Dog policies divide diners, shoppers

But increasingly the 7-year-old German Shepherd and other canine companions are making their way down the aisles of Home Depots, enjoying the al fresco vibe on restaurant patios or checking out sofas in metro area furniture showrooms.

“We take Sierra when we can, like to Petsmart, Tractor Supply and some restaurants that have outdoor seating,” said owner Collette Williams, of Tyrone in Fayette County.

Despite the potential for bites, the need to clean up “business” and the risk of running off startled or annoyed customers, store operators say being pet friendly is a growing way to lure those who want their pets at their side everywhere they go.

“They are some of our most frequent customers,” Concentrics restaurants spokeswoman Hannah Amick said of dog-owning patrons of the chain’s Parish, Tap and other restaurants. “We have freshly baked dog treats for sale in the market and water set out as well.”

Nancy Goodrich, owner of Nancy G’s Cafe in Sandy Springs, said she sought out dog owners as diners by promoting her pooch-friendliness at veterinarian offices, pet stores and festivals.

“I wanted people to know I wanted them to bring their dogs with them,” she said.

But Americans are divided on pet-friendly stores and restaurants. A survey last year by VetStreet.com found that 36 percent of readers supported dogs at restaurants and in retail stores, while 31 percent were neutral and 33 percent opposed.

Critics of the practice complain that they are often labeled dog haters if they speak up.

“I think it is absolutely disgusting to bring animals into restaurants,” a poster called BonnieAkridge wrote in response to an ajc.com story on dog-friendly Atlanta restaurants. “They are dirty, their fur hides bugs that can easily jump onto you, some may even have diseases their owners don’t know about and all this is around people eating food.”

Too much entitlement?

Others decry dog-owners’ sense of entitlement.

“There’s now a cultural assumption that everyone must love dogs,” former Slate magazine writer Farhad Manjoo wrote in a 2013 article. “Dog owners are rarely forced to reckon with the idea that there are people who aren’t enthralled by their furry friends, and that taking their dogs everywhere might not be completely pleasant for these folks.”

Legal liability for bites is minimal for businesses because Georgia law puts responsibility on the owner, Georgia State University law instructor Megan Boyd said. The exception would be if the business knew a dog might be dangerous and allowed it anyway.

“If a dog frequently snaps at people, for instance, and people complain and the store doesn’t act, it can be liable …,” she said.

Even so, stores could face legal headaches from suits.

Yet the trend is toward more liberal pet policies. And where the pooches go is not limited to warehouses or eateries frequented by hipsters, although many businesses, including Atlanta-based Home Depot, leave the decision to allow pets up to store managers, operators said.

The pets are welcome in Macy’s, Barnes & Noble, Pottery Barn, Bloomingdales, Gap and at hotel chains that have elevated “home away from home” to include vacationing pets. Other than hotels, which have promoted their dog-friendliness as a way to distinguish individual brands, most of the non-restaurant businesses not advertised their openness to dogs.

Home Depot spokesman Steve Holmes said the chain’s stores that prohibit dogs will have a sticker stating its policy at its entrance. He did not know how many stores in Atlanta allow pets inside and declined to speculate on the liability issues on the policy.

Grocery stores off limits

Georgia law leaves pet friendliness to the discretion of business owners, except in cases of grocery stores, where they are not allowed unless they are service dogs for persons with disabilities.

Some states are considering more strict definitions of service animals in response to growing numbers of people who use the label to get their pets into buildings or on airplanes. Leaders in Colorado’s House last month unanimously passed a bill making misrepresenting a pet as a service animal a crime in the state.

Many businesses, however, feel the advantages outweigh risks.

Doug Henderson, co-owner of West Midtown furniture store Switch Modern, said that many of his customers tell him that bringing their dog makes for a more pleasant shopping experience. He’s had no problems with pets in the 15 years he has welcomed them and his only requirement is that they be on a leash while in the store.

“Dogs are no better or worse behaving than are human clients,” he said. “We have children misbehaving much more frequently than dogs.”

Collette Williams, the owner of Sierra the German Shepherd, knows that her dog is intimidating to some. As a precaution, she and her husband give the dog commands in Dutch so that she only listens to them.

“We find people (mainly adults) are afraid of her because … they assume she’s been trained to bite and apprehend,” Williams said. “She is truly the sweetest baby who just loves her Kong ball and wants to play.”