Comments

1
I know Mr. Mudede does not like cars, but we need to start treating service animals like vehicles. Not only should the service animals be required to wear a harness demonstrating they are a service animal (like a license plate) but owners need to carry license showing that they actually are allowed to own one (like a driver's license). The latter is necessary since it is now possible to buy fake service animal harnesses.
2
"Fornicating" is just such a cute word. As soon as I read it, the person saying it becomes the wealthy dowager from so many old comedies. This person is now Margaret Dumont, shopping at the Capitol Hill QFC in full 1930s-style evening dress with diamonds and pearls, the latter firmly clutched, "Sir!" she exclaims to the minimum-wage employee shelving the goods, "Those dogs are fornicating!"
3
"I have seen a dog defecting in the Harvard QFC." Was he defecting to Russia?
4
@3 damn whistle-blower dogs! now we'll have learn about all the dark AKC secrets
5
Oh my god! The "service" animal boondoggle. For Christ's sake, how much of a narcissist do you have to be to decide that it's OK for your Pekinese's asshole to be rubbed all over the inside of a Fred Meyer shopping cart (witnessed at the Ballard store)? Use those produce bags kids, you don't know what horrors have been done in that cart you're pushing.
6
If I can't bring my dog into the grocery store, how is she supposed to tell me which dog food she wants?
7
That the photo has been captioned "TAKEN IN MADRID" is everything to me right now.
8
Wow, that's some imagination ya got there!
9
As a dog owner, I hate when people bring their dogs into this QFC. It's ridiculous. And it's always little miscreant dogs with terrible manners.

We own a huge newfoundland. One day we saw a misbehaving dog in the store while shopping. So we thought we could try and bring attention to how silly it is to bring dogs into the store by going home, getting our enormous dog, and parading him up and down the customer service area near management. Surely this would bring some comments from the store, we could reply that we thought it was totally allowed because everyone else does it, and we could then suggest they should clamp down on it generally.

Nope, they said nothing. People bringing in the dogs are morons, but the store has to do something about it other than put up a sign they don't enforce.
10
i saw a dog defecating on the floor of the qfc on rainier about a month ago. the woman took the dog out of the store AFTER it shit in front of a freezer case and left the pile there.
is this a qfc thing ?
11
"As he pulled, the dog slowly moved; as the dog slowly moved, its crappy ass marked the floor. All I wanted that day was a sandwich."

That is some beautiful poetry, Charles.
12
Yes, for fuck's sake, make it stop. I am avoiding businesses that server/sell food that don't re-enforce this law. I am all for service dogs, but they should be properly labeled.
13
Just for the record, unless there were some kind of health issue, no service dog would shit on the floor in a public place. And if you bring a non-service, non-potty-trained dog inside, you are wholly responsible for its shitting. It is as if you yourself have shat upon the floor, behavior I think we can all agree is unacceptable.
15
@10 It must be a QFC thing. I always see lots of dogs at the West Seattle QFC - more than at Safeway.
16
If a person says it's a service animal, there is really nothing to be done. Until an animal shits on the floor, at which point it can be ejected, service animal or no. Workers can also ask, "What is the animal trained to do?" in an effort to ferret out liars, but I prefer not to because that makes it easier to accidentally discriminate, which is illegal.

Usually when I ask people if their dog is a service animal, they say yes. Whatever. Some people say no, then act surprised when I tell them pets aren't allowed. In a couple of cases, people have argued with me, suggesting I am guilty of discrimination according to ADA. If these people act too aggressive, they are ejected.

In a couple rare cases, people become incredibly enraged at the presence of dogs (either service dogs or "service dogs") and verbally berate both the dog owner and store staff, and repeatedly call in frivolous health code complaints. These people are far worse than all the people, combined.
17
If we only had common sense service dog regulations with universal background checks on the owners, we could reduce the number of mass shittings in QFC.

