Why do so many L.A. dog owners think the rules don't apply to them?

The best place to see rich Angelenos act as if the rules don’t apply to them is the Pacific Palisades Farmers Market. Amid beautiful heirloom tomatoes and jumbo avocados that I wish I could afford, dozens of posted signs make clear that non-service dogs are prohibited. And yet everywhere I look .

.. dogs, dogs, dogs.

My partner and I moved to Los Angeles a year and a half ago. I realize bashing an animal that most people find delightful may not be the best way to make friends. But the problem isn’t L.

A.’s dogs. It’s their owners who complicate life for disabled Angelenos including my partner by flouting rules instituted for everyone’s safety.

According to a recent article analyzing dog ownership, Los Angeles has more dogs than any other U.S. city .

L.A. also has the shameful honor of topping the U.

S. Postal Service’s 2023 Dog Bite National Rankings : Last year, the city’s dogs attacked mail carriers 65 times. The problems aren’t always as extreme as biting.

I’ve seen a poodle poop inside a Santa Monica coffee shop, something one social media user also saw at a CVS. In West Hollywood a few weeks ago, I watched a woman feed her admittedly very cute Samoyed a full sandwich inside a store. My partner and I have encountered dogs barking in bookshops in Los Feliz and at a Trader Joe’s in Beverly Hills.

One Reddit thread titled “Why does everyone bring their dogs into stores in LA?” features testimonials that include a dog urinating on tortillas at a Ralph’s.