[nagdu] Food inspectors hope to crack down on pets brought into stores & restaurants

[Ginger Kutsch]

Food inspectors hope to crack down on pets brought into stores & restaurants


(Chris McKee, KMTR-TV)  Reported by: Chris McKee 

Email: chrismckee at kmtr.com     

10/042011

http://www.kmtr.com/news/local/story/Food-inspectors-hope-to-crack-down-on-p
ets/tSWqWwc2FkKSJEN6uMsIPw.cspx

 

EUGENE, Ore. (KMTR) -- A plea for local store owners and managers who say
people shopping with their pets is becoming a huge problem and a health
hazard, now the state is stepping in to help and get the word out. 

The Oregon Department Agriculture says animals in stores and restaurants
continue to be the number one complaint it gets related to food safety.

 

Oregon food code, which is based on the FDA's guidelines, says pets are
barred from entering any food establishment like grocery stores and
restaurants in Oregon because of concerns about germs.

 

But businesses says people are either ignoring that rule or abusing it by
lying and knowing that managers cannot ask for medical records or proof.

 

The Department of Agriculture says its heard complaints about pets leaving
urine and feces on the floor, jumping on meat racks or sniffing food
packages on the shelves.

 

At the Fred Meyer on West Eleventh Avenue in Eugene, managers say they've
seen iguanas, birds and cats come into the store, as their owners claim they
are service animals. They deal with the problem several times a week,
according to store management.

 

The state and store managers say many customers also misunderstand the
definition of service animals.

 

"Ask them if it's a service animal or not and they explain to me that maybe
it's a therapy animal or one that provides emotional support, and I'll ask
them to remove the animal.. and as you can imagine it can create quite a
scene it's a very difficult situation for myself and my employees," says Bob
Winner, Store Director at the W11th. Ave. Fred Meyer.

 

Winner says because of the liability the store has if it were to kick out
someone with service animal that they thought was a pet, each case has to be
handled by a store manager. More than 200 people work at the W11th Fred
Meyer.

 

The state is hoping to make things easier now, too.

 

As of March 2011, the U.S. Department of Justice legally defined service
animals as dogs only. Those dogs must directly help with a person's
disability as well. Emotional and therapy animals do not meet those
guidelines.

 

"Those laws are put into place to protect people with disabilities, and you
know what we'd really like to see is those people just bringing into pets if
they could leave the pets at home.. Just out of respect for the store and
the sanitation issues, that would be great," said Susan Kendrick, a Food
Safety Specialist for the Oregon Department of Agriculture.

 

Over the next few months , the Ag Department will launch a new public
outreach campaign with new flyers and posters.

 

Legally, stores are able to ask people two questions about animals that are
brought into stores. The first question, "is the animal a service animal?"
Second, "what work or task has the animal been trained to perform?"