You can't bring your dog.

There are signs at the front of the store stating very clearly no animals but service animals are allowed in the store.

Yet day after day people persist in bringing their dogs in. Usually their lap dogs, cradled in arms or purses, shivering and scared to death of everything.

I don't like lap dogs.

Yesterday, though, a woman came in with a large breed puppy in her arms. I think it was probably a Rottweiler, large enough to stand above an adult's knee easily. She was just carrying it along in both arms like a stuffed toy. I caught her on her way out of the store.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but Target does not allow non-service animals in the store."

"Oh, really? I see dogs in here all the time, so I wasn't sure."

"We do our best to prevent that," I replied crisply. "So please..."

She walked away.

I should have pointed the sign out to her. It's in large text. It's hard not miss.

People apparently don't understand that we are not PetSmart.
People apparently don't understand that it is a serious health risk to have animals in the store.
People apparently don't think about what would happen if we got shut down by the Department of Health.
They don't even stop to think about how they'd feel if everyone were allowed to bring their dog.

I have been aggressively pursuing people who bring dogs into the store since I've started working. Very little makes me angrier.

It isn't just the thoughtlessness towards the workers and other customers that gets to me.
It's the thoughtlessness towards the dog. It is bad for a dog to treat it like a person. The reason these dogs end up being so insufferable is because you're not treating them like a pet, but a baby doll! Treating a dog like something equal to you, on your level, results in biting, lots of barking, nervousness, piddling and a number of other neurosis.

So the only one who truly benefits from toting the dog everywhere is the person who can't bear to be separated from pwecious, and wants to show them off so people will say how cuuuute they are.

Because while I enjoy making people feel bad and embarrassed for doing something so thoughtless, I'd rather they just not do it at all.