Customer wants Bunnings to re-think its dog policy after incident while shopping

A Bunnings customer has reignited debate over dogs being allowed in the hardware stores, complaining she was frightened when a large dog turned “quickly towards” her.

The customer said while the dog — described as a staffordshire bull terrier or pitbull — was in a trolley, the incident caused her to jump.

She said all dogs should be on secure leads and should not be allowed into the hardware store, admitting she had been shocked when her own “usually docile” dog had suddenly turned on another dog.

Dogs can be taken into Bunnings stores in Australia but they must be leashed and under control at all times.

While Bunnings’ policy generally allows well-behaved pets on leads, they can also be secured in a trolley or carried if not on a lead.

“What bothered me though was that this dog was not leashed, as in tied to the cart, so should it decide that it doesn’t like the look of somebody there was nothing to stop an attack,” the woman said on Reddit.

“As I walked by the dog giving it a wide berth, it turned quickly towards me to the extent that I did jump a little.

“I know that people will always say their dog wouldn’t hurt a fly, but the fact is, even my dog attacked another dog unprovoked at the beach — drawing blood no less.

“We were completely blindsided by how our usually docile dog suddenly became violent.”

Opinions were divided, with one person responding to say she used Bunnings as a training ground for her rescue dog.

“Bunnings was really awesome for me to socialise my rescue puppy and train her with distraction,” she commented.

“We would just do a few laps around the outdoor section, she’d get some chicken and then we’d go home. Then we’d graduate to doing a couple of laps around the quieter end, she’d eat some chicken and we’d go home.

“It’s relatively easy to keep your distance from other people and it meant she was able to get used to old people, children, people of other races and body types, people with walkers/wheelchairs/trolleys/canes, men in high vis, people with hats beards and/or sunnies.

“I know it’s a store and not somewhere for dog training but it was the only place I could think of where she’d be exposed to so many kinds of people and not too many other dogs.”

While a majority of people commented they were not bothered by dogs in Bunnings, some people said they didn’t see the point of dog-friendly businesses.

“I’ve never liked the idea of dogs being allowed in Bunnings. Same goes for dog-friendly cafes,” one person said.

However, others were quick to respond, with another person saying: “Then don’t go to Bunnings or dog-friendly cafes. Easy. This isn’t a world made exclusively for you.”