Leaving Dogs Tethered Outside The Supermarket

[Holmesy]

As part of my morning ritual, i stop and grab a takeaway coffee and a muffin from the local bakery that I walk past on my dog walking circuit. I tether my two pups outside while I order coffee and the muffin. I can see my little monsters from the window and have my eye on them all of the time.

My two are very people and dog friendly and generally sit patiently waiting for me. My only concern is that some people are afraid of dogs and my pair are large dogs (bullmastiff and mastiff) and might scare them from shopping.

I would never leave them longer than 5 minutes and NEVER out of my sight. In the area where I live, they'd likely get stolen if I let them out of my sight at all.

[oakway]

I havent read all the posts but if go to England you see this all the time.

It is an everyday occurance.

I think many of you are just not used to seeing this.

[Sheridan]

I havent read all the posts but if go to England you see this all the time.

It is an everyday occurance.

I think many of you are just not used to seeing this.

I think many of us have more of a concern for our dogs than for what is an everyday occurance in England.

[Loving my Oldies]

I havent read all the posts but if go to England you see this all the time.

It is an everyday occurance.

I think many of you are just not used to seeing this.

Whether we are used to it or not, my belief is that it is an absolute no no.

I did it once, many years ago, and I was such a nervous wreck, that I've never done it again.

I believe it is mostly ignorance and not giving it enough thought rather than selfish, basically I agree with what Minimax posted.

[Dame Aussie]

I do see it a lot. Doesn't mean I think it's a good thing to do.

[halfthewords]

The second time was when I tied him right outside the door of an IGA and went inside for <2 mins to get a drink.

For those that do this, please consider that persons with assistance dogs might be forced to either wait until you come out or run the gauntlet and hope that dog right outside the door is well tethered and not DA. It could be frightening for a vision impaired person with their guide dog to suddenly find themselves within reach of another dog while exiting the building.

Exactly, it affects more than just the owner and the dog. There could be small children who are scared of dogs (or adults who are scared of dogs!), toddlers who don't need a dog to jump on them or rush at them, or anything. It's just irresponsible and selfish.

Thanks for jumping down my throat! When I say 'right outside,' I mean tethered to a tree on the pathway, well away from the door and with at least 5 metres to spare if someone needs to get through! My dog is excellently behaved in any case, and is certainly not DA. He is not friendly with people he doesn't know, and he would never approach someone. He just doesn't care! And if it's tying him up for a couple of minutes vs leaving him in the car, I know what choice I'm making.

[Greytmate]

I havent read all the posts but if go to England you see this all the time.

It is an everyday occurance.

I think many of you are just not used to seeing this.

We live in a different environment and a different culture. We are not that used to seeing it, our dogs are not used to seeing it or doing it, other people are not used to seeing it, and drivers on our roads are not used to seeing it either. We have different dog walking habits, different shopping habits, and different community standards.

It's not just that we are not used to seeing it, it is that most of us here are aware of the consequences of something going wrong if we did do it. And if we were not before, we might be after reading the whole thread.

[mantis]

The second time was when I tied him right outside the door of an IGA and went inside for <2 mins to get a drink.

For those that do this, please consider that persons with assistance dogs might be forced to either wait until you come out or run the gauntlet and hope that dog right outside the door is well tethered and not DA. It could be frightening for a vision impaired person with their guide dog to suddenly find themselves within reach of another dog while exiting the building.

Exactly, it affects more than just the owner and the dog. There could be small children who are scared of dogs (or adults who are scared of dogs!), toddlers who don't need a dog to jump on them or rush at them, or anything. It's just irresponsible and selfish.

Thanks for jumping down my throat! When I say 'right outside,' I mean tethered to a tree on the pathway, well away from the door and with at least 5 metres to spare if someone needs to get through! My dog is excellently behaved in any case, and is certainly not DA. He is not friendly with people he doesn't know, and he would never approach someone. He just doesn't care! And if it's tying him up for a couple of minutes vs leaving him in the car, I know what choice I'm making.

But what if someone is walking their DA dog & your dog approaches it, or a young child runs up to it & pulls it's ears, or tries to sit on it? I have lost count of the number of times, i have stopped a child approaching a tethered dog & told their parents, they should never let their child approach a strange dog.

If your dog does bite a child who hassles them, then your dog will be either PTS, or declared dangerous. Is it really worth the risk?

[oakway]

Also in Queensland a high profile European store always had teather rings and a tap near by for the dogs that visited with their owners.

Maybe if we became a more friendly dog country you people would not have a problem with it.

