Mays Landing Resident Pleads With Pet Owners To Stop Bringing Random Dogs In Stores

You've seen it before. You're walking up and down the aisles of whatever store and you spot out of the corner of your eye a little dog in a stroller or carrier.

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Maybe, you've even seen a dog walking around the store that you think to yourself couldn't possibly be a service animal. There's a difference between a service animal and an emotional support animal. Usually, when retail employees see a dog walking around with his or her human, they're not going to ask questions. Would you? Honestly, it's probably not worth the risk of a potential discrimination claim or anything else of the sort.

What does that mean though, for people who depend on legitimate service animals to get through day-to-day activities like grocery shopping, etc.? One Mays Landing resident has taken to Facebook to plead with people to stop bringing their pets where they don't necessarily belong. In this case, it's to Walmart. She posted a video to a South Jersey Facebook group and explained the difference between an emotional support animal and a service animal, and why it's important for people to understand that these dogs are doing a job.

When you see any kind of service animal in a store, their main focus is to be on their handler. Their job is to help the handler with whatever's needed during that shopping trip. If random people are bringing their pets into stores that aren't trained service animals, it has the potential to create a dangerous situation. For one, the service animal can get distracted, thereby losing focus on the handler.

She explains that a legitimate service animal can be compared to a wheelchair or any other form of assistance that is out there for disabled persons.

Take a look at why this Mays Landing resident says it's important to leave all non-service dogs at home HERE.

So, before you think it'd be a good idea to see how Fido handles a trip to, say, Target, it's best to leave your pup at home.