Dogs make amazing pets and companions; there’s no doubt about it. But there’s something quite irksome about the people who bring their so-called “service dogs” to places where pets clearly aren’t allowed. That said, one person in Texas showcased on r/mildlyinfuriating yet another irresponsible pet owner’s dog in Target. However, in this case, the owner wasn’t even around to hold their leash and instead let their small pup roam the store free.
OP, who claims to have worked in professional dog training throughout their life, states that there are zero clues in the dog’s behavior that it was a service dog. Not to mention, it was wearing a cute Santa outfit and not the special vest you might see actual service dogs wear. “Lil dude just walking around no discernable owner,” OP remarked in the post. “I love my dogs and take them to so many places they are allowed but c’mon y’all.”
It goes without saying that it doesn’t matter at this point whether the dog is well-trained or not. It’s clearly a liability to both other shoppers and store employees, as a variety of mishaps or issues could occur. Not to mention, Target does not allow pets in the building, except for professionally trained service dogs, which this small doggy is not. “That’s clearly a Target employee,” jokes one commenter. “I’d pick him up, put him in my cart and try to scan him in the self-checkout,” chuckles a second.
Jokes aside, many in the post’s comment section are clearly fed up with the non-service pets in stores as much as OP is. “I’m all for service dogs but peoples entitlement has created a massive problem,” says one user. “Fake service dog owners never want to clean up after them,” complained another. To solve this, some argue that the solution is easy: the ADA law should incorporate a verification system requiring the pet’s owner to have a tag or card of sorts that the dog is indeed service-trained and verified.
Whatever the case, the main issue is most certainly the pompous, self-centered attitude of the owners, as the “fake service dogs” are more or less innocent victims in the situation.
