'What's the deal?': Ruffled tradie questions hardware store’s pet policy

Stores and shopping centres have been more welcoming to our furry pals by introducing a pets-allowed policy.

Hardware giant Bunnings is no exception, as their pet-friendly rule has existed for over seven years.

However, some shoppers have a bone to pick on the paw-licy.


Recently, a 'grumpy' tradie took to social media to voice his frustration, sparking a flurry of responses from fellow Aussies.

'What's the deal with all the people taking their dogs to Bunnings?' the tradie wrote in a post.

'I get that it's allowed, but I don't understand the logic behind anyone wanting to bring their dog to a hardware store. The person went on to say that they find dogs in the hardware store "irritating and stupid".'


compressed-dog-at-bunnings.jpeg
Bunnings' pet policy has been in effect for seven years, allowing shoppers to take their pets along while shopping for home essentials. Image Credit: Facebook/Dogs of Bunnings


'It's bad enough with the amount of people who wander slowly and aimlessly, with seemingly no awareness that they're blocking the aisle. Now I find myself navigating around dogs,' he continued.

'I'm a cabinetmaker whose goal is to get in, get my s***, and get out. Am I so out of touch, or are the kids wrong here?'
The sentiment was echoed by others who shared their own experiences.

'It just seems like more trouble than it's worth allowing access,' one commenter wrote.

'They carry on, try to piss on everything, eat fertiliser, chew on random s***. It puts my anxiety through the roof. There's a time and place for dogs and shops are not it, unless it's a service animal,' another agreed with the tradie's sentiment.


On the flip side, some defend the policy.

'If my dog stays within the trolley and doesn't do any of the above, is that okay?' one wrote. 'I'd rather have him with me than leave him in the car.'

'The only reason to take a dog to Bunnings is if it's already in the car, and you're popping in to grab something quickly,' someone responded.

'The alternative is leaving the dog in the car, which is often unforgivable. Bunnings is not a social outing with or without a dog.'
Despite the social media buzz, Bunnings stood by its policy.

'We've been welcoming pets into our stores, and love the feedback from customers about how much they enjoy bringing them along when they're shopping with us,' Managing Director Mike Schneider shared.


The positive feedback led to the launch of Bunnings' Pets section—the shop's most significant category expansion in over two decades.

'The strong customer take-up of this offer has exceeded our expectations, underscoring the category's popularity and its resonance with pet owners,' Schneider added.

'Like many other retailers, we take a commonsense approach when welcoming pets into our stores. The feedback we receive shows that the vast majority of owners are respectful of other customers and our team when they're in the store.

Schneider also assured customers that Bunnings staff are always available to help if customers have any concerns about their shopping experience.


Bunnings’ pet-friendly policy could be a boon for pet owners, allowing them to combine a trip to the hardware store with a walk with their four-legged companion.

However, if you're not keen on navigating around pets while shopping, this policy might be a nuisance.

Respect and consideration for others are essential and should be kept in mind when planning to bring our furry pals along.
Key Takeaways

  • A tradie ignited a social media debate over Bunnings' pets-allowed policy, expressing frustration with navigating around them during shopping trips.
  • Some Australians agreed with the tradie, questioning the practicality of bringing pets to a busy store. In contrast, others defended the practice under certain conditions.
  • Bunnings Managing Director Mike Schneider stated that they're satisfied with how pets and their owners behave in stores and have no plans to change their pet-friendly policy.
  • Bunnings' pet-friendly policy has been in place for about seven years, and has also helped the launch of the store's Pets section.
What are your thoughts on the Bunnings dog policy? Have you had any experiences with pets in the store? Share your stories and opinions in the comments below!
 
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I enjoy seeing dogs in Bunnings. It always brings a smile to my face. After all, they are sitting in a trolley and should cause no problems. So much better than leaving them in a hot car!!
Sitting a dog in a trolley is disgusting. I do not want to put my grandson in a trolley after a dog has been sitting in it. At least my Grandson has a nappy on.
 
