Pressure mounts on Bunnings to BAN canine from its shops after debate erupts over coverage

Australians are urging Bunnings to ban pets from entering its stores after a Brisbane shopper urged fellow customers to ‘keep your dog at home’. 

Bringing the family pooch to Bunnings is fairly common, and it’s within the rules as long as they’re restrained – but not everyone’s a fan.

‘Keep your dog at home. Bunnings is a hardware store, not a dog park,’ the customer posted on Reddit.

Many Aussies agreed.

‘So many poos and piss on the floor at Bunnings. People are scum,’ one said.

A second added: ‘Most dogs are untrained and misbehaved. 

‘The owners are just narcissistic attention seekers. Its the only reason why they want to take their mutt everywhere. 

‘Dogs have the worst fan base. But I also don’t want dogs around me anywhere I go in public. Including Bunnings.’

Bunnings allows dogs to enter stores but states they must be of a ‘friendly’ nature and need to be either on a lead, wearing a muzzle, carried or safely secured in a trolley

Some dog owners have been slammed for not picking up their dogs’ poo at Bunnings 

A third said: ‘Only Bunnings? I’m seeing them everywhere. They’re not  children, you can leave them in the back yard. Stop bringing them to cafes.’

A forth said: ‘Why do people insist on taking their dogs everywhere? They’re not a person. The dog doesn’t need to buy a power drill.’

A fifth said: ‘The majority are fine but there have been more than enough incidents where people have been bitten, poo has been left on the floor with staff having to clean it up to warrant a ban. 

‘All it will take is a kid to lose their eye or something before they are banned again. Why should it have to come to that?’

‘There are a lot of people for one reason or another that are really uncomfortable around dogs.

‘I love dogs but I was attacked at work a couple of years ago and I now really struggle to be around them. Kind of makes me wanna find somewhere else to shop rather than the convenience of going to Bunnings.’

Despite calls for a ban, many Australians said it would be the wrong move.

‘I am my dog’s only human and he’s young and active so he needs a lot of exercise,’ one said.

Bunnings said it ‘welcomed’ well-behaved pets but owners should clean up after them or they’ll be asked to leave 

‘We also live in a pretty walkable suburb so I run a lot of errands on foot. 

‘Where he’s allowed, he comes with me. That way he’s getting a walk in and some stimulation, and I’m getting bread or picking up a prescription or whatever. 

‘As a puppy I trained him to be able to do this without impacting anyone negatively. Last thing I want is for him to be a nuisance.’

A second said: ‘I get that dogs can stay home, but sometimes you’re already out with them, like if you’re heading home from the park or a drive, and instead of leaving them in a hot car (which is illegal anyway), it just makes sense to bring them inside,’ they said.

‘I totally understand there are some irresponsible owners out there, but surely that’s not the majority, right? So why are so many people so strongly against it?’

The retailer’s official policy allows dogs in stores but states they must be of a ‘friendly’ nature and ‘well-behaved pets that are on a lead,’ wearing a muzzle, or safely secured in a trolley or vehicle.

‘We ask that you maintain full control of your pet at all times and clean up after it, otherwise you will be asked to remove your pet from the store,’ the policy reads.

A Bunnings spokesperson added: ‘We know this topic comes up from time to time; however, what remains consistent is the support we see from customers for allowing pets in our stores and our commitment to maintain this.’

Bunnings has allowed pets into its stores since 2015 

Many said they felt uncomfortable sharing tight spaces in Bunnings with big, unknown dogs 

‘Like many other retailers that offer pet products, we take a common-sense approach when welcoming dogs into our stores. The feedback we receive shows the vast majority of pet owners are respectful of other customers and our team when they’re in our stores.’

In 2021, Australians were horrified when a pit bull mauled a smaller dog to death inside a Brisbane Bunnings store. 

The pit bull lunged at the smaller dog and grabbed it by the neck, leaving it with injuries that were too severe to recover from.