Shopping may be a pleasure at Publix, but pets are prohibited unless it’s a service animal, which is a dog or miniature horse trained to perform tasks to assist an individual with a disability.
Signs have been popping up at Publix stores, reinforcing the company's policy. The new signs outside of the grocery stores say, "No pets allowed."
“If I know I’m going to a food service store, I try not to bring them,” said Mike A.
Mike agrees with the crackdown and new signage. He said his dog named Bear is well-behaved, but not all pets are.
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“I can understand their point of view. It’s kind of unfortunate, but you never know. Some people probably don’t know how to control their animals,” he said.
The new signage goes on to say that only service animals are permitted, but they cannot be inside shopping carts or baskets.
“I think it’s definitely aimed at mitigating misrepresentation because it can be a really prevalent problem,” said Emily Dombrowski, Service Dog Program director at Southeastern Guide Dogs.
Dombrowski said the non-profit Southeastern Guide Dogs often uses Publix stores to train service animals.
“They go through all sorts of different exposures and behavior assessments so that they can deal with the realities of the screaming toddler in the grocery store, or another dog barking at them, or food that’s on the floor. When we have animals that haven’t received that same level of training under their belt, there have been many cases where a pet dog has acted aggressively,” Dombrowski said.
Linda Dillman, a regular at Publix, is in favor of the no-pet policy for sanitary reasons.
“I really believe they should crack down on it. Dogs don’t belong in stores unless it’s for blind people or impaired people,” Dillman said.
According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, Publix can ask if the dog is a service animal required because of a disability and what tasks it has been trained to perform. However, they can't ask for any documentation for the dog to demonstrate its tasks or about the person’s disability.
Publix has not issued a reason for the new signage, but a spokesperson tells ABC Action News their pet policy has remained unchanged.
