A video of a dog found cowering in a produce shelf at the Durango Walmart made the rounds this week on various social media platforms.
The dog was originally believed to have been a pet brought in by a customer, which sparked extensive conversations in various comment sections about etiquette and rules surrounding non-service animals in public spaces.
The Durango Walmart initially declined to comment.
But on Tuesday, a Walmart spokesperson confirmed the dog ran into the store, presumably from the parking lot and became increasingly agitated as customers attempted to capture it.
“It was very scared, and several people were trying to catch it, and (that) just made it more scared,” the spokesperson said. “Then, eventually, the dog just ran into the lettuce.”
The spokesperson confirmed that the woman seen attempting to pull the dog from the shelf was not the dog’s owner.
The representative said Walmart could not confirm whether the dog was a service animal.
“It was not wearing anything that said service dog, (but) we don’t know one way or the other,” the spokesperson said.
According to Walmart’s official policy, only service animals are allowed in stores. However, employees may not ask for any kind of “proof” of service animal status under a settlement agreement between the U.S. government and Walmart Stores, Inc., referencing the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
Overall ADA policy dictates that employees can ask only two questions: “Is this a service animal required because of a disability?” and “What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?”
Walmart had no further information on the status of the dog, or to whom it belongs.
“As you may expect, we cleaned and sanitized the whole area thoroughly,” the spokesperson said.
epond@durangoherald.com
