Day 491 Ugh!

 

I'm sure many of you are looking at this photo saying awe, how cute. Others, like me are saying, why on earth is a giant dog Christmas shopping? I appreciate the need for an assistance animal but doubt this animal is assisting  by taking up the entire cart with its gargantuan physique. The craziest thing is that this is not an unusual site, in one shopping trip I stopped counting dogs after reaching a half dozen. Seriously, do dogs really like shopping that much? What happened to no shoes, no shirt, no pets no admittance signs? can I wander in shops barefoot now? Will I be seeing shirtless men wandering the isles? Are stores destined to become dog parks? Wait, will there be other animals allowed as well? Imagine if I strolled into a shop with my chicken on a leash, or my cat? As much as I love my pets I don't believe they have a strong urge to come shopping with me. Now, I know all you dog lovers out there are ready to kick me through the screen, or believe me to be heartless for not finding the appeal in the slobbery canine breed. I promise, I'd like scruffy much more if he were outside for a walk in the fresh air, or home lounging on his doggie bed but not shopping, heck, I don't want to see Tim out shopping with me, never mind have to navigate around dogs at every turn. I will say, I'm slightly impressed at the strength it must have taken to get the large dog into the cart, I imagine it weighs a fair amount and from the looks of its owner, I don't visualize that would have been an easy task and yes, I notice it is leashed, although I'm not sure how much the leash is doing? I'm happy for folks who have and love any pet, dog, cat, chicken alike, but for the love of God, can fido stay home once in a while? My last trip to Marshalls, I watched a women chatting with a friend, she grabbed a rug from the shelf and laid it on the floor for her dog to rest on while she carried on her conversation. When I purchase a brand new rug from a department store, I don't expect it to be covered in dog hair or slobber. A well trained service animal is an impressive site to see and has my utmost respect,  I'm sure they too are annoyed at all the canines posers. I've always said I don't mind dogs, its their owners that trouble me and this holiday season I'm not being convinced otherwise.