I have a little dog pet…..I wouldn’t take him shopping with me, but should there ever be a reason why he had to come with me, I would be carrying him. I’m an easy going person though and it wouldn’t bother me a bit to see a pet in a shop with its owner, if the shop allows it……..however if it was a bird flying around, I’d trip over everyone to get out of there as all reason leaves me………..I have serious phobia about birds and myself in the same space 🙆‍♀️ :LOL::LOL::LOL:
 
Being originally from Europe where you can take your dogs almost everywhere (shops, restaurants, public transport) it always surprises me how much of a problem they seem to be here. I dont think more people get bitten or contract illnesses in Europe than they do here, but maybe they behave differently: training their dogs (including saying "No", which is considered bad here in Australia), being responsible and cleaning up (though in my 50 years I ve only seen one single incident where a dog left a puddle in a shop (that dog belonged to a young couple who where not German and didnt speak German). Fully toilet trained dogs will not urinate inside a building or on public transport (they dont do it in our cars, so why would they do it in a taxi, a bus ?) And if they are in a trolley it s not harder to avoid them than any other shopper's trolley....
And yes: I take my small dog to Bunnings. She LOVES it. We spend a lot of time in the gardening section. It s an important lesson in socialising for her as well, meeting lots of strangers, staying in a teolley, going up/down escalators and lifts... but I also take her to visit her previous owner in a nursing home, even in a hospital. But it means a bath before I go in, and another one as soon as we get home, so not to,pass on anything either way. That is what I mean by responsible...
 
Wow, you are a grumpy old man. No tolerance at all. I love seeing the dogs in store, say hello, a pat, good for your mind.
There are plenty of animal shelters who would fall over themselves to have you rock up and start patting and coddling their fleabags.

Feel free to Google one in your locality, and keep the critters out of Bunnings.
Next thing people will be wanting Bunnings to open a bird sanctuary and a cattery.
 
I have a little dog pet…..I wouldn’t take him shopping with me, but should there ever be a reason why he had to come with me, I would be carrying him. I’m an easy going person though and it wouldn’t bother me a bit to see a pet in a shop with its owner, if the shop allows it……..however if it was a bird flying around, I’d trip over everyone to get out of there as all reason leaves me………..I have serious phobia about birds and myself in the same space 🙆‍♀️ :LOL::LOL::LOL:
Wow - nice to meet (even though we haven’t really ‘met’) another person with a phobia of birds. They terrify me and my husband of 56 years has known that all along but has been feeding magpies for a few years now. As a result he is doing ALL the outside work (including hanging up & bringing in the laundry!); I refuse to go outside unless he is no more than a metre from me. There are 3-4 magpies that stroll through our patio area every day and actually stop at the screen door and look for him. If he goes outside they fly straight towards him & he talks to them to follow him where he can throw them some food. Hasn’t started feeding them out of his hand yet but it’s getting close to that now.

Nice to ‘meet you’, Miss Chris!
 
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Wow, you are a grumpy old man. No tolerance at all. I love seeing the dogs in store, say hello, a pat, good for your mind.
No none....... everything has its place and dogs in public places are out.
 
Sometimes there may be reasons why someone would take their dogs to bunnings instead of leaving them home. Dogs that have separation anxiety, not having secure fencing at home, anxious pet parents, dogs in training, fighting pet siblings if left alone, or any number of reasons we don't know about. The number of dogs I see are always in trolleys and never seem to get in the way, never seen one poop or piddle in an aisle, misbehave or chew on anything and I'm there at least twice a week. I do enjoy seeing others pets so I'd say good on Bunnings.
 
One problem with dogs in a shop is if people get asthma when in an area with dogs and other pets. (and yes that includes in trolleys) You can't put a big dog in a trolley. Some are allergic to the hair of them. Despite what some people think dogs that aren 't supposed to drop hair some definitely do. Some dogs will eat fertilizer. That is one question a friend of mine was asked by a vet. Some dogs that are service dogs don't necessarily wear special jackets, especially in warm weather.
 
They have a worse policy. Staff are not allowed to challenge customers, if they suspect theft. How many people steal, and walk away. Every honest customer, is paying the price. Bunnings has millions of dollars in theft annually. Do you think this is fair?
That applies to all companies. Security guards rules are very strict in what they or cannot do. I believe they have to wait until a person is leaving / leaves the store. On sites that aren't open when they are checked Security has to call the Police.
 
