While shopping here a few days ago, within only 10 minutes I ran into 3 customers that brought their dog shopping with them. Not 1 employee at the register area, confronted the customers. They were clearly not service dogs, just cuatomers that wanted to bring their dog with them. This is extremely unsanitary. Especially considering that not only does this store have furniture items and cloth items like blankets, sheets, and towels, it also has a very large grocery shopping area with tons of open food items, like produce, deli, and hot food items. Diseases can be passed directly and indirectly from animals to humans. There are also vector born diseases which are passed from the dogs parasites to humans. As an example, ticks carry several different types of diseases. When someone brings their pet into any establishment, but especially those with furniture, cloth, and food items, we are at the mercy of their habits such as picking up their dog's feces in their yard or letting them roam amongst it for days, picking up parasites. We are at the mercy of them keeping their dog free of parasites/worms/fleas/ticks, etc. We can only hope that their yard is free of fleas, ticks, etc., and the yard of wherever else their dog has been roaming. We also hope that they take their dog to the vet regularly to be tested for parasites, and receive proper medication when needed. But we all know, that in fact, is not the case with every dog owner. Not all pet owners practice flea, tic, and parasite prention. We all know that people let their dogs go to the bathroom anywhere, and then do not pick it up. Dog excrement is loaded with parasites. Then other dogs are roaming amongst it, and the Parasites are attaching themselves to the animals, which are now coming into the store and attaching themselves to carpet/cloth and anything else in the store, which we are then purchasing and taking to our own house unsuspecting of any fleas, tics, or parasites. One worm.....can lay 100,000 eggs per day, yes, per day. These eggs come out in the dog's feces, and remain active in the environment infecting both animals, and humans. In addition to impacting our health via parasites and diseases, it is highly insensitive to people that have allergies. I had a neighbor, whose throat would immediately close up, and he required emergency EMT to assist, despite the owners claiming their dog was hypo-allergenic and shed free. You just never know, nor can you predict, a person's sensitivity. It is also insensitive to people whom have had negative experiences with dogs. Dog attacks is one example. In addition, we don't all own a dog, so please don't shove yours down everyone else's throat. Wal-Mart stores are a dime a dozen. My family and I will not be back to make any purchases from this store due to their gross negligence for the safety of their patrons, and employees. Bad form, Wal-Mart.
http://www.petsandparasites.org (1 of several resources on this subject) read more