The new (ab)normal?

Yesterday evening, returning from his allotted daily exercise walk, my son came across two family groups. The first comprised of a mother and two small children, a boy and a girl. The second two adults, two children and a dog - walking free and not on a lead.
The groups were walking in opposite directions along a lane, while the humans kept the prescribed 2 meters apart, the dog ran towards the woman walking down the lane with her children. At which point my son realised that the girl was terrified of dogs - she appeared increasingly anxious and distressed as the dog drew closer and was clinging to her mum.
Noticing this, my son went forward, spoke to the dog and held its collar, then directed it back to its family.
In normal circumstances, this small act might have elicited some thanks, but not last night: both groups told him he needed to be stay 6 feet away. At which he turned and walked away, to the sound of the child's resumed crying.

Tesco's wuff attitude towards dogs

Just returned from a short visit to our local Tesco. An over-zealous Advance security box-wallah was po-facedly telling a young woman that she couldn't leave her Jack Russell puppy tied to a rail outside the store. When asked why, he fell into 'more than my job's worth' mode: only following instructions, nothing against dogs, etc. Paid not much more than minimum wage, he probably gets his fair share of crap - and to be fair to the woman, her response was bemused acquiesence, rather than outright hostility or abuse. But since when did it become a no-no to tie a dog up outside a shop? Not very considerate, Tesco. After all, you allow us to insure dogs and probably make a tidy profit selling everything necessary for canine health and welfare, from dog biccies to scented poop bags, so why not let a dog wait outside while its owner is adding to your profits?