[NellRosk]

Your poor dad but he mustn't believe that it's his fault... he can't help that other people are idiots!! I hope the little dog is found and it gives the owners the shock that they sorely needed. I see dogs tied up outside my local morrisons and it makes me feel ill tbh, I couldn't imagine if my little dog got loose or stolen.

 

[Janah]

I often visit Glastonbury, and the number of dogs tied up outside shops amazes me. I do feel like speaking to each and every one of the owners but I would be there all day. the owners are to blame, not your dad.

 

[Penny Less]

Well I have to confess I tie mine up outside our local convenience store on the way back from our walk while I get the paper, milk etc.

Im going to leave the country for a while now

 

[Dobiegirl]

Well I have to confess I tie mine up outside our local convenience store on the way back from our walk while I get the paper, milk etc.

Im going to leave the country for a while now

If you are still tying your dog up outside shops after this post then you want your head read, there really is no excuse for that behaviour unless its one of ignorance, why put your dogs life in danger?

 

[twiggy2]

there are often dogs tied up outside the local supermarket near me, the other day a large mastiff type was tied up outside jumping out aggressively at everyone that passed too close, it was wearing a prong collar- dread to think what would happen if a child had coming running round the corner within reach-stupid for all reasons imaginable.

 

[Cahill]

I don't get why people do this too.
maybe if it is a village shop and the counter is just feet away then that is different.

would you leave your fone or hand bag outside? no and a dog is much more valuable.

 

[Penny Less]

It is a village shop and I can see the dog from the counter ! Also dog elderly and neutered,and chipped . However, I admit to being ignorant and stupid

 

[Cahill]

It is a village shop and I can see the dog from the counter ! Also dog elderly and neutered,and chipped . However, I admit to being ignorant and stupid

I said MAYBE if it was a village shop and a few feet from the counter that would be different.

we are talking about in a busier place and the dangers to your pets.

also ,if some1 was setting out to steal a dog,i don't think a m/chip or tag would put them off,as they would probably dump the animal later if they found out or pass it on for a few quid

 

[Kaylum]

There was another one there today tied outside tesco crying for its owner in the busiest supermarket around.

 

[blackcob]

Maybe we are just very, very lucky but in our town the shops that allow dogs in outnumber those that don't and I make a point of supporting the dog-friendly ones even if I almost never take the dogs in (they go for a proper walk and stay at home).

 

[CazD]

would you leave your fone or hand bag outside? no and a dog is much more valuable.

This.

 

[Pinkvboots]

I hate seeing dogs left outside shops I would never do it.

 

[Love_my_Lurcher]

I used to leave mine tied outside a couple of local shops. One was the pharmacy which has two sliding glass doors (so it's very easy to see outside) and the other was the post office (which you can't easily see out of). I stopped tying them up almost a couple of years ago after learning how many dogs are stolen outside shops. Both those shops are a 10-15 minute walk away and when I go to the pharmacy now and am walking the dogs I will just stand at the door with them and the staff will see to me there and if it's the post office I need then my Mum will either come with us and hold the dogs outside or she'll come along in the car and stay with them in the car park. I can't drive, so driving there is not an option for me.

However, last year, Mum was ill and not up to coming along to the post office and I wasn't feeling great myself and wasn't up to a couple of walks. I really needed money (I only have a post office account) and something out the shop the post office is in. I have seen quite a few people going into the shop with their dogs and have seen one lady in with her dog several times and there are no signs up saying that dogs aren't allowed. So I decided that I would take my two in

I had only been in with them for about a minute when two female staff members asked me to take them out. I told them that I really needed money and that I wasn't risking anything happening to them by leaving them tied up outside. One of them replied "well those are the risks you take when you are shopping". Nasty woman! Then I said to them that I had seen dogs in before and had seen the same dog in several times. One of them told me that they would have been told to leave as well. That was baloney as I have NEVER heard anybody being asked to leave with their dogs before and I told them that. They said dogs aren't allowed because the shop is a food shop (it only sells soft drinks, tobacco, stationary and wrapped sweets and chocolate so my dogs wouldn't have 'contaminated' anything). My reply to that was that my dogs are probably cleaner than a lot of the people that come in. They said nothing. Anyway I proceeded to get my money out of the cash machine inside and left absolutely fuming, but somewhat satisfied that I had actually defended my dogs.

