Cleanliness
I know my dog is groomed regularly, has all of his shots, is free of fleas and ticks, and is well behaved. But he also sheds like a cotton tree in a windstorm, and all that fur – despite regular grooming – isn’t exactly sanitary.
No matter how much you might love your pet, there are some places they simply don’t belong. And, unfortunately, one of those places is the tattoo shop.
When the TV show Miami Ink first aired, the regular presence of the “shop dog” outraged some but also made others think the show just proved that it’s okay for animals to be in the shop. And it’s not always dogs – some shops have cats and even small caged animals like birds and rats. And even I have mixed feelings about that because I find a place with animals to be a welcoming environment and I would appreciate it if my artist liked animals as much as I do. But the fact of the matter is, a tattoo shop is supposed to provide a clean atmosphere for their clients, and having animals in the shop just isn’t conducive to creating that kind of environment.
Animals really aren’t as clean as we’d like to think they are. Most dogs and cats shed. No matter how often they’re bathed and groomed, shedding is a natural part of their bodily function. They lick their private areas, they pick up germs on their paws and they stick their noses in everything. Even caged animals introduce germs into the air when they kick up their bedding, which is tainted with urine and feces. Birds spread germs everywhere every time they fluff their feathers. And the fact of the matter is, an unclean environment is an unsafe environment when dealing with open wounds.
There’s a reason why doctor’s offices and hospitals don’t have animals welcoming their patients. It may seem a little less friendly, but it’s in your best interests for them to keep their pets at home.
Unpredictable Behavior
Another reason why animals shouldn’t be in the shop – especially wandering freely – is their unpredictability. You may be completely confident in how your animal will behave around you, but you never know how they will react to strangers. Someone might smell funny to them, scare them with their voice or even provoke them. And if your animal hurts a patron, it’s your fault no matter what they did to invite an unwelcome response.
And if a client gets an infection, the presence of the animal in the shop is going to be the first place the finger is pointed because it is a great source of risk.
Legality
No matter how you may personally feel about animals in the shop, many laws ban it anyway, for the very reasons stated above. Shops that are regulated by the Health Department are not allowed to have anything unclean or unsafe in the shop that poses a risk to their clients. But it shouldn’t take a law to tell you what common sense should dictate – animals in the shop just aren’t a good idea.
Bottom Line
One way to get around the animal issue and still provide a welcoming entrance area for clients is with an attractive fish tank. But bear in mind that maintaining an aquarium is a lot of work and a dirty tank does not give a good impression at all. If your shop employees don’t have the time to keep up with the tank maintenance, it could do more harm than good. But many small, local fish stores will provide upkeep services for a fee.
Bottom line is, put your patrons’ health first and keep Fido at home.
