West Coast…
Are these the Paris Hilton dog in a purse type dogs, @gosmom? In my neck of the woods, we like our dogs big and sporty - labs, goldens - and even the smaller ones don’t to be purse pets. I bet there are some regional differences.
It is not just teacup pups, Labs and Goldens roam the flagship Nordstrom here in my neck of the woods together with their visibly very able-bodied owners who walk on high heels while yakking and texting on their phones and who clearly can see the sale racks. 
I’ve seen a lot of older people with small dogs in their cart at Costco in northern Arizona where D3 goes to school.
I’m with you @doschicos - I can’t imagine seeing a regular dog at Kroger or Nordstroms!! Not here in northern Ohio!
If I had to choose between some older adult taking a dog into a store in Nothern Arizona vs leaving it in the car, I’d pick the former. BUT, they should leave the dog home!
@doschicos I’ve seen all shapes and sizes in Nordies, like Bunsen indicated…tripped over the 20-30’ leash of a small dog (whose owner yelled at ME!) and had my leg licked by a lab…
I haven’t seen dogs in stores over here but I do have a neighbor whose big dog likes to bark at me. Makes my heart rate go up.
People have sued Costco after Costco’s employees asked if their dogs were service dogs. That is the type of question that the courts said is allowed per ADA, for example:
http://servicedogcentral.org/content/node/196
Costco probably got tired of being threatened to be sued by non-service dog owners and just decided not to bother.
Maybe Costco should countersue for legal fees associated with frivolous suits.
What did you do when the small dog’s owner yelled at you? If I were perturbed enough, I’d complain to the management, and maybe even go so far as write a letter to the editor of my local paper. It is absolutely inappropriate for these non-service animals to be in stores and inconvenience/possibly harm customers.
If a customer gets injured, can they sue the store and the dog’s owner?
Many well known stores have pet friendly policies for well behaved dogs There is a great list on rover.com but the link to the article listing the stores is a blog so I cant link it. Here is a list: https://www.care.com/c/stories/6229/34-surprisingly-dog-friendly-stores/ If a customer does not like the policy of the store, their option is to use their feet and walk out— shop elsewhere.
I think this is the sort of thing that catches on once people start doing it. I’ve never seen a dog in a clothing store, not in this country. That is clearly changing in some areas! The Costco dogs I saw were striking in that they were clearly not traditional service dogs, but they had little vests on and were riding in the cart. I don’t like seeing animals in a food store, it just seems so unhygienic. Those birds flying around are bad enough!
@CTTC I just said “really??” and left In our area, it would be of no use to complain. A few years ago, Nordie’s did try to keep dogs out and the uproar was immediate…so dogs are welcomed. Sigh.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate dogs (For gosh sakes, I’m a board member of a non-profit small dog rescue!!!) But I just for the life of me can’t understand why Fido needs to be in the dressing room or the cereal aisle…
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serious gremlins on my computer today!
It is not just yours, @gosmom - they are in my iPhone, too!
I think the site is doing maintenance this morning 9-11 - I’m guessing that’s why - see the forum issues section!