Bunnings rule about dogs wearing muzzles causes fury among pet owners

People are upset at a 'pathetic' Bunnings rule about dogs. Photo / 123RF

A Perth dog owner has lashed out at Bunnings after she was told about a controversial rule at the store when she tried to take her pet inside.

The woman took to Facebook to complain about the "pathetic" rule after she was told she had to muzzle her dog while in the store.

"You have to muzzle your dog in Bunnings?! Just because some silly kid didn't ask permission before touching a dog and got nipped? F***ing pathetic," she wrote.

"It wasn't my f***ing dog that bit some brat. Mine are friendly and love people."

According to the Bunnings website and a spokesperson, the same rule applies to New Zealand stores.

A lot of other dog owners seemed confused by the rule, claiming they always took their dogs into Bunnings.

"I always bring my dog to Bunnings, she absolutely loves it. I think it's great," one said.

"I've taken my rottweiler into Bunnings with no problems," another wrote.

One added: "Dogs are family, if you wouldn't leave your kids at home then why expect others to leave their furbabies."

But there were plenty of people that agreed with the policy.

"Bunnings need to ensure the public are safe under their roof, so if it means only allowing muzzled dogs inside, I think it's fair enough," one said.

"Everyone says there (sic) dog is not aggressive until it bites some poor kid," another added.

Bunnings' chief operating officer Debbie Poole told news.com.au the organisation updated its rules around dogs four years ago.

"Tradies have always brought their dogs in the back of utes and trucks into our stores and in 2015, we updated our conditions of entry to allow dogs into our entire store," Poole said.

"We understand that there are many differing views on this and after receiving a lot of feedback from customers and our team, we have really tried to use common sense to implement a balanced approach."

Poole said dogs were welcome in the store if they were friendly, under control and either secured safely in a vehicle, on a lead and wearing a muzzle or being carried.

"While this is used as a guide, each store uses its discretion and always tries to do what's best for our customers. We encourage customers to speak to their local stores if they have any questions," she said.