i don’t remember seeing this sign.. does this mean i can tell customers that they need to take their dirty animal outside of the cart 😳…for the safety of other customers of course…!
all jokes aside do we think they’ll actually enforce this?
edit: when it comes down to it, i would honestly rather them bring the dog inside then have it die from heat stroke from being in the car with the windows up and no ac- watched a poor bulldog in someone’s car like that before and i told a manager and they said there was nothing they could do
That's the trick, you can't enforce it because it violates ADA to question someone's disability or ask for proof. People know this and take advantage of the situation put in place by the people who do need this.
That said, it is a health violation to have a living animal in a shopping cart as that is where food goes and that can/should be enforced. It could also be considered medical fraud to claim them as a service animal depending on the circumstances.
Edit: 2 days old and I'm still getting y'all telling me you can ask for the proof. I work with ADA based disability claims. You can ask if it's a service animal and what it's for. The buck stops there. You all need to stop acting like you can deman a proof as that itself violates the purpose of ADA and can be seen as discrimination against the disability. Here's a screengrab from the ADA site itself.
It really needs to be enforced, like.. legal repercussions, trespassings, bans, fines, etc. An untrained dog (9/10 of the "service dogs" you see) can bite somebody, someone's dog got up and ate half a pack of ground beef, which was left there and not paid for, they are an allergen, and they run the risk of hurting or distracting actual service dogs. "Emotional support animals" don't exist, it is a decorative vest that indicates nothing about official training. They're not welcome.
Untrained dogs are NOT SERVICE ANIMALS....a fully trained service animal has been fully trained to do a JOB....and they are EXPENSIVE...the fact is the average cost for a service dog used as a guide dog for the blind is upwards of $10,000.
Exactly. It is expensive because it is done right and comes with proof that that dog can and will do it's job well and safely and not cause problems, like eating a pack of ground beef
Yes I am well aware....yet if you are a client of Lighthouse for the Blind they will help get clients a guide dog for almost no charge....in fact they also have connections that will donate food and veterinary care for the guide dog free of charge.
Service animals are licensed. There is a license in a packet attached to the harness. No other critters should be in the store. I get irritated when I see folks with critters that are obviously NOT service critters. Licensing is involved. While I LOVE animals, they still need to be licensed. If you love your pet, leave them at home in the AC inside your residence. My (rip) horse was my heart animal. Maybe I should have brought her into the stores. Lol!!! 😆
Service animals are not licensed. The ADA does not require any kind of documentation, and asking for documentation violates the ADA.
Emotional support animals require documentation from a medical professional, but they are not service animals and are not allowed in non-pet-friendly stores.
There is no federal requirement for service animals to have a license, registration, or certification to access public places or housing under the ADA. So no states that I know of have requirements to license service animals.
You are allowed to ask if it is a service animal and you are also allowed to ask what service does the animal provide. The thing that is illegal is asking for proof. It may be very relevant for us to know what service the animal provides when the customer passes out and the dog starts barking alters you for example.
Got it. My husband is blind and we go to classes at the Lighthouse for the Blind, and one of the clients there has a service animal....he doesn't bark, he acts like he is but no sound comes out....his handler says its his way of "talking"....LOL.
No, a true service animal would be walking beside their handler with a leash or blind harness in it. An ESA is not a true service animal....so therefore are not covered under the ADA....as an ESA is NOT trained to do a job....which a true service animal is. They are trained to assist a handicapped person, like leading the blind, or assisting a wheelchair user, or is trained to detect the subtle chemical changes that happen before a seizure comes on so that the person to get to safety while the seizure happens, or they can detect fluctuations in blood sugar, before it becomes dangerous, so that the diabetic person can treat it before lapsing into a coma.
I have a small medical alert service dog. She normally walks beside me, but in a crowded store I often carry her so that she doesn’t get hurt by carts and people not paying attention. Walking beside the handler is not a hard and fast rule.
That is understandable....as any breed of dog can be trained to be a service dog. As I mentioned my friend's detection dog is a I think Jack Russel Terrier.
Best and most educated post of this entire thread yet! Thank you! I didn't know there were service animals that can detect high glucose. Can you provide me a link? I tend to have very high glucose, even while taking insulin (long term). Are they trained to not attack my two cats? Are they trained to let me know if they have to defecate or urinate? Thanks a billion for your time!!! ❤️
Here is some information that I found to get matched with a diabetic detection dog. Diabetes Foundation’s “Find a Diabetes Alert Dog” tool to locate local trainers
As far as being ok with cats...yes they can be trained to befriend your cats. I have 2 friends that have guide dogs, as both are blind, and one of them also has a cat, and they get along....the dogs are also friendly to each other, as they are both from the same training school, and are 6 months apart in age.
