If you’ve ever taken a dog to PetSmart, you know how annoying it is to be accosted and offered a free training session or nail clipping in every other aisle. Actually, I was psyched to get two free nail clipping coupons out of one visit, but still, I’ve always preferred to shop without help.
I’m used to all the attention my supermodel of a dog gets, but the salespeople are annoying even if you leave your dog at home. I went during my lunch break yesterday to get food, jumbo rawhide bones and antiseptic for her mysterious owies. I also got these peanut butter flavored Better Than Ears. Rob discovered these on his mass shopping extravaganza before Isis and I flew home in November. They smell really good and he keeps saying he wants to eat one, but I bet it lacks sugar. The PetSmart in our town told us that they were discontinuing the peanut butter flavor (yet no one told the Web site). The bacon flavor doesn’t agree with Isis’ sensitive tummy, but the PetSmart near work still has the peanut butter flavor, so I go there to stock up.
The woman in front of me was buying a box of milk bones or something.
“Oh you have a doggie!” the saleslady squealed.
“Mmm,” the woman said.
“That’s cool,” the saleslady replied, because she wasn’t given enough information to come up with a better response. “What kind of doggie do you have?”
“Just ring me up please,” the woman said softly.
Burnnnn! I actually did that once at the grocery store, when the checkout dude wanted to know all about my social plans for the weekend.
Strangely, I was willing to tell the checkout girl all about my doggie, but all she asked me was if I found everything all right.
Kari Neumeyer 