I wish this grumpy tradie would get over himself. I love the idea of being able to take my dog to Bunnings.
 
That applies to all companies. Security guards rules are very strict in what they or cannot do. I believe they have to wait until a person is leaving / leaves the store. On sites that aren't open when they are checked Security has to call the Police.
I wish this grumpy tradie would get over himself. I love the idea of being able to take my dog to Bunnings.

The grumpy tradie has my sympathy because people do tend to stop and chat in the aisles - with or without a dog. The tradie works during the day and gets his supplies during his work day, so he needs to be able to get what he wants and high-tail it out of there back to work. He is not there to leisurely stroll down aisle after aisle, chatting or having to get out of the way of pampered pooches.

People do block your path, stand right in the way of what you are looking for while chatting & worst of all, leave their trolley in one spot and go to another either while chatting or while looking for something. What is so hard about pushing a Bunnings trolley in front of you while looking? Bunnings trolleys roll without a problem and their wheels do not have a mind of their own unlike some supermarket ones.

As for dogs in trolleys or on a leash in Bunnings or supermarkets - NOT ON, in my opinion unless it is an assistance or service dog. Why should they be allowed to sit their dirty backsides in trolleys that are not properly sanitized before another person has to use them?
 
Sometimes there may be reasons why someone would take their dogs to bunnings instead of leaving them home. Dogs that have separation anxiety, not having secure fencing at home, anxious pet parents, dogs in training, fighting pet siblings if left alone, or any number of reasons we don't know about. The number of dogs I see are always in trolleys and never seem to get in the way, never seen one poop or piddle in an aisle, misbehave or chew on anything and I'm there at least twice a week. I do enjoy seeing others pets so I'd say good on Bunnings.
Dogs with separation anxiety need to be trained properly - get the Dog Father on the job, he’ll soon sort both dog and owner out!
 
I see absolutely no reason to take any animal (Guide Dogs obviously excluded) into any shop.

I have an aversion to dogs and I loathe some dribbly dogs coming up to me and slobbering over my clothes & shoes. I also dislike the probability of using a trolly which has had a dog inside, which the same dog may have shitted or pissed in/on.

I have even had to step around dog shit & puddles, the owner didn't clean up. If a person is going to Bunnings to search for something they need while doing a job, why take the dog? If they have the dog in the car as they drive by and remember they need a twin double overhead brush handle, why not leave the animal in the car for the 5-10 minutes it takes to make the purchase.?

I have reduced the number of times I go there as I do not want to be confronted by other peoples dogs. I go to alternate stores.

Perhaps Bunnings could make separate pet (ie pet products) only areas, with pet only checkouts with pet only trollies. They could then scam the pet owners.

What happens if Westfarmers make dogs/cats etc permissible in their other outlets?
 
Wow - nice to meet (even though we haven’t really ‘met’) another person with a phobia of birds. They terrify me and my husband of 56 years has known that all along but has been feeding magpies for a few years now. As a result he is doing ALL the outside work (including hanging up & bringing in the laundry!); I refuse to go outside unless he is no more than a metre from me. There are 3-4 magpies that stroll through our patio area every day and actually stop at the screen door and look for him. If he goes outside they fly straight towards him & he talks to them to follow him where he can throw them some food. Hasn’t started feeding them out of his hand yet but it’s getting close to that now.

Nice to ‘meet you’, Miss Chris!
Yes, it’s not funny is it…..Nice to meet you too Catherine’s.🌹
 
So long as the animals are well-behaved and potentially friendly towards other people, I see no problem in owners bringing their pets along for the Bunnings ride.

The problem of individuals blocking aisle access is something we, unfortunately, find in most shopping locations. People just can't seem to get out of other people's way, regardless of where it might be.

I push shopping trollies (racks of 10 or 12 at a time) through shopping malls. If I had a dollar for every time someone has stepped in front of my trolleys and nearly caused serious injury to themselves or others I could retire on a very comfortable income.

People simply don't think about their own safety, let alone the safety or the inconvenience they cause to others by their inconsideration.
 

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