It's A Dog Thing

I want to first state for the record that I am allergic to dogs, thus cannot own a dog. I know that there are dogs out there that are okay for people that are allergic, but there is a second reason I don't own a dog and that is that I am cheap, and dogs are expensive. The day that dogs can pay their own bills I get one. I do however appreciate the fact that people own dogs, love their dogs, etc.

That brings me to my question; why, oh why, do people bring their dogs to Home Depot?

Today I was in the mood to do a little work on the house. My garage is a killer mess and I (and my wife) felt it was time to do a little organization and clean up the garage. You must know that we have a one car garage that really could barely fit a Mini Cooper in it even if the garage was totally empty. To gain as much space as possible things must come up off the floor. In order to do what I wanted I needed some shelving. As any red blooded American would do, I set off to Home Depot to look at the massive selection of shelving options for my garage.

For the record this was not my first visit the the big orange box, nor my first observation of the topic of discussion. Today I , without a dog, was in the minority at Home Depot. There were all shapes, sizes, breeds, and colors of canines out for a stroll down the home repair isles. Today, more so than past visits, I was particularly irritated by the presence of our four footed friends. I couldn't even go down an isle without wonder if this was going to be the dog that challenged my pacifist tendancies on this topic. One happened to weigh more than I do and showed more teeth than my comb when he yawned. This gave my cause for pause. The owner noticed my hesitation and then said, "He doesn't bite. It's okay." So not wanting to look like I doubted him or was afraid I passed by the pooch.

I just don't see the point in bringing your dog into the store while you shop. Is Fido giving advice on the correct plumbing fixture for the job, or helping pick the right shade of brown for the kitchen? What risk does the dog owner and Home Depot put themselves in by letting dogs in the store? What would happen if a dog got a wild hair and lashed out and bit somebody? Heaven forbid it end up being one of my kids. The heavenly wrath of the father would be upon that dog and its owner.

The Home Depot website has nothing on the dog in the store policy as far as I could see. I'd be curious to know if there has ever been a serious incedent in one of the stores or if all of the stores allow dogs in them.

Kudos to all the dog people today... the dogs were all on leashes.