I watched an a programme about an Australian vet on television last night, there was a lovely dog that had been hit by a car, its injuries were so bad it had to be put to sleep. He was so gentle & kind with it ,during tests ,then at the end it was shown how the poor dog got hurt, she had been taken for a walk with a family friend & tied up briefly out side a store , CCTV cameras show a man come along , take the lead off the dog & walk away with the lead & the poor dog run off, The vet was furious & upset that for the small price of a lead a beautiful animal was badly hurt & lost her life.I was in tears

That is wicked Lavonne…

I recently heard about a man in northern England who had gone around his town letting dogs out of gardens with much the same result as the Australian dog..

I never understand people who are cruel to animals.. If anything good is to be learned its that you should never leave your dog unattended.
We wouldn’t dream of leaving a baby in a pram outside a shop anymore so why a dog? There are just too many sick and twisted individuals out there.

Dogs are not alowed in shops here [ presumably the same in Australia ] ,so owners often leave the animal outside for a few minutes while they quickly pop into a shop, but I get annoyed at people who tie up their dogs outside a supermarket, with so many people going in /coming out it is so stressful for the poor dog , & a supermarket is not a quck in /out job

Funny you mention that Cass, because I actually witnessed a baby left outside a store in a stroller in a upscale town. We went in to the shop specifically to find the mom and told her what we thought! She brought the child inside…argh! poor doggy. sigh

Sorry everyone, and I’m not trying to be rude, but I really can’t remember, in the 69 years that I have been on this green earth, seeing an animal tied to a leash outside of a store here in Michigan.  Is there a possibility that the dog would bark at people thus causing some people to get a little mad at them??  Which, in turn, would MAYBE cause some people to try to “get even” and let the dog loose?  Just a couple of “feeble” thoughts going thru my mind.

What do we do with our dogs while shopping???  I would leave it at home 9 times out of 10.  If, for some reason, I did take pooochie to the store, I would leave her/him in my locked car with the windows cracked open a little.  In the summer, I would leave her/him home. 

Well exactly…. why on earth do people take their dogs shopping is beyond me!! We very rarely see this type of thing here, not that I have noticed at any rate.

In most cases people take their dogs with them to unsuitable places out of laziness or lack of training.. Ive heard about dogs who cannot be left home because they destroy things, well then the dog needs training not being rewarded by being with the owner 24/7.

I see dogs in crowded markets , outside shops, in antique fairs none of which are suitable or fun places for a dog to be. Dogs need to sniff and wander about not get marched along concrete paths where they get jostled and trodden on and where they are not welcome so giving ammunition for the anti dog brigade.

Plus leaving a dog outside a shop or any other public place leaves it open to a number of dangers the biggest being human contact. You have no idea what might happen and who will approach your dog , and remember if your dog retaliates in any way he may well have to pay with his life..

Dogs should never be left in cars , even in mild weather the heat in a car can build up extremly quickly and if you were delayed for any reason it could be fatal for your dog.
Then there are the other considerations , if your car were stolen or hit while your dog was alone inside , and there have been cases of the dog getting into the front of the vehicle knocking the controls causing the car to roll away , in that case the dog owner is responsible for all damages caused.

My rule of thumb ...if I wouldn’t put my child in that position then don’t do it to the dog…

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2040211/Family-dog-blinded-drunken-afternoon-attack-tied-outside-shop.html

Dogs are only allowed in stores in Australia if they are an assistance dog for the blind/disabled. Its quite common for people to walk down to the shops and leave their dog tied up outside while they duck in to get milk/bread etc. I don’t know anyone who would take their dog with them if they were doing a full load of groceries. I’ve also never had an encounter with a dog outside a store that barks at people, so I would see no reason for anyone to ‘get even’ as they all seem quite relaxed. Nevertheless, I always keep a safe distance between unattended dogs and myself and my children.

Having a dog locked in the car with the windows cracked *should* not be a problem in terms of the dog knocking the brake off or similar as there are laws here that animals in cars must be confined in a carrier, or in a harness that clips into the seatbelt buckle. However, we are warned not to leave dogs in cars because of the heat. It can very quickly reach temperatures of up to 70 degrees celcius in a car left outside (sun or shade) on a hot day.

Cassandra, you are so right. If you wouldn’t do it to your kids, why would you do it to your pet?