We hear so much about Australia being a non dog friendly country and the minute a person tries to do a dog friendly thing,(maybe they brought their dog with them and are used to doing this) you the people who say you are aware of the unfriendly dog situation in this country are the ones complaining. You can't have it both ways.

This is a normal situation throughout Europe. :)

[Odin-Genie]

Also in Queensland a high profile European store always had teather rings and a tap near by for the dogs that visited with their owners.

Maybe if we became a more friendly dog country you people would not have a problem with it.

We hear so much about Australia being a non dog friendly country and the minute a person tries to do a dog friendly thing,(maybe they brought their dog with them and are used to doing this) you the people who say you are aware of the unfriendly dog situation in this country are the ones complaining. You can't have it both ways.

This is a normal situation throughout Europe. :)

Well, even if there were fancy tether rings and bowls outside a shop, I still would not leave my dog unsupervised. A truly dog friendly place would allow the dog to stay with the owner.

[halfthewords]

The second time was when I tied him right outside the door of an IGA and went inside for <2 mins to get a drink.

For those that do this, please consider that persons with assistance dogs might be forced to either wait until you come out or run the gauntlet and hope that dog right outside the door is well tethered and not DA. It could be frightening for a vision impaired person with their guide dog to suddenly find themselves within reach of another dog while exiting the building.

Exactly, it affects more than just the owner and the dog. There could be small children who are scared of dogs (or adults who are scared of dogs!), toddlers who don't need a dog to jump on them or rush at them, or anything. It's just irresponsible and selfish.

Thanks for jumping down my throat! When I say 'right outside,' I mean tethered to a tree on the pathway, well away from the door and with at least 5 metres to spare if someone needs to get through! My dog is excellently behaved in any case, and is certainly not DA. He is not friendly with people he doesn't know, and he would never approach someone. He just doesn't care! And if it's tying him up for a couple of minutes vs leaving him in the car, I know what choice I'm making.

But what if someone is walking their DA dog & your dog approaches it, or a young child runs up to it & pulls it's ears, or tries to sit on it? I have lost count of the number of times, i have stopped a child approaching a tethered dog & told their parents, they should never let their child approach a strange dog.

If your dog does bite a child who hassles them, then your dog will be either PTS, or declared dangerous. Is it really worth the risk?

As I said, he isn't interested - doesn't react to or listen to anyone other than me. Unless someone was actively trying to undo his lead and steal him. And as I said, I've tied him up a grand total of twice in the 5 years I've owned him. I don't make a habit of it; it was only when the other option was leaving him in the car. Generally I never leave any of my dogs tied up outside the shop, and especially not while I'm inside getting groceries! Ducking into a shop where I still had full view of him was unnerving enough.

[twodoggies2001]

I would never leave either of my boys tied up outside the place I'm going into. Not even for a second. My main fear would be theft and frankly, I'm amazed that so many posters have said that they tie their dogs where they can be seen. What does it take to untie and abscond with said pooch. The staffy was picked up and taken from outside a busy Coles supermarket in busy Bentleigh, and if it were not for an alert person who recognised the pup he may still be missing to this day. I'll bet the owner won't be doing this again. I don't think that either of my two would bite anyone, but how can I be 100% sure of this? It could happen out of fear, not to mention a dog aggressive passer by.

[Dame Aussie]

I wouldn't trust my Aussie, if she felt cornered or trapped she would probably nip someone out of fear.

[Weasels]

I would never leave either of my boys tied up outside the place I'm going into. Not even for a second. My main fear would be theft and frankly, I'm amazed that so many posters have said that they tie their dogs where they can be seen. What does it take to untie and abscond with said pooch. The staffy was picked up and taken from outside a busy Coles supermarket in busy Bentleigh, and if it were not for an alert person who recognised the pup he may still be missing to this day. I'll bet the owner won't be doing this again. I don't think that either of my two would bite anyone, but how can I be 100% sure of this? It could happen out of fear, not to mention a dog aggressive passer by.

What are the odds that someone is waiting to steal a dog at any given place just in case someone comes to tie one up nearby?

I tied my dog outside the servo again on Monday, after this thread started, because I could see her head the whole time and I could see anyone coming towards her

well before they'd reach her too. She was on grass behind the air compressor, well away from the door and none of the 3 other people in the complex gave her a second glance. Obviously her owner was the one in the shop watching her, there's no shortage of security cameras, no clean get-away route. Less risk of theft or interference with her in this scenario than there is of an accident happening every time we get in the car IMO.

Edit - and no, I wouldn't leave them where I couldn't see them or get to them in a dozen steps if needed. But the risks of trouble in this scenario seem quite low to me.

