# We will never shop at Home Depot again... (long)



## manther21 (Aug 12, 2008)

We called the Home Depot by our house a few weeks ago and asked if dogs were welcome. We had seen some people in with theirs. They told us she was welcome if she was leashed. We were very excited about another place to introduce her to and socialize her. The first trip went GREAT! She met some new people and the employees loved on her a bit. Abby never once growled or barked at anyone.

My husband took Abby with him to look for some stuff yesterday. He was standing in an isle looking around when an employee with a cart walked by. He mumbled something that my husband couldnt hear. Then he walked back by just staring daggers at Abby and my husband. A minute later he came back around the other corner with a buddy and startled Abby. The employee then stood there staring at her. About a minute later Abby naturally started barking at him. The guys just shook their head and walked off. 

My husband then looked for someone and explained to them why he needed to talk to a manager. He felt that Abby had been harassed and needed the manager to know. Guess who the manager was? You got it! The employee that stared down my dog.









The manager said that Abby was a very mean dog and just kept barking at him. My husband explained to him that she was barking at him because he was imposing a threat to her and her owner. Abby was smelling his feet and the guy said "Get your dog OFF me!" I guess the conversation got the attention of other customers who came up to listen and pet Abby. Abby just sat there, not barking or growling, and was doing nothing wrong. As the manager was saying that Abby was a mean dog a customer spoke up and said "Shes not mean, she let me pet her and gave me kisses." Hmmmm The manager was saying that he tried to approach her and thats when she barked at him. He had never once tried to approach, but just starred daggers at her. 

My husband finally gave up and just left. We are very disappointed on how Abby was singled out and picked on for doing nothing wrong. We have called corperate office to file a complaint and are waiting a call back from the store manager.

Im very sorry to vent, but I wanted to share our frustration. Guess we are shopping at Lowe's from now on.


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

Somehow I think the guy on a sunday afternoon is not the real manager. I would start by complaining here. *edit* that should read 'there'

It's just plain rude but I've had shepherds my whole life and fact is some people, no matter how well behaved your dog is, are going to look at a german shepherd and see mean dog. It's just a fact. 

There's a check out lady in the garden center at our home depot (an idiot, messes up ringing my order almost every time.) Morgan is 8, very well mannered with humans and this checker lady always has something snippy to the effect of get that vicious dog away from me. When Morgan is sitting in perfect formation right next to me, 5 feet away from the checker lady. I usually step back and get a little snippy myself, "Morgan, lets go back here, she's not dog friendly'


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

The same thing could easily happen at Lowe's. and if it is a customer who is staring down your dog you'll be the one asked to leave. Lots of people don't like dogs and even those who do often feel that they shouldn't be allowed in public or inside. It's just a downside of taking your dog into public.

Personally, I would keep going back for just the reason that you aren't. Assuming of course that my dog wasn't phased by what was happening. 

sadly, this is why most stores are changing to "no pets" not saying your dog was the cause of the problem, but people do things that make our dogs upset and then blamed. 

When Rayden was a SD in training, one of the wal-mart's near us had an employee who would sneak up behind us in the store aisles and start barking. Never got in trouble despite numerous complaints all the way to Bentonville. 
Then, there is the guy who purposefully rammed him with a shopping cart at a different store.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

How frustrating!!! Abby was set up, no queston about it, BUT (I ALWAYS have a "but"), when out in public with our dogs, I think it is our responsibility to make sure that our dogs are NEVER an inconvenience to others, and that they do not bother people, even if they are doing nothing wrong!! The INSTANT, the VERY INSTANT I see someone uncomfortable because I have a dog with me, I LEAVE!!! There is no way I would ever give that person a chance to complain about my aggressive dog because my "aggressive" dog tried to sniff that person's hand. 

Now, with this being the manager, yup, I'd not go back . . . too many potential problems. 

