Have you ever been to a store like Walmart, Target, or Home Depot and seen someone with their small pet dog in the cart pushing it around?
I have and I always assumed that pet dogs weren’t allowed to be in there unless it was a service dog.
While I had not looked up each store’s policy at the time in regards to whether dogs were allowed in them, I had always thought that dogs weren’t allowed in stores like Walmart, Target, and Home Depot.
But I got to thinking the other day because I had seen a dog in Walmart recently, so I decided to find out what stores dogs are allowed in and what stores dogs are not allowed in.
Here is what I found out.
Are Dogs Allowed in Walmart?
Dogs are not allowed in Walmart or any of its subsidiaries unless they are service dogs (as per ADA guidelines). Walmart’s policy applies to all members of the public, including all of its employees.
Walmart allows service dogs to accommodate people with disabilities based on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which permits service animals in most public places.
Walmart understands that the roles of service animals are very important for people with disabilities to ensure the safety, comfort, and independence of their disabled customers.
Accommodations are in place to allow service animals to ensure their customers with disabilities can have the same or similar shopping experience as customers without disabilities. but this only applies to service dogs and not pet dogs.
Are Service Dogs Allowed in Walmart?
Service dogs are allowed in Walmart because Walmart adheres to the guidelines set forth in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This Act defines service dogs as trained dogs that receive training to help people with disabilities during their time of need, including their visits to stores such as Walmart.
If you would like to know more about this Act, I’ve provided a link at the bottom of this article to the U.S. Department of Justice’s requirements for service animals.
This Act provides the standards outlined for local government and state (Title II) and public accommodations and commercial facilities (Title III) for service animal admittance.
Basically, this Act provides service animals admittance to local government and state buildings, as well as most public and commercial facilities, including stores like Walmart. Since Walmart falls under Title II of the Act, it must permit service dogs admittance in its stores.
All the legal stuff states that service animals are permitted in any public location deemed to be a public gathering or where members of the public are allowed to go.
If members of the public are permitted, service dogs are supposed to be allowed admittance as well.
What Are Service Animals?
Service animals are any animal that has been trained to perform tasks or do certain work for people that have disabilities.
Some examples of tasks and work that service animals provide are as follows:
- Helping guide people that are blind
- Helping pull and guide a wheelchair
- Helping alert people that are deaf
- Alerting and protecting people who are having seizures
- Reminding people with mental disabilities to take their medication
- Helping people stay calm that have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
What Are Service Dogs?
Service dogs are not pet dogs. Since they are trained to perform certain tasks or do certain work, they are not considered pet dogs. Service dogs are dogs that provide services to people with disabilities.
This can be anything from reminding a person with a mental illness to take their prescribed medications to helping a veteran stay calm during a PTSD episode.
To read more about service dogs, you can check out these articles I wrote:
- What are Service Dogs? Detailed Guide with 11 Types of Service Dogs
- How Do You Register or Train Your Dog to Become a Service Dog?
Are Dogs Allowed in Home Depot?
Home Depot – like most other hardware stores – allows both pet dogs and service dogs entrance into all their stores in the United States. Home Depot has wider aisle space than most other stores, which is a perfect accommodation for pets on a leash.
This provides more space for customers and for pets to move about with ample space between them.
While it is noted that Home Depot allows pet dogs in their stores, you should always call ahead to your local Home Depot just to be sure.
Some people have reportedly been turned away from some Home Depots with their pet dogs, so it is best to call just to be certain.
Are Dogs Allowed in Target?
While Target allows service dogs entrance into their stores (as per ADA guidelines), pets are not permitted to enter. Target’s policy is rather standard and similar to Walmart’s policy – which allows service dogs, but not pets.
Many people report that most stores will not or are not allowed to ask if your dog is a service dog.
However, it is best to not take your pet to these stores unless they are trained as service dogs.
While most stores won’t ask for proof or certifications for your dog to ensure it is a service dog, it is best to abide by the policy of these particular stores and follow their rules to ensure you are not kicked out.
Are Dogs Allowed in Grocery Stores?
Dogs are typically not allowed in most grocery stores. The primary reason that most grocery stores do not allow dogs into their stores is that it is unsanitary to allow animals around or inside places where food is sold and served.
However, grocery stores do allow service dogs entry into their stores.
It can pose a health risk to the people around them, as well as the pets.
Most grocery stores can’t ask for documentation to check whether your animal is a service dog, but it is best to call ahead to the store you plan to visit just to make sure they are not going to turn you away.
Why Are Pet Dogs Not Allowed in Some Stores?
Most stores don’t have accommodations in place for pets. Not only are accommodations an issue, but some customers in public places may not be comfortable with animals being around them.
We have to keep in mind that not all people are “pet-friendly” people.
Mental conditions exist that some people have that cause them to be afraid of dogs, cats, and other types of pets.
We must be mindful that not everyone thinks as we do as pet owners. Some people are uncomfortable around pets, especially bigger dogs.
I know that most people won’t take their pets to a public place if they feel their animal is aggressive, but you do have some people that ruin it for everybody because either they don’t think or just don’t care.
As for the accommodation issue, I can understand that some stores don’t want their employees to have to clean up dog poop or pee as well.
So it just depends on the store and what their policies are.
What to Know Before Visiting a Store With Your Dog
Whether you have a service dog or a pet dog that you are taking to a store, just remember to keep your pet restrained at all times. Even if you have a service dog that is allowed in a store, you still need to follow best practices to ensure the safety of you, your service dog, and the public.
Always keep your dog restrained or on a leash to ensure your dog is safely secured and not allowed to roam.
Even if your dog is trained and you are certain it won’t cause any harm, you have to remember that some people are not open to animals and may not like your dog in their personal space.
To ensure safety and to ensure there are no problems, make sure you know the policy of the individual store you plan to visit to ensure you are following their guidelines for the best shopping experience for you and your dog.
Whether you have a pet dog or a service dog that you plan to go shopping with, just call ahead to the store and see what their policy is or find it online if possible.
I would suggest calling the local store you plan to visit since they will be able to provide you with that individual store’s policy in case it is any different than other stores of that chain in other areas of the world.
See below for a list of stores that allow pet dogs.
This is a list of most of the popular retail chains in America, but you should still call ahead to whatever store you plan to visit to get their local policy as it may be different from other stores in that chain.
40 Retail Stores That Allow Dogs
Updated: 10/01/2022
Below are 40 stores that allow dogs entrance into their stores. Stores in the mall will typically have different policies from stand-alone stores because they must adhere to the mall’s policy.
That said, you should call ahead to any store you plan to visit with your dog.
This will allow you to check their policy on pets and ensure you don’t waste a trip by getting turned away at the door (if they don’t allow dogs).
- PetCo
- PetSmart
- Home Depot
- Lowes
- Macy’s
- Bass Pro Shop
- Barnes & Noble
- Half-Price Books
- Abercrombie & Fitch
- The Gap
- Michaels
- Marshalls
- Urban Outfitters
- Saks Fifth Avenue
- Bloomingdales
- Pottery Barn
- Nordstrom
- TJ Maxx
- Ross
- American Apparel
- Academy Sports & Outdoors
- Bath & Body Works
- Crate & Barrel
- Hallmark
- Old Navy
- Apple Store
- Bed, Bath, & Beyond
- Hobby Lobby
- HomeGoods
- Neiman Marcus
- Sephora
- Tiffany & Co.
- William Sonoma
- Talbots
- Victoria’s Secret
- Kenneth Cole
- The Banana Republic
- Ace Hardware
- AutoZone
- Kirkland Home Stores
Recap
I hope you have a better understanding now of where you can take your pet dog or your service dog.
I’ve listed the majority of the major retail chains here that allow pet dogs and have given you information on other stores that only allow service dogs.
Just remember to make a quick phone call to the local store if you have any questions about their individual policy on pets and service animals.
While most stores are required by the ADA to allow service animals, it is still best to call ahead and know what their policy is and what they expect of you when you bring your service dog into the store.
If I didn’t list a store that you know for sure allows pet dogs, contact me and I will add it to the list.
I tried to include as many major chains that I could get information on, but please feel free to add to the list if you know for sure they allow pets in a store that I didn’t include in the list.
Other Articles I’ve Written About Service Dogs:
- What are Service Dogs? Detailed Guide with 11 Types of Service Dogs
- How Do You Register or Train Your Dog to Become a Service Dog?
- Differences Between Service Dogs, Emotional Support Animals, & Therapy Dogs
- 12 Tips to Spot a Fake Service Dog or Poorly Trained Dogs
References
