Publix, the famed chain of Florida supermarkets has decided that pets have no place in supermarkets.
They have therefore started posting notices at the front of Publix grocery stores throughout Florida, reminding shoppers that only service animals are allowed in the store – not personal pets, and not even emotional support animals.
Should pets be allowed in supermarkets? This is a question that has sparked debate among pet owners, shoppers and store managers. Some people argue that pets provide emotional support and companionship, and that they should not be discriminated against or left alone in cars or at home. Others contend that pets pose health and safety risks, such as allergies, diseases, bites and accidents, and that they can disturb or annoy other customers and staff. But at a time when pets have come to occupy the place of children for so many, it is hard to convince them that animals do not have the same rights of access as people.
“Under federal law, service animals are dogs or miniature horses trained to perform tasks for people with disabilities,” the sign reads. “Non-service animals are not allowed in grocery stores by the FDA. Dogs, pets, and other animals whose sole function is to provide comfort, companionship, or emotional support do not qualify as service animals and are not permitted in Publix, even with a doctor’s note.”
This is not a new policy. The difference between service animals and emotional support animals is a distinct one, as the sign on the door explains in detail, but many people try to fraudulently pass off their pets as service animals.
While pet owners may lean towards the liberal policy of allowing their animals in the stores, many object for sanitary reasons.
One shopper identified as Mark, despite being a pet owner, feels strongly about the subject. “I like that there’s no pets. Pet shed gets into things. That’s stuff that I don’t want around my food. And when they put them into the cart, you’ve got that dog – excuse my French – wiping its butt inside the shopping cart,” he stated. Many others agree with him that animals in a shopping cart that will later carry an infant, a toddler, or the food, should not be shared with a slobbering, shedding animal.
Another issue may be that animals are difficult to control, and their owners don’t always care enough to make them behave. “We also ask that service animals that are out of control, pose a threat to health or safety, or are not housebroken be removed from the premises,” the policy reads. “The individual may continue to shop at the store without the animal. Publix will gladly provide personal shopping assistance to such an individual upon request.”
However, while misrepresenting pets as service animals is a crime, it isn’t always easy to distinguish the pet from the genuine service animal. The crime is a second-degree misdemeanor, and offenders are required to perform 30 hours of community service for an organization that serves people with disabilities. But the handler doesn’t have to provide documentation that their service animal is trained, and staff can’t ask about “the nature or extent of an individual’s disability,” according to state law.
So it would appear that even with the new notices in place, we’re all on the honor system to respect the health and safety of our fellow human beings.