Wanted to add too: That when taking my dogs to socialize in a public place, my goal is to not even have people notice that I have a dog - that is how well behaved I expect them to be. I don't want them to make a peep - one bark, and whole store knows there is a "vicious" dog out there somewhere, and people will complain, and that is it for allowing dogs anymore - everybody looses. So if I see a potential issue, like this guy following you guys and staring Abby down, that's it, I'm outta there, unless I know that I can control and keep my dog quiet.


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

Hubby works at HD and just told me our local store is going "no pets" Most of the employees are unhappy about it, there are many who bring their own dogs in on days off and one customer who has been bringing in his dog every day for over 4 years.

But, the manager doesn't like dogs in his store and of course John Q Public has given him plenty of reasons. People have been using the garden center as an area to let their dogs off-leash. not to mention peeing on all the plants all summer long.

It's also possible that Abby wasn't singled out because she was a GSD, but just because she was a dog. I would talk to the store manager, but wouldn't stop me from going in as long as the policy hadn't changed. Might keep that manager from getting close enough to give my dog the evil eye, but that's about it.


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## Lola1969 (Mar 6, 2007)

Absolutely absurd!

I would write a letter to the CEO of Lowe's (or whatever the head honcho is called) and copy everyone under the sun.


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## FuryanGoddess (Dec 26, 2009)

I'm surprised that Home Depot allows dogs, really? I thought most/all stores other than large pet stores don't allow dogs unless they are service dogs.


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## Tbarrios333 (May 31, 2009)

My local HD has a sign outside the store that says "No Pets", but the employees told me that as long as my dog is well behaved I can bring them in and nobody would care.








I've yet to get any negative comments on my dogs here in FL, only stupid ones. It's always shocking to hear some of these.


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## sgtmom52 (Aug 30, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: FuryanGoddessI'm surprised that Home Depot allows dogs, really? I thought most/all stores other than large pet stores don't allow dogs unless they are service dogs.


I was at Tractor Supply today and they were giving away stickers for your car that read <span style="color: #CC0000">"TSC ~ My dog's favorite field trip"</span>. I often see dogs in our TSC & have noticed that they have been expanding their pet supply area and are now having sales on pet food.


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## FuryanGoddess (Dec 26, 2009)

Yeah, our Tractor Supply has a pretty large dog area...


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

*Re: We will never shop at Home Depot again... (lon*

i understand that this incident was extremely disappointing and im glad your husband stood up for your dog and that the other customer was available to vouch for her character...

but, what i do have to say that this is all the more reason to get our dogs out often and socialize them to different people and places... and when they have bad experiences, not to abandon those situations but rather turn them into good or at least better experiences.

people will stare at our dogs. people will point, some idiots will bark, etc etc. sure we can tell the other person how uncool or unsafe that is... sure we can leave... sure we can explain why our dog did what... but the bottom line, i feel is that we're just as much responsible for our dogs actions as these lunetics are for theirs... and for our dogs to be in public/people places - there is a certain manner in which they have to behave. a stare alone is not a threat, just as a beard or a hat or someone running full speed past you. our dogs don't know this until we show/expose them and/or be on alert to prevent them from being subjected to it.

i do agree, from your take, that the store manager was blowing things out of proportion and being irrational - but he does unfortunately have the right to ask you guys to leave








i wasn't there to know how ferocious-sounding the bark was, but had it scared a child or another person in the vicinity... those customers would have just as much of a right to complain, just as you did for the 'person' harassing your dog.

my vote (unless it came down to you guys not being allowed back??? i'm unclear) is to return to the store and continue working on her socializing...







at least a couple times so that she doesnt have a bad association with the place. you don't have to give them your business/money... just use it as a resource for training.


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## RacerX (Jan 26, 2009)

We take ours to Lowes and HD here in Ga and always have a good time. Great socialization opportunity. The employees love him. 

I understand being upset, but don't let those buttheads discourage you.


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## gsds_are_the_best (Feb 17, 2009)

Our local Lowe's & TS allow pets and don't allow day laborers. Both opposite of HD. Lowe's and TS get our repeat business. Vote with your dollar.


