A Perth shopper has hit out at Bunnings’ “pathetic” rule after she tried to take her pet into the store.

The woman took to Facebook to complain after she was told she needed to muzzle her dog in store.

“You have to muzzle your dog in Bunnings?! Just because some silly kid didn’t ask permission before touching a dog and got nipped? F***ing pathetic,” she wrote.

“It wasn’t my f***ing dog that bit some brat. Mine are friendly and love people.”

According to Bunnings, pet owners are allowed to bring pets into the store if they are secured in a vehicle, carried, or on a lead and muzzled.

The muzzle rule was introduced after a five-year-old girl got bitten on the leg by a dog in one of the Melbourne stores. Prior to this, dogs without muzzles were allowed entry provided they were “under appropriate control, not aggressive and did not compromise anyone’s safety”.

Pet industry consultant Susie Willis lambasted the rule when it first came into place. “Who’s going to put a muzzle on a dog to go to Bunnings?” she said. “A well-socialised, well-trained dog on a lead should be able to accompany its owner just about anywhere.”

Throughout the years, pet owners have also lamented the fact that they could not bring their pups in without a muzzle. A woman wrote on Facebook alongside a picture of her and her dog, “Can’t go in unless she is muzzled… She is a puppy for goodness sake.”

While some dog owners find the rule to be unfair, others are more supportive of the policy.

“I regularly take my dogs into their stores, some days they ride the trolley on a [leash] and other days they [wore] a muzzle,” a customer wrote.

“I think it is great that dogs get to wear muzzles such that they get comfortable doing so as it may be needed for vets etc some day or if they were hurt. I believe this also helps the public understand muzzles are not just for dangerous dogs but a part of a dog’s attire just like a collar lead and harness.”

Another commented, “Everyone says their dog is not aggressive until it bites some poor kid.”

Some also said that they could bring their dogs into the store on a trolley.

This is not the only Bunnings safety rule to come under public backlash. Last year, the hardware giant was slammed for ordering the stores’ barbecues staff to put onion on the bread before sausage and sauce to avoid slipping hazards and incidents at sausage sizzles.