do you leave your dog tied up outside a shop

[cazza]

I've never done it, and can't see any reason why I would  My local shop still lets dogs in, not that mine have been in, If I need to pop into the shop I usually leave the dogs at home.

I have however ran into a shop with the dogs in the car, but they were not exactly left on their own, the kids were in the car and a friend was stood by the car with them, otherwise I wouldn;t have done that either ( but I needed to get medicine for one of the kids and the shops were about to close)

[Holly]

I wouldn't for all the reasons already stated and I am paranoid about leaving them in the car. I know someone who has a crate in car and padlocks it if she's going to leave the car ...not when she's driving...but I'd be terrified that they would take the car plus the crate and the dogs.
I just think it's awful that these people can dictate what we can do with our dogs Years ago my retrievers came everywhere with me and I didn't worry about leaving them in the car for short periods whilst I went into a shop or collected the children. The dogs loved it and much prefered 'coming along for the ride' to being left at home.

[crunchie]

No never. It would worry me too much.  I always feel sorry for dogs that are left tied up waiting patiently as each person comes out of the shop.  I particularly hate it when it's  in a busy high street and people are brushing past them with bags and prams etc and the poor dogs can't move out of the way 

I saw a horrible example of this the other day.  I was in our local town and there were a lot of roadworks going on which were taking up part of the pavement so it was a lot narrower than normal.  Some idiot had tied up a young Great Dane outside one of the shops which in turn was taking up most of the pavement.  Now this dog looked really friendly (after all it was just a baby) and just wanted to say hello to everyone, but understandably some people were wary, pairticularly a couple of young mums with toddlers and babies in pushchairs as this dog was leaning into the push chair trying to lick the babies  faces .  Poor dog was being pushed and shoved out the way.  I had a half a mind to go into the shop it was tied up outside and say something, but bottled it.  Poor dog was causing absolute chaos through no fault of its own.  I remember thinking at the time that anyone could pinch it.  It was obviously a pedigree and worth quite a bit and the owners obviously weren't keeping an eye on it as if they had they would have seen what congestion it was causing and done something about it, or then again would they  some people are just sooo stupid.

[Mary]

I have left Lottie outside our local shop but that's only because it's tiny and she can see me and I can see her and I'm only going in to buy one thing which would take a minute.  Another local shop is just as tiny but the windows are darkened.  If I go there with Lottie I have to stand at the door and ask them to get me what I need as I won't leave her outside and they don't allow dogs in.  I would never leave her where I couldn't see her.

As for the incident that happened this morning, sadly I think the man was rather naive approaching the dog.  I've seen people approach dogs who are tied up outside shops and they do so completely the wrong way.  They walk straight up to them and then bend down over the dog with their hand in the air bearing down to stroke the dogs head   Most of us know that this is quite a threatening approach for a dog, more so for a dog who maybe feeling more vulnerable as it's been left by it's owner   I've taught my daughters never to approach a dog who is unattended, no matter how friendly it looks.

To look at it from another angle, I think it's also very wrong of the owner to leave a dog unattended like this if it's known not to react well to strangers

[Katina]

Never.

[CarolineL]

I would never leave Hurley tied up outside a shop, I am far too worried about him being stolen.

[miche]

Goodness I would never leave my dogs unattended and tied up anywhere!  In actual fact I think it is probably illegal as you wouldn't be in control of your dog.

My mum lives down a lane, it's a single track lane and on one corner is a post office and the other a school.  She was driving into the lane a short while back and had to stop as some-one had tied a very young lab up to the school railings and the dog was sat in the entrance to the lane.  Mum was really really angry, not for the fact that she couldn't get down the lane but the fact that this poor dog had been left, if some-one was driving without taking much notice into the lane the poor dog would have been ran over.

Mum went into the post office and asked if anyone owned the dog and told the man what she thought and that the dog might have been killed.  The man then hurled a torrent of abuse at her for driving a 4x4 and moved the dog and mum drove past.  When she looked in her mirror he was tying the dog back to the railings!!.

The poor dog was frightened, as anydog would faced with a car coming towards them in a small narrow lane - some people!!

[ladylola]

re marys post, that is exactly how he approached the dog

[Claire]

Never.  There have been a couple of occassions I have wanted to pop in to our local supermarket when I have had Ruby with me, so I just pick her up (OK, she's quite heavy at 11.65 kilos, so it's only popping in for something small) and carry her round, even though she's fully grown.  I took her out a lot in my arms pre-jabs, and also post-jabs when we'd walked a while and she got tired, so she sits perfectly still when being carried as I think she enjoys it.

I figure she's not on the ground so it's not like she's going to try and eat the food/put her nose on anything/wee/poo/jump up at people or whatever reason they ban dogs for in the supermarket in the first place.  Of all the times I've been in, I got stopped by security only once, and that as because they wanted to stroke her!

[flozac]

never ever

[Joelf]

What a nightmare scenario,Julie!

I would never leave the dogs outside shops & these days I don't leave them unattended in the car either. Like the others I am totally paranoid about them being stolen.

[Lukearelli]

No, I would never leave my dogs tied up outside, especially when dog theft is on the increase. Why risk it?

[MaxG]

NO WAY - NEVER - OUTSIDE ANYWHERE OR IN THE CAR ALONE!! Way too risky for all the reasons people have mentioned - have to be honest though - my main concern is him getting hurt or stolen rather than him accidentally snapping at someone etc. 

[suzysu]

..never ...or in the car alone.

 My dad was bitten by a dog outside Waitrose a few months back.  He didnt touch or speak to the dog just walked past it  ..he had a nasty bite on his leg, the owner came out and wasnt a bit interested and strode off 

[Mich]

No way, never.