HD CEO Name and Address
http://biz.yahoo.com/ic/11/11470.html


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## MustLoveGSDs (Oct 31, 2008)

*Re: We will never shop at Home Depot again... (lon*



> Originally Posted By: CastlemaidHow frustrating!!! Abby was set up, no queston about it, BUT (I ALWAYS have a "but"), when out in public with our dogs, I think it is our responsibility to make sure that our dogs are NEVER an inconvenience to others, and that they do not bother people, even if they are doing nothing wrong!! The INSTANT, the VERY INSTANT I see someone uncomfortable because I have a dog with me, I LEAVE!!! There is no way I would ever give that person a chance to complain about my aggressive dog because my "aggressive" dog tried to sniff that person's hand.
> 
> Now, with this being the manager, yup, I'd not go back . . . too many potential problems.
> 
> Wanted to add too: That when taking my dogs to socialize in a public place, my goal is to not even have people notice that I have a dog - that is how well behaved I expect them to be. I don't want them to make a peep - one bark, and whole store knows there is a "vicious" dog out there somewhere, and people will complain, and that is it for allowing dogs anymore - everybody looses. So if I see a potential issue, like this guy following you guys and staring Abby down, that's it, I'm outta there, unless I know that I can control and keep my dog quiet.


Agreed!


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## Samba (Apr 23, 2001)

*Re: We will never shop at Home Depot again... (lon*

Wel, that is a rotten deal! You met up with a nut and it does happen. We have done okay at farm stores, Lowe's, HD etc.
Our favorite is Bass Pro where the dogs can go in if in carts. I have had people shrink back from the dogs and even one ijet was whistling when I already was having fun trying to keep a 6 month old in the cart!


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## manther21 (Aug 12, 2008)

*Re: We will never shop at Home Depot again... (lon*

Thanks for the support.

Any suggestions? This is the first she has done this to a person. Sometimes at the pet store she does it to other dogs, but its a "play with me" bark. 

I have read that correcting them for warning someone is a bad thing. From what my husband said it was two quick barks, not mean, just a bark. Didnt have that deep growl that starts on her mean barks.


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## gsds_are_the_best (Feb 17, 2009)

*Re: We will never shop at Home Depot again... (lon*

No I would definitely not correct my dog in this situation based on the way you've described it and the tone of her barks and assuming she didn't show aggression by moving towards them. I would correct the person causing the dog to behave this way. Staring down a dog is confrontational and your dog sounds like she reacted in a perfectly reasonable way to that confrontation.


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## BJDimock (Sep 14, 2008)

*Re: We will never shop at Home Depot again... (lon*

Wow. CT is strict with pets. They are not generally welcome unless they are service dogs.
Home Depot has never been more than welcoming to my service girls. Wal- mart as well.
The Lowes store kicked me out, red jacket on the dog, service card and all. 
They deemed her disturbing to the public. (I never got through the front door, and she NEVER made a mis-step. Miss Seda turned out to be a great guide!)
I will never set foot in that store again. I did hand them a copy of the CT state law, which allows ALL SD's and SDIT's from a recognized organization or approved trainer to be allowed anywhere. FIDELCO is pretty well known here.)
When I crossed the street and went to Home Depot, we happened to be approached by a manager that liked her, and we told him what had just happened. He exchanged our $100 gift card to Lowes into one from his store.
There are NICE people, no matter what company they work for.


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## jenedge24 (Dec 5, 2009)

*Re: We will never shop at Home Depot again... (lon*

My kids are more dangerous than most dogs! to be honest Bo is better behaved sometimes...(who am I kidding he never talks back)..most of the time! You were the one who was there, so I would ask what kind of bark was it? aggressive, if it wasn't your dog, would you have been scared? Or was it a bark, that was like "what, you've never seen a 90lb gsd in the carriage part of a shopping cart?" just kidding you get it though, how is a dog suppose to get to that nervana state of being well socialized if you don't take the dog out and correct his behavior? 