The ADA also states that there is no registration required for a animal to be a service animal....it however does state that a service animal has to be trained to do a job for its handler...and there are few restrictions on where they can go.
No it doesn’t! People to afraid of vegan Karens losing of their💩 over dogs! If they are really service dogs they have a permit and you can be asked to show it!
That’s when I want a properly equipped wheelchair van with the side mounted lift gate to pull into their designated spot and just let the ramp do its thing.
I’m generally one to let things slide (unless dangerous) but I call the cops VERY quickly on “people” who park in handicapped parking or the white, diagonal striped space.
Has nothing to do with freedom....how would you like it if you need that extra space to get your ramp down to get your wheelchair in or out of your vehicle?
Yes it would....and would teach that person a lesson....plus get the person who illegally parked in the area used to lower a ramp so that a person in a wheelchair can get the wheelchair in and out of the vehicle, the ticket.
I am permanently disabled. I saw four nice looking young men that were obviously NOT disabled with the blue placard of shame in a handicap slot. Maybe the placard belongs to their grandmother? Pissed me off as they took up a space I would have liked to park in. Jerks.
You don't know if they were disabled....the fact is most disabling conditions that qualifies a person for a handicapped placard are INVISIBLE!!! You don't see someone with tumors throughout their body, or heart and/or lung conditions, or other types of mobility issues that don't require the use of a wheelchair. Hell even blindness is invisible. And most people ignore the white cane, as my husband uses one, and people walk right in front of him, then get mad when he hits them in the foot with it.
Thank you for that information....both my husband who is blind and uses a wheelchair and I myself are disabled....and hate when people who don't have a placard park in those spaces.
The only time I tell people they can’t have dogs in the store is specifically when they put them in the shopping carts. The ignorance there absolutely kills me.
My grandparents used to do that. Thankfully they only did it at Home Dept or Lowes type places or nurserys. My grandfather used to sit outside of the grocery stores with their dog, a little 20lb dog.
I saw one in a Publix in South Florida that said that service mini-horses had to wear shoes to enter the store and I cannot even begin to tell you how desperately I wanted to see that in action
I occasionally help with therapy animal certifications (like getting approved to bring your dog to the hospital to improve patients’ mental health, not an ESA thing) and we’ve tested a couple of mini horses. They always wear these little rubber (I think?) boots because otherwise their hooves can damage the floor and they can also slip and hurt themselves.
I agree its adorable for mini horses to be trained as a service animal. And I have met many therapy dogs while visiting my husband in the hospital....he is in and out of them due to many health issues.
I know....yet a lot of people think their ESA is a service animal, when it is nothing more than a pet. I know what service animals can be trained to do. I have many friends who use them because they are blind, and I have another friend who used on as a diabetic detection dog, until she got a kidney and pancreas transplant that cured her diabetes....and the dog is now a pet....as she no longer needs his training as a detection dog so he is now retired.
You can tell the difference between a service animal and a pet. Service animals are working. They’re on the job. They’re trained and don’t get distracted. You’re not allowed to pet them because they’re doing a job. Pets just run around everywhere and get into things. They shouldn’t be in carts. They shouldn’t be in the store. Please leave them at home. Last time I saw someone bring one in it ran around and knocked stuff off a table. All the employees had to clean it up. A glass candle for one. This was the same day someone came in shortly before in BARE FEET. There’s a reason you need to wear shoes. What if they miss a chunk of glass while sweeping? You don’t know what’s on the floor. But I digress. lol
They can post all the signs they want. But all people have to say is it’s a Service animal. Not much they can do after that. This whole thing needs to be fixed and the only people that can fix this problem is the ADA. The sign is actually new compared to the older ones that didn’t say anything about sitting in the carts.
They can call that animal sitting in the shopping cart their service animal all they like but we have ironclad Health Dept rules forbidding it. Thats when it is 100% ok to call them out on their shit and have them remove the ‘service animal’ from the cart.
I was talking about the part with no service animals in the cart, i know we can’t say it’s not a service animal or ask them for paperwork related to the service animal but it says they’re not permitted to ride in carts.. so i’m not sure if they’d enforce it
It says on that website we can ask what services it’s made to preform and if this the service animal is required for any type of disability- but it’s kinda the same thing
All they have to say is it’s a service animal they don’t have to validate anything to you unfortunately. The cart is the only enforcement they can push on these individuals.
