Submitted by tiakeuta t3_10h5wr0 in washingtondc
I'm in my mid 30's and I remember a time 5 years ago and certainly ten years ago when retail stores were entirely populated by human beings. Now every other time I enter a commercial environment there is a good percentage chance I am going to run into multiple pets. In carts, on leashes, maybe the rare carrier bag...they are everywhere. I saw women with two mid size dogs on long extended leashes in Harris Teeter just last week. I've seen them in clothing stores, furniture stores etc. And my question is what happened? Is it that stores are more permissible of this? Is it entitlement? Is it that pets are more anxious now if left at home? Is it that owners are more anxious now? As somebody who admittedly isn't a pet guy, the idea of bringing a dog with me into a clothing store is so unbelievably alien I can barely comprehend it. Why is this so common now?