Edited February 14, 2013 by TheLBD

[twodoggies2001]

I would never leave either of my boys tied up outside the place I'm going into. Not even for a second. My main fear would be theft and frankly, I'm amazed that so many posters have said that they tie their dogs where they can be seen. What does it take to untie and abscond with said pooch. The staffy was picked up and taken from outside a busy Coles supermarket in busy Bentleigh, and if it were not for an alert person who recognised the pup he may still be missing to this day. I'll bet the owner won't be doing this again. I don't think that either of my two would bite anyone, but how can I be 100% sure of this? It could happen out of fear, not to mention a dog aggressive passer by.

What are the odds that someone is waiting to steal a dog at any given place just in case someone comes to tie one up nearby?

I tied my dog outside the servo again on Monday, after this thread started, because I could see her head the whole time and I could see anyone coming towards her

well before they'd reach her too. She was on grass behind the air compressor, well away from the door and none of the 3 other people in the complex gave her a second glance. Obviously her owner was the one in the shop watching her, there's no shortage of security cameras, no clean get-away route. Less risk of theft or interference with her in this scenario than there is of an accident happening every time we get in the car IMO.

Edit - and no, I wouldn't leave them where I couldn't see them or get to them in a dozen steps if needed. But the risks of trouble in this scenario seem quite low to me.

The odds of somwonw planning a theft like this are probably not high but think on the opportunistic side of it. Good for you that you would leave your dog tied up and several people barely gave her a second look. You are free to do what suits you, but again I say, I wouldn't.

[Weasels]

The odds of somwonw planning a theft like this are probably not high but think on the opportunistic side of it. Good for you that you would leave your dog tied up and several people barely gave her a second look. You are free to do what suits you, but again I say, I wouldn't.

Yep that's cool, lots of places aren't set up well for tethering a dog. Just responding that you said you were amazed ppl were doing it, but there are always differences in individual cases. For the spot I described, by the time it's clear someone is heading in her direction I can reach her first, so it's not a high risk scenario like tying a dog at the entry to a supermarket where it can't be seen, heard or reached in the event of a problem.

[Sheridan]

Also in Queensland a high profile European store always had teather rings and a tap near by for the dogs that visited with their owners.

Maybe if we became a more friendly dog country you people would not have a problem with it.

We hear so much about Australia being a non dog friendly country and the minute a person tries to do a dog friendly thing,(maybe they brought their dog with them and are used to doing this) you the people who say you are aware of the unfriendly dog situation in this country are the ones complaining. You can't have it both ways.

This is a normal situation throughout Europe. :)

So what if it's normal throughout Europe. I don't live in Europe. You might want to risk your dogs being stolen or hurt or killed but I certainly do not.

[mita]

The moment a dog is left unsupervised at the mercy of the best & worst in the passing public, I get concerned. Someone earlier posted how they'd seen unattended, tied-up dogs being poorly dealt with in some way.

This afternoon, I was walking past the large St Vincent de Paul's store & saw a beautifully cared for Dachie X little dog. She was tied up, securely, at a post right at the very edge of the footpath. She had about a metre & a half free lead length. Right next to her was the busiest road in our area ... at the bottom of the hill where cars come down, thick & fast.

School children & lots of other people were coming off the train & streaming down the footpath beside her. All it would have taken, would be for someone to spook the little dog away from the footpath & the lead length would let her onto the road, straight in front of the cars in the outside lane. She was already on the edge. This was a high risk situation.

So I stopped and waited beside her, as cars whooshed by with great noise & crowds of people came along the footpath.

After 10 minutes her owner came out of the store, untied her & went on her way.

Edited February 14, 2013 by mita

[corvus]

It's certainly normal in my area. I've never seen anyone messing with the dogs left tethered. People smile at them or ignore them. They don't let their kids pat them. Might not be a friendly dog, say the parents. I do it occasionally if I've been walking the boys and need to pick something up. It seems sensible to do it while I'm out rather than go home, get the car and drive back in. They are left on short leashes where they can't get in the way or get on the road. They are well socialised. They do not particularly care if there are lots of people around or other dogs pass them. I don't think the risks are as great as other people seem to think. Sometimes shit happens, and you don't know where or when it will be. I am anxious leaving them unattended and am quick to get back to them, but usually when I do get back to them they are fine. Often someone comments to me that they are lovely dogs and sometimes they ask if they can pat them. I've had some people do weird and stupid things around my dogs, but most people are pretty polite. I wouldn't leave them unattended in such a place if I didn't think they would be fine if someone did something weird or tried to pat them.

[WreckitWhippet]

Apart from being risky, it's also illegal to leave your dog tied up in a public place in NSW.