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Petco Lets 'All Leashed Pets' in Its Stores, So a Couple Brought—Wait What

Allow us to introduce you to Oliver, a 1,600-pound African Watusi.
Oliver the African Watusi
Photo by Shelly Lumpkin

Petco, being Petco, naturally lets owners bring their pets along while they shop for balls and leashes and disgusting dried pig ears or whatever. The only rule, per store policy, is that the animals have to be on a leash.

The company doesn't exactly specify what kind of pets it allows, though, so a Texas couple with a ranch and a really good idea for a bit decided to test how far that policy actually goes—by rolling into Petco with this motherfucker:

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Yes, that is a massive, 1,600-pound steer. Yes, those horns are so goddamn long that the magnificent beast—who, holy shit, is named "Oliver"—had to tilt them, like, 45 degrees to fit through Petco's sliding door, according to the Washington Post. And yes, he's on a leash, because, you know, no one wanted to break any rules.

"We decided to take a chance and call Petco's bluff on the 'ALL LEASHED PETS ARE WELCOME' policy," the steer's co-owner, Vincent Browning, wrote on Facebook. "The awesome crew at Petco - Atascocita did not disappoint!!"

Browning said that Petco employees "welcomed Oliver the African Watusi with open arms," even letting Browning take the big ol' fella on a stroll up and down some aisles. "The staff members here are always super friendly and courteous to us," Browning went on. "We really enjoy coming to this location…our favorite Petco BY FAR!!"

Browning's video of the Petco visit immediately went viral, since, well, look at that goddamn thing! Good lord! He looks like one of those freakishly realistic Pokémon from Detective Pikachu sprung to life! Even the pet store's top brass chimed in to praise those employees in Texas for standing behind the policy. "Pets are family no matter the type, breed, or size!" Petco CEO Ron Coughlin tweeted.

Sure, Oliver's visit was fun and charming and—sorry, just look at that motherfucker again, damn he is huge—but, uh, the CEO is playing with fire here. Let's wait until someone inevitably strolls into a Florida Petco with the goddamn tiger they've been raising in their garage and see how "incredible" that experience is, shall we? Or a fleet of kitten-play fetishists on leashes? How far are you willing to take this, Petco? Consider yourselves warned.

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