Gsd's are the only dog I have any clue about to be honest. My grandparents and parents have always had themlong before me and I'm...well not in my 20's anymore but, I get irritated when gsd's are treated like preditors just waiting to attack, when honestly there are some pretty scary little guys out there. ghd's are (For the most part) loving, smart, guys who love to be out and about showing off their master!!! I'd try it again and correct any behavior the minute any eyes meet.


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## MustLoveGSDs (Oct 31, 2008)

*Re: We will never shop at Home Depot again... (lon*

What i would do in the future is not give your dog a chance to be stared down by idiots, obviously your dog perceives it as a threat and is going to react. Random barks are enough to startle anyone and while they may be "cute" or "funny" coming from a labrador, people are going to start thinking things when they see it coming from a GSD. When an idiot starts to stare at her directly in the eyes and is not approaching her in a polite and friendly manner, just take her and walk away or down another aisle, remove her from the situation and avoid the fool, problem solved.

Whether you should correct the behavior or not should be solely up to you and your preference. Personally I would want my GSD to be on his best behavior in stores and look like a golden retriever to people so if he started focusing on someone in a threatening way I would correct that behavior immediately and walk him away. Chances are if he sees that person again he will start to focus again because our dogs are not stupid and they want to protect us. Now if we were outside on a walk he has my permission to ward off sketchy people. Now I can't speak for other's dogs but with mine, there has been times where I have corrected his warning barks/growls/posture and that hasn't had any effect on his natural instincts to protect in other situations where it is warranted. He still barks alarmingly and rushes the front door when certain strangers pass by or strangers knock.

You might also want to bring some tasty treats with you and reward her for good behavior every so often, or even have strangers offer her a treat.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

*Re: We will never shop at Home Depot again... (lon*

I used to take my pups to Home Depot and to Lowes. Someone at Home depot told me the pup was not welcome. I said ok and left. I was doing some major remodelling and went exclusively with Lowes. 

Months later, after a sherriffs deputy had petted the dog and talked to me, then went up to the cashier to ask if it was ok for me to have the dog there, and they said YES, well a couple of weeks after, the guy back in kitchen bath fixtures, asked me if it was a service dog. I said, no, she is a puppy. He said only service dogs were allowed and that the manager's daughter has allergies.

Instead of asking him how service dogs were hypo-allergetic, I went to find the sign he said was on the window in front. It was there. I stopped taking my puppie/dogs there too. 

The long and short of it is that they are in business to sell home improvement/hardware, not pet products. What generally happens is that a few people bring their well-behaved animal and everyone is happy to see it. More people see it and have the idea to bring their dogs too. The more dogs and owners come, the more likely the refuse of dog ownership will show up. People bring in aggressive dogs or allow their dog to soil the building. Then everyone is upset because the store says no more. 

Well, they are not catering to pet owners because they are not a pet business. I guess if you have a place that allows your dog, enjoy it while it exists, and when it goes away, try not to be too bent out of shape about it. 

Also, from the description, with the guy staring at your dog, the dog should never have had to get to the point where he felt he had to defend himself and scare off the scarey man. You should have stepped between or turned your dog and taken him out. People are idiots and many do not have a clue on how to interact with dogs. When this guy stared at your dog to the point of a challenge, your dog reacted. But it should have never gotten that far.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

the guy was staring at your dog. you could have moved your dog.
by not moving your dog you were part of the problem.


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## GSDolch (May 15, 2006)

she wasnt the one there, it was her SO, and if his back was turned looking at something else, he may not have noticed until she barked.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

the only way she knows that the employee was staring at her
dog is because her husband told her, yes or know? if his backed was turned he wouldn't know the employee was staring at his dog,
yes or no? her husband should have moved the dog immediately
when he saw the employee staring at his dog.



> Originally Posted By: GSDolchshe wasnt the one there, it was her SO, and if his back was turned looking at something else, he may not have noticed until she barked.