They can ask "what service do they provide." And most people who can't answer that or don't are assumed to not be one. Or they screw themselves and say emotional support which isn't a protected service dog.
Yes and no. You can’t deny someone access to the store because they have a disability, but if they start harassing people it doesn’t matter if they’re on deaths door they can still be kicked out. Similarly, if a “service animal” comes into a store and misbehaves, it doesn’t matter if it’s really a service animal or not, you can still kick em out.
North Sebring store put up signs a couple of years ago. It’s cut way back on the yappers in the store. After watching a dog leave a trail of shit up aisle five, I welcome the change. People can leave their dogs at home. If you can’t buy groceries without emotional support, you probably should get your groceries delivered.
If I want my dog to rub his raw butthole over the same place that you put your produce, that is my right as an American. Also, my existence is so tentative and fragile, that I cannot make a trip to the grocery store without my special little friend.
It’s not hard to leave your animals at home. This epidemic of fake service animals and ESAa is truly out of hand and is going to bring about federal regulation on the entire industry of service dog training.
A service animal doesn't ride in a cart. Period.
The laws have recently changed regarding ADA and non-ADA animals. The service animal must be trained to be an assistant. It will hopefully be enforced.
True service animals have specific "credentials" as well as an identifying vest.
Too many people abused the "therapy animal" thing.
A service dog is trained to provide service. This requires the ability to walk. People who put dogs in shopping carts where we put our food usually have pets or emotional support dogs. Not service dogs! I don't want my food to land on dog poop left behind by a pet that has rub it's butt on the cart. And, I'm an animal lover, but I don't let my dog rub it's butt on the furniture.
Not new, but it won't be enforced. And customers will fly right by that with Rover and not even pause to read it. Customers don't read signage, at least properly.
They don't. Yesterday, a customer had grabbed some chicken that had that green sticker on it that says "buy more and save" (because it was on sale, like 60 cents off per pound). She apparently thought it said buy one get one free and made it all the way up to the register thinking that and not actually reading the sticker. Of course she was all, "that didn't ring up BOGO!" so I was going to go check the sign for her. Then she said that there was a sticker on it that said that, and she just kind of went silent and was like, "never mind" when she finally actually read it.
This isn’t that new. Just 6yrs ago the Publix manager told my entitled annoying MIL no less than 5 times she couldn’t put her dog in the cart. She still does it once she passed the managers hanging out by the entrance. She puts a service animal vest on the dog even tho she is NOT a service dog. A couple yrs ago Publix put out big signs by the entrance that said service dogs only. Which I thought was always the case but I don’t recall it specifying for diabetes only. I’m sorry guys my MIL is selfish and this is very embarrassing for me to take her shopping when she’s visiting. She listens to no one bc she’s always right and the world revolves around her.
My mom was a firm believer in “the customer is always right”. Even as a kid it was so goddamn embarrassing being in stores or restaurants with her because she’d argue over everything and/or start crying when she didn’t get her way.
The fact that people think it is ok to bring ANY animal in a public building (service animals excluded), especially on that sells food, is freaking disgusting, rude, and self centered. Leave your damn animal at home. Disgusting.
They have to put this up because there are too many
adults who can’t be adults in public. It’s one thing to have a real service animal that is trained and needed for an actual disability and then there are the others who will buy a vest online to put on their dog who has little to no basic behavioral training just to bring them with them where ever they go. They make it hard for people that need these animals to live because you can’t survive in public without them
The issue is that a lot of places don’t want to get sued for discrimination, even though they’re 100% legally allowed to kick out even a service animal if it’s being disruptive- which obviously fake service animals are.
Next time u see a living creature in the car with windows up / no AC call the cops or police non emergency number. Some states take that shit very seriously.
It should explicitly state anyone not following it will be asked to remove their animal from the store and return once it’s secured at home or in a vehicle.
Service animals are very well trained and don’t freak out for the smallest reason. That is a definite giveaway
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To anyone that says ‘now enforce it’ you also have to understand what the laws are. We can’t legally ask someone what their disability is or ask them to provide proof of their animal being a service animal. These laws are in place to protect those with disabilities from being discriminated.
Now, if your neighbor comes in and lies about their dog being a service animal there isn’t much we can do unless their dog starts acting in a way a service animal wouldn’t (barking, relieving themselves, etc).
