Posing for a photo, the pooches don't realize they're not being held by a real human
A lot of the stores here even promote 'dog parking' where they provide a tether and a bowl of water, and it does seem like a great way to couple a dog walk with errands.
When I became a dogowner in the city, I became more aware of reasons where I realized this wasn't a good choice for us:
Discomfort and Inability to Control Meetings:
Even the most well-behaved pooch can become uncomfortable, and even territorial, when left unattended. Even if you just step inside and you're watching from the window, it is also difficult to control how passing people, children, and other dogs will interact with your dog when left unattended. A child could sneak up on your pooch, or an unfriendly dog could approach, and the unfortunate outcome would be your responsibility since they were left unattended.
Dog Thefts/ Escape:
Courtesy to Others:
We do realize a lot of people who are afraid, or just don't like dogs; we think it's only fair to respect everyone's space. We've had several encounters where dogs had free-reign of the whole sidewalk making it difficult for us to pass. Even more frustrating is encountering dogs who are frustrated or territorial of their space, and trying to walk by with our own dogs (especially when dodging into a busy city street isn't an option!).
At the same time, we have figured out a couple of ways where we can still combine errands and dog walks:
Call Ahead
When I call for carry out, I also mention I'll be walking my dog and ask if I can call when I arrive and they can bring the order outside so I don't need to leave my dog unattended. I've found people are always helpful and accommodating. I also make sure to give a bit of an extra tip.
Look for Accommodations
Make it a Family Tradition
We found 'family walks' a good way to spend quality time together. Mr. B brings his backpack and one of us will always wait with the pooches while the other goes inside. It makes running basic errands that much more fun.
If it does come to a point where none of these ideas is an option, we do make sure to leave the pups at home, or delay our errands until another time when we don't have our dogs.
What are some other ways you incorporate running errands and walking your pooch?
Also: