This grocery store has gone to the dogs.
Well-heeled shoppers at an Upper East Side Trader Joe’s aren’t heeling their dogs and ignoring the store’s pet ban — letting their pooches nose through produce and sniff around the aisles.
Oblivious owners walk their dogs right past security guards and massive “No Pets” signs at the First Avenue and East 59th Street market to shop as their furry friends sometimes engage in full-contact browsing.
Petless customers have voiced their frustration online, with claims from one queasy shopper saying they witnessed a pup lick produce that was left for someone else to buy.
But many others seem to have accepted the behavior as a fact of life in the big city.
“I think it’s cute!” ” one shopper said after picking up dinner ingredients Friday. “They’re usually small and in a bag, so I don’t really mind — as long as they’re under control.”
Another shopper didn’t mind even when they heard the allegations of produce turning into dog toys.
“I already wash my food when I get home, but maybe we’ll extra wash now that we’ve learned that,” the shopper said.
The Post spotted five pups, including one large Labrador, joining their owners in the spot on Friday.
One of the grocery dogs, cradled in its owner’s arms, even stuck its nose in a carton of grapes before its owner decided not to buy the fruit.
David Newborn and Jo Carrick, who were visiting from England to see a spate of Broadway shows, thought the puppy presence was the best thing ever.
They stopped by Trader Joe’s — which is only located in the US — four times in four days, spotting at least one dog in the store for each trip.
“It doesn’t bother me. I think it’s nice. In England, you would never see that, so we thought it was quite nice,” Carrick said.
When asked if he thought it grossed him out, Newborn chimed in: “No, not at all!”
Trader Joe’s did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.
Dogs are not allowed in grocery stores in the Big Apple, unless they are a service animal, according to the city health code.
One puppy-totting shopper said she wanted the law changed though with a few caveats.
“I think they should be allowed to bring their pet,” said Awilda Pratts, of Roosevelt Island. “I’m not a fanatic of tying your pet up to him outside because of things that can happen. As long as the dog isn’t dangerous and the owner is responsible, I don’t see any problem.
Pratts had little Drizzie on her lap as she did her afternoon shopping, but promised the Yorkie was well-behaved.
The pup is an emotional support dog that she adopted when she was diagnosed with cancer, she said. Pratts claimed she had paperwork to prove it, but had never been asked to provide it by the Trader Joe’s workers or security guards upon her many visits to the store.
She has, however, gotten a few side-eyed looks from fellow customers, but no one has ever approached her.
“I know how to handle people like that,” she said.
The post Dogs seen licking food inside NYC Trader Joe’s as carefree owners ignore ‘no pets allowed’ signs – but some pooch lovers don’t mind: ‘It’s cute!’ appeared first on New York Post.
