[yoyohello13]

I 100% don't think dogs should be allowed in grocery stores or restaurants or frankly most businesses outside of pet stores.

> I've met more than one married couple who are proud about not wanting kids but own a dog and treat it to an absurd degree like one would treat a toddler.

My first reaction to this kind of comment is "mind your own business." People are way too up in other peoples personal affairs these days. I'm not saying this to you specifically, you were just clarifying the discussion, but in general.

[ultimafan]

On a personal level? Sure, I don't think anyone should be calling out, naming and shaming, or drawing attention to abnormal behavior that specific individuals have. Nobody should target a real human being doing something weird but otherwise harmless to others with the intention of causing them distress.

But on a societal level I think it's absolutely okay to look around and say, "Hey, have you noticed the <insert something out of the ordinary> behavior that's starting to happen? What's causing that? How did it become normalized? Is that something we should readily accept?"

Such cases can absolutely be symptoms of larger societal problems and we shouldn't brush them away without examining them first.

[mionhe]

I think you are right, and it would be wonderful if people could mind their own business more.

I can't speak for the original commentator, but my own experience is one of trying to mind my own business and having this experience thrust upon me by people who are very excited about their pets.

I guess I'd like people to keep their pets to themselves the way I keep my kids to myself: if someone asks I'm generally happy to talk about them, otherwise I don't volunteer information.