So my Mum and I went into the shop a couple of weeks later and a woman came in with her child and an off lead German Shepherd. The dog was running about and sniffing things whereas my two had been on lead and were standing quietly next to me. The woman with the GSD was not asked to leave. This got me fuming again and I really wanted to say something, but my Mum stopped me as she didn't want me to create a 'scene'. She admitted I was right though as it's not fair when our dogs are told to leave when other dogs are allowed. I did say something the next time I was in myself and was told to lodge an official complaint. I will still do that, but I am trying to find out the legalities of it. If a shop does not display signs saying that dogs aren't allowed and people do go in with their dogs and are asked to leave then who is right? The staff (who are exactly that and not the shop owners) or the person with the dogs?

I know I went a bit off topic there, but it would help if more shops allowed dogs. I mean badly behaved kids are readily allowed and a lot of people have appalling standards of hygiene and they are also allowed, so why not well behaved dogs?

 

[Kaylum]

Your right about one thing your dogs are cleaner than some people and mine defo is. She is always having her hair done.

 

[Smurf's Gran]

Maybe the people who took the dog and untied it were rescuing it

 

[Cinnamontoast]

Maybe the people who took the dog and untied it were rescuing it

Are you serious?! From what, being a pet??

 

[CazD]

would you leave your fone or hand bag outside? no and a dog is much more valuable.

Maybe we should turn this into an advertising slogan - a bit like "a dog is for life not just for Christmas"

 

[RunToEarth]

I can't understand why anyone would leave something as valuable as a family pet tied to a post outside a shop - might as well leave your car keys there with them - madness.

What infuriated me even more than seeing some poor lurcher tied outside the co-op this weekend, was that it was driving wind and rain, and the poor ****** was tied so short he couldn't even tuck himself out of the elements. I was an interfering member of the public, untied him and crouched with him to shelter him a bit until his (ungrateful and rude) owner appeared from her shop. I know it's not the done thing to interfere and if I didn't before I certainly did after the gobful I got from his delightful human, but honestly - you cant do that to your pet, it's not fair.

 

[Smurf's Gran]

Are you serious?! From what, being a pet??

Yes actually I am serious !! Maybe the dog had been there a while, maybe the person who untied it was concerned for its welfare, maybe they felt it would be better cared for with them ??

If I saw a dog tied up, I would consider if it had been abandoned, and I might untie it myself (shock horror!!) and take it to the local dog warden / charity etc.

 

[RunToEarth]

Yes actually I am serious !! Maybe the dog had been there a while, maybe the person who untied it was concerned for its welfare, maybe they felt it would be better cared for with them ??

If I saw a dog tied up, I would consider if it had been abandoned, and I might untie it myself (shock horror!!) and take it to the local dog warden / charity etc.

Surely if you were concerned the sensible first port of call would be inside the shop it was tied to, to check it's owners' weren't in there?!

 

[9tails]

This has surprised me enormously, our shops have dog tie rings.

 

[RunToEarth]

This has surprised me enormously, our shops have dog tie rings.

Most shops do - it doesn't mean you have to tie your dog to them

 

[Smurf's Gran]

Surely if you were concerned the sensible first port of call would be inside the shop it was tied to, to check it's owners' weren't in there?!

Yes probably, but if it was a large supermarket / shop etc ??? what then ? some people do abandon dogs this way

NB the OP does refer to the original dog as being outside a supermarket.

 

[Biglets Mummy]

Yes probably, but if it was a large supermarket / shop etc ??? what then ? some people do abandon dogs this way

NB the OP does refer to the original dog as being outside a supermarket.

Yep its a local supermarket and the dog was tied to the bike racks. The dog was a loved pet I presume who was left outside the shop and my Dad who uses the shop most days regularly saw it tied up and worried that because it was such a young sweet puppy that it would be very steal able. It was obviously not dumped as my dad would sit in the car and wait for the owners to return.Dad thought that it was a black pedigree cocker spaniel so not cheap to buy I suspect.
It is a shame that we don't live in the days when it was safe to leave your bike unlocked,car unlocked etc but personally I would rather air on the edge of caution and not put my dogs in a position where something might happen to them.
As for Dad going into the supermarket to ask for the owners ? he is very kind placid man who doesn't do confrontation so to call for the owners in the shop is something he just wouldn't do.
The point of my post was that in this day and age things are different. We had all out cast iron man holes covers stolen in our village last year. First time ever heard of round this neck of the woods and caused much heated discussion!!!! I just feel with something as precious as a much loved dog than a little street wise savvyness doesnt go amiss.....