Oh, wait... wrong topic. Sorry.
18
Some people are also allergic to nuts, should those be banned from grocery stores also? Why don't we just ban everything that any one person might be allergic to whlie we're at it. Just to be safe.
19
Why are you shopping at QFC anyway Charles?
20
@18, so you're just fine with dog shit on the floor of the grocery store then. Got it.

21
Don't service animals have some kind of papers?
22
All the bans and regulations in the world won't help, if people don't act up to defend them. Did any or all of the people who saw this behavior do anything? or say anything? I promise you that if more folks started saying things like "hey lady would you clean up your dog's shit" or "dog shit on aisle 6" in a loud voice, a lot of that excrement would stop. And if you're a Slog poster, you know you'll enjoy doing it!
23
To answer my own question in short "no". However, see point 10. A dog who hath shat upon the linoleum is verily a health hazard.

http://www.ada.gov/qasrvc.htm
24
I have a dog. I love my dog. If I take my dog with me on some errands the dog waits outside. The only time the dog joins me at any kind of business is if it's an outdoor patio and the staff are ok with it. Even in that scenario I make sure we sit where the dog won't be able to sniff or bother anyone else. I'm not a saint, or even some kind of role model, just a typical dog owner who is aware that I am not the only person worth mentioning on this planet. Anyone taking their dog into a supermarket is an idiot.
25
@18: That is the stupidest thing I have read all day.

Anyway, if you take non-service animals into establishments that serve/sell foodstuffs, and the establishment does not specifically welcome animals, you are a bad person who is too selfish to ever think about anyone else, and you do not deserve a pet, or happiness.
26
@17 *like*
27
@18--the nuts for sale are in sealed bags, cans and jars.
If people were bringing their dogs into the store in completely-sealed bags, cans or jars, I would be OK with the dogs.
28
I'm very opposed to non-service animals (pets) in primarily human indoor environs. Have to deal with it in pet stores but with other stores, I can shop elsewhere. Thanks for the heads up on that QFC.

Should I be telling management why I won't be back?
29
@1,

It's also now possible to get fake licenses.

@12,

The ADA doesn't require labeling.

@27,

Not if they're in bulk.

30
Most people spend lives with their eyes trained on the horizon (or of late, their smart phones). Said dog is doing you a favor.
31
I'm a dog owner who likes dogs. But never in my life have I taken my dog on a bus, or god help us, a grocery store or restaurant.

Business owners need to nut-up and ask for some proof that these are service animals.
32
@31,

They're legally precluded from asking for proof. They can ask what service the animal provides, but they can't ask what disability the human supposedly has, and they aren't allowed to ask for documentation.

The fact is that the ADA's regulations mean that the only thing keeping pet owners from bringing their pets anywhere they want is the pet owners' personal sense of shame.
33
@24, it is illegal to tie your dog up anywhere on the sidewalk in Seattle.
34
While I don't think people should bring their dogs into grocery stores this argument that it will kill people who are allergic is hyperbolic. Yes people can be very allergic.

Because you know what? Grocery stores are literally chock FULL of shit people have deadly allergies too from peanuts to wheat.
For fuck sake.

And this anecdote you link to provides no proof that she actually had that severe of reaction nor any scientific proof if she did that it was caused by a dog in the sore as opposed a thousand other laces she could have been exposed.

And if she was a driver for handicapped taxi service and drove people with service animals how the fuck is she alive after being cooped up in a tiny van with a service dog if she is so sensitive?

I'm calling bullshit on this.
35
As a resident of a city with more prescription parakeets and officially sanctioned anxiety-reducing iguanas than probably anywhere else, I can tell you store owners are scared shitless of ADA-related lawsuits.

Americans with Disabilities Act was an incredibly important and well-meaning piece of legislation, but it needs serious amending to trim down some of these abuses. (credentialing animals should be that hard, as proper guide animals are a huge investment.
Also there needs to be new language to stop people like this: http://sanfrancisco.grubstreet.com/2010/…
If you don't have one in your city, you will soon.)