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## manther21 (Aug 12, 2008)

I was not the one there, it was my husband. We have not encountered this before. Abby has alwyas been very well behaved. We have learned (from this) that we need to remove her from the situation BEFORE she has a chance to react.

We are not experts and by no means claim to be. We can only learn from situations as they come to us. I was just very frustrated by the situation and wanted to share, hopefully to learn how to avoid it in the future. Abby of course thinks that nothing is different.

HD has called and apologized to us for our upset. My husband said the Store manager was very nice to him.

Thanks for the advice on how to avoid this in the future.


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## Raziel (Sep 29, 2009)

How old is Abby? Im sorry if I missed it.
My dog 1 yr old male WILL bark at you if our staring at him.
Its SO strange. I dont care WHO it is, but he will bark at you.
Im sure he thinks they are trying to play with him.
Do you think thats why she barked? Or was she scared?


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## MustLoveGSDs (Oct 31, 2008)

To some dogs, staring them down is considered a threat or a challenge. It is a way dominant/alpha dogs get a point across. 

My husky has resource guarding issues and will stare down my GSD before lunging if he gets too close to a high value treat. She gets real tense, still, and stares to steer him away with her body language, and it works because he doesn't want to fight.


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## manther21 (Aug 12, 2008)

Abby will be 2 in march.

She has been known to let out a high pitched bark when she is anxious to play. Kinda the "hey, come play with me already!" From what my husband says the guys came around the corner and startled her. She took a few nervous paces then barked. Im sure she was scared.


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## BuoyantDog (Aug 21, 2009)

*Re: We will never shop at Home Depot again... (lon*

I will quote my response to Donna about an incident she had with her therapy dog in a hospital. Now, note, we are talking about therapy dogs, not schutzhund dogs.



> Quote:I have had Glory ALMOST bark in inappropriate places; however, I have always been able to catch it because I keep a very close eye on her. She usually gives warning signals like.....stands very still......hackles will start to go up......she will give a quiet but low growl.....maybe a quiet "woof"........then LOUD BARK. Now, if we are walking in an alley way and she sees a suspicious stranger, or if we are out by ourselves and someone pointedly approaches us with a shotgun over their shoulder (both have happened), then I don't correct this. HOWEVER, if it is a situation where her barking is not needed, I will give a quick leash correction and a stern "HEY!" with my voice. Then I assure her that it's ok, I got everything under control. This is usually followed by having her "SIT."
> 
> So, I guess what I'm saying is that ya gotta be in control of every situation, watch Deuce, don't let him escalate in inappropriate situations. Give him a cue that says, "hey it's ok, that's not needed here, but thanks, things are fine."


Now, to add to the Home Depot situation... We can't always control what is going on around us, like rude people barking at our dogs, staring at our dogs, or trying to get our dogs in trouble; however, we can control our dogs. We can say, "Abby, that person is not being dog friendly, let's go look at the kitchen sinks." Thus, we are removing our dog from the situation, so we know she will not bark, growl, etc. Don't wait for bad things to happen. Be proactive. Watch your dog. Watch other people. Know your dog's triggers. Work on desensitizing her, but don't allow her to bark in inappropriate places. When I am in a public place (especially a store that is kind enough to allow her inside), she is on a very short lead and right at my side. I am keeping an eye on her, as well as our surroundings. She is to keep totally quiet and nearly invisible at all times. If someone sees her and wants to pet her, I will allow them to do so if she sits politely. Even though the Home Depot employee was clearly in the wrong, it's important to control your dog at all times.


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## GSDolch (May 15, 2006)

> Originally Posted By: doggiedadthe only way she knows that the employee was staring at her
> dog is because her husband told her, yes or know? if his backed was turned he wouldn't know the employee was staring at his dog,
> yes or no? her husband should have moved the dog immediately
> when he saw the employee staring at his dog.


It sounded to me like he knew the guy was staring at the dog _after _ she barked at him, not _before_ she barked. (from the first post)

As to the first question..er, you just repeated what I said


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