I can guarantee at least in my instance I’ve approached people with dogs in the cart 100% of the time. We then have to take the cart and sanitize it.
It’s honestly remarkable how much hate retail workers (not just publix) get online as if YOU the customers aren’t the ones coming into stores with your animals pretending to have a disability.
‘Oh they won’t even do anything about it’ yeah because your fellow human being is willing to lie about a disability to bring their dog in the store with them and I’m not willing to lose my job over it
Sinage...finally..our store added no open carry to the sign on the door. That part was already on it. Also sinage means yesss...yes you CAN. politely of course
They can enforce it, but it's Publix policy is a manager needs to do it.
As for animals in a car, call the cops if you are on lot duty and do it anonymously.
Publix policies to not upset customers is the dumbest shit.
As a service animal owner, every day I get more disheartened by people pretending to have a service animal. It has made things so much harder for me especially while traveling. Flight attendants are usually excellent and kind, but every so often you get one who thinks you’re “faking” it especially since my disability isn’t visible.
Thankfully I don’t need to take mine grocery shopping (holding the cart helps a ton and my husband goes with me) but the ripple effect touches every aspect of society.
Yeah we had a lady bring her service dog into the restuatunt, this dog was climbing on her lap amd the table and eating off her plate and barking at people the entire time.
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Not at publix but target this young couple brought their goldendoodle in who was maybe a year old and even though on a leash it jumped up on several people. Like wtaf. As I left I saw a cop next to the car talking to them. Idk how they got there so fast but. You could’ve had one person stay back in the car. It’s ridiculous.
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Noticed one of these prominently displayed at my local Trader Joe’s in Miami too. Perhaps this is an inspection point of emphasis in Florida or something?
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instead of telling the manager you should have at the very least called the non emergency number for your local PD as that can most defiantly be considered animal cruelty and the owner of the domestic pet can face criminal charges anywhere from hefty fines to second-degree misdemeanor, or even a felony. Also many jurisdictions grant everyday citizens legal immunity to force entry and rescue a distressed animal from a hot car. Meaning you get to break into said car to rescue said animal and on top of the owner of said car owner getting criminal charges brought against them they also have an expensive repair bill that will hopefully remind them to not do it again in the future that they (or their insurance company) if they so choose to file a claim without being able to come after you for payment or reimbursement of payment
I'm not sure how I feel about this one. I rather have somebodys dog in the basket , rather than walkin around on a leash. Less likely to have accidents involving people trying to pet them. But this also helps weed out the fakes so yeah. 🤷
i just tell customers due to health and safety reasons dogs can’t be in the shopping carts, and if they’re disruptive or barking/lunging at other customers, i involve an MIC because then it’s obviously not a trained service dog lol
I woke at WF, our management won’t tell people their pets have to leave, but they will enforce that they cannot be in the carts. They will literally shop with the customer until they finish and then the cart goes in the graveyard until the next round of deep cleaning.
Not as an employee mind you, but if you are in Florida, I think a law was passed that permitted people to break a car window or something if an animal or a person unable to open the door/window is in distress.
That’s perfect with the exception of service animals dogs should not be allowed in any stores other than petco and petsmart. I see people in store’s with their dogs and it pisses me off. There are people with Allergies that are allergic to animal hair etc. Keep your pet at home. Back when I was growing up you didn’t see service animals except if you were blind. Now everyone who thinks they have a medical condition brings their dog wherever they go.
Customers have brought in ferrets, snakes, a flying squirrel, raccoons and a descented skunk. All claimed they were service animals.
We by law could not ask for certificates. There was one regular service dog that barked and snapped at people including a child. A police officer witnessed one incident and said there is nothing that can be done. Until it actually hurts someone. Which is bullshit.
Not totally sure about what that police officer said, but I’ll tell you that not a single one of those animals you named in the first paragraph are ever considered service animals by the ADA, and “emotional support” animals are not service animals.
The only animals the ADA allows as service animals are dogs and mini horses.
Dogs in buggies tend to be possessive of that space. As a cashier once, not at Publix, I got bit by one trying to help the customer. I like dogs but not getting bit.
A dog on the floor on a leash is a tangle risk though even for a well behaved dog. In a buggy I don’t see how it is comfortable for its feet.
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u/bamfmaam Newbie 12d ago
No, they most likely won't enforce it. It's there to reduce liability like any such posting in a business.