37
@33, No shit. In most places, it's been illegal to tie up to meters or bike racks, but now that I've looked it up you're right. But...have you ever even heard of someone being given a ticket for it? Has anyone ever been cited for it? Seems like it's a law that's going to need some updating if cops start to actually use it. Hell, if they do then I'll reluctantly become one of those idiots lying about the service animal since it's also against the law to make me prove it.
38
@blip: Anaphylaxis from airborne allergens is extremely rare.

It's not uncommon among those suffering from factitious disorder.
39
@18: I'm definitely in favor of nuts being banned from stores and other public areas if people are bringing them in and letting them rub against things, fornicate, and defecate on the floor. But since they tend to politely stay put in packaging on the shelves, they're manageable.
40
Trauma experience is a better argument than allergies. 4.5 million Americans bitten by dogs annually, resulting in 885000 hospitalizations and 27000 reconstructive surgeries. Children represent most of these numbers. http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsa…

If someone was attacked as a child and now wants nothing to do with dogs, that's a perfectly valid reason for him to not be confronted with one while buying tomatoes. Maybe it is not your sworn duty to not give that guy a panic attack, but it's inconsiderate at the very least.
41
@39 they don't The deli, the bulk bins, all that; allergens from those areas particulate through the inside environment of the store.

If some one was so allergic to something that they may suffer anaphylactic shock from air borne exposure it won't matter if peanuts, wheat, or a thousand other things people are allergic to, "shit" on the floor. They ARE in the air. Yet amazingly people don't often drop dead from anaphylaxis due to air borne contamination.

And you know I've lived here on North Cap Hill and shopped at that very QFC (even when it was across the street) every week for over 25 years. I have never seen a dog shit in the store. Never. I've seen dogs in there. Which I am against. But never the apocalyptic vision Charles and others are wildly fantasizing about.

I HAVE seen on several occasions a mixture of the following:
Fights, puke, blood splatter, homeless men masturbate in the elevator and parking garage.

I have even seen two gutter punks spit in the bulk Quinoa bin and a animal protestor throw meat from a display case.

All that was the result of people. And, while we can't ban humans, I'd say our fears of some imaginary epidemic of rampant dog shitting in the store are woefully misplaced and exaggerated.
42
Your dog is cute. That said, if your walk also involves stopping for lunch or shopping for anything, the dog is better off at home.
43
@18: The difference between nuts and a dog, cupcake, is that the nuts are something one expects when one enters a grocery store.
44
@34: The difference between peanuts and wheat and a dog, cupcake, is that people expect to see peanuts and wheat when they enter grocery stores. Dogs don't belong, full stop.
45
@41 wrong QFC.

Charles works for The Stranger. This is obviously about the QFC within the 5 block radius that contains all of Seattle's news.
46
All y'all can stuff it. I bring my dog everywhere. Into groceries, restaurants, nightclubs, stores, elevators, cabs, everywhere. I also keep her in a soft padded shoulder carrier that can be zippered. Most people never know she is there. She's the most well-behaved dog you'll ever know, in or out of her carrier.

Her behavior has one condition - she has to be near me. If she can't sense I am around she howls, digs, and cries. She can't stay at home, and medicating her is too dangerous (too small, overdose risk).

If you are so f'n uptight that you can't handle a dog in an enclosed carrier with a shoulder strap being in the same store as you, get out of the city, get some acreage, and become a hermit. You have way too much expectation that the world should work your way instead of mine.
47
I loathe people exploiting the deference to service animals and their owners -- it's right on par with parking in a handicap space and answering a phone in the movie theater.
48
The woman never said she had her allergy attack from a dog in a store.

