Inspectors say gas station dog must go
Cody, the chocolate Labrador we showed you a video of last week — the one who jumps up and greets customers at the drive-through window of a Florida gas station — has been declared a health hazard and ordered to leave the premises.
The dog was featured last month in a St. Petersburg Times story, along with a heartwarming video of Cody in action that has been seen widely on the Internet.
Apparently state officials didn’t find it as heartwarming as everybody else.
Inspectors — from the health department according to some reports, agriculture department according to others — stopped by Karim Mansour’s BP station and convenience store in Clearwater and issued a warning. Unless the dog was removed, all of Mansour’s food products would be declared unfit for consumption, the St. Petersburg Times reported yesterday.
That most everything Mansour sells at his shop in Clearwater is packaged — bottled sodas, candy bars, chips and the like — didn’t matter to the Grinch-like bureacrats, who apparently feared the wholesome goodness of the store’s Slim Jims, Twinkies and Marlboros might be tainted by a deadly pet hair.
Mansour, who adopted 6-year-old Cody three years ago, accepted the warning and plans to start leaving his dog at home.
Most readers, judging from the comments the Times has received on the story, see the state’s crackdown on Mansour as a ridiculous case of overkill.
We couldn’t agree more. Once again, it appears, bureaucracy has prevailed, accomplishing its mission of making the world a safer, far more boring, smile-free place.
Posted by John Woestendiek December 4th, 2009 under Muttsblog.
Tags: agriculture, bp, bureaucrats, chocolate, clearwater, cody, convenience store, customers, drive-through, florida, gas station, greeter, greets, health, karim mansour, lab, labrador, remove, state, warning
Comments
Comment from Connie Poe
Time December 4, 2009 at 8:51 pm
Are you kidding me?? If people are uncomfortable buying products there, they can run down the street to the super store giant. Leave the gas station and joy spreading dog alone. Cody go to work…I’ll stop by and see you at Spring Break..Really people lighten up……
Comment from Starla
Time December 6, 2009 at 12:26 am
Are you kidding? Lighten up people! I would much rather buy my drinks & snacks from a Dog Friendly Business ANY Day! A little Dog hair never tainted a sealed soda or candy bar. Geeze! Go Cody! You Rock!
Comment from bluhawkk
Time December 4, 2009 at 5:25 pm
Boo, hisssss. Have Cody designated a service dog to help the owner manage his…….um……… stress.