@46--Get your dog some help. Separation anxiety isn't good for the pet.
49
@48, no, it isn't good for her at all. But it's a severe case... I've worked the issue out of my friends dogs but not my own.
50
@49 Do you take your dog to work?
51
@50, yes. But my job isn't anything normal.
52
@43

The difference between nuts and a dog, cupcake, is that the nuts are something one expects when one enters a grocery store.


Yes. I realize that, sugartits. One does not also expect fights, junkies, human puke, blood, or semen in a grocery store, either. But those are much more common than dog shit at the Broadway QFC.

And as much as I like playing whack-a-mole it's fairly tiresome to reiterate that the main argument Charles made against dogs was not peoples fairly reasonably expectations, but that there exists this looming deadly Dog Gas that will instantly kill anybody with an allergy.

That argument, when one considers the presence of other far more common and just as potentially dangerous allergens in a grocery store, a rather hyperbolic and scientifically unsubstantiated claim. Case and point his "proof" is linking to a rambling anecdote in a personal blog.

While there are people that abuse the service dog allowance in public spaces, it is hardly the Dog Shit apocalypse than many posters and Charles are clutching their pearls over, honeybritches.

53
@48 Exactly. Nor could she prove it if she did.

Given the amount of shit, puke, piss and filth constantly tracked into the store from the outside it's a wonder, given the apparent immunological fragility of people in Seattle, that nobody has died of bubonic plague in QFC.
54
Given from this article - http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Blogg…, it has ignited a debate. Where do we sign up to support Mary McNeight's belief?
55
Actually, you can ask TWO questions. "Is that a service dog?" AND then follow it up with "What work or tasks has the dog been trained to perform?", but not for "proof". The dog has to be individually trained to do work or tasks, not just be a dog and you have to be disabled to even have a service animal - not merely a dog owner. Also, if your dog isn't clean, isn't housebroken, fails housebreaking while out for whatever reason (you not paying attention, dog is ill, etc.), dog is misbehaving, you can be asked to remove the dog and if there are damages, you're responsible for the damages - this is the rule for actual service dogs.

The problem is that businesses don't do their end. They don't ask the second question and they don't throw out problem (unclean, not housebroken, misbehaving, aggressive, etc.) dogs. There's actually a procedure for documenting and removing dogs - even proclaimed as service dogs. They should do it.

And no, allergies, even anaphylactic ones aren't grounds for removing all dogs including service dogs. Per the ADA, both disabilities have to be accommodated. This is the guide businesses should follow: http://www.ada.gov/service_animals_2010.…
56
Hm.........Charles, Yes a Car, Truck, Dog, etc. etc. did I miss any dislikes?...........Oh well, Let’s address the main Issue, OK, I will go slow here, ID Cards, Dog Certification, listen, It’s not coming soon, the only agency that matters here is a federal one, we have placards and special plates for disabled drivers, yes, Because that is regulated by the State, now Listen closely people. Service Dogs are regulated by the Feds. Not the state, and if a state or a county etc. make a law that removes protection from the ADA, it would simply last till the first Department of Justice complaint, and bye bye. For me, I have a vest, but many people do not have the money for this. As to the people with designer dogs? Well, it is against state law to represent yourself as disabled when you are not, but most local law enforcement has no idea of this RCW, so good luck with that. I have seen a Human once take a dumpe on the hill! But never a dog. And One more time for the misinformed and ignorant here is the only law that matters. And if you think the feds are not serious, look at “Enforcing the ADA” it’s a department of Justice web site, and look at the fines the feds love to put on business and local governments.
http://www.ada.gov/qasrvc.htm
57
WOW...you morons really think the owners don't carry JUST as much dander as the dog does? You really think a dog that stands at most a 2 feet off the ground is MORE likely than the owner, who stands 5-6 feet, to get dog hair and dander on your groceries? WOW, public education is really quite a disappointment. I was far happier not knowing you idiots existed prior to the social media days. Ignorance truly is bliss!
58
and $100 bucks says more people have shit in QFC than dogs!

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