Pets in Lowe's and Home Depot...Who Knew?
I saw some dogs in Home Depot a few weeks ago and was surprised to learn they are allowed in on leash. I've not seen any dogs in there before, and I've never seen one at Lowe's. I'm in the middle of a major home improvement project and I prefer Lowe's, so I was hoping they had a policy to allow pets in as well...and they do! If they didn't, I would have switched to Home Depot, as I have to keep an eye on Callie until we know what is up with her condition. Last time I went to Lowe's without her coming in, she had a seizure in the parking lot so I vowed not to leave her int he car again longer that a few (less than 10) minutes.
The first time we went into Lowe's together Callie was THRILLED. We came across an older, slightly bow-legged rancher looking guy who looked down in surprise and said "You can't have dogs in here!" to which I replied, "Yes, you can." He sort of harrumphed and we walked on. As we were coming out of an aisle a few minutes later I noticed the old guy coming in the front door - with his old black lab dog!! I thought that was great! He went out and got his dog to join him!
Callie has a fan club at Lowe's. Several of the workers fawn on her and call her "dog therapy," and of course she soaks up their affections, presenting herself for tummy rubs and going down the receiving line of people waiting to pet her. She has been extremely well-behaved in the store. A clerk commented to me that Callie behaved better than most children in the store - I could not agree more. We got a death glare from a mean lady in the paint section, but otherwise have had a warm welcome at Lowe's.
I am using the store time to work on "turn right" and "turn left" commands, and Callie seems to be getting that concept. This is very handy when steering a cart with one hand and holding a dog leash in the other. She never puts her paws on the counter unless invited to do so (which she has been twice now). It's great fun taking her shopping and I wish more stores allowed pets in. Pet stores do, including Petco and Petsmart, and I believe Zamzows. Grocery stores of course won't, probably some health code thing. (I wish Callie could pass as a service dog!).
Being able to take Callie has made my home improvement project a lot easier and a lot less worry and I am really grateful that someone got the bright idea to allow dogs into home improvement stores. If you don't already take your dog, start! I never knew it was allowed before.
The first time we went into Lowe's together Callie was THRILLED. We came across an older, slightly bow-legged rancher looking guy who looked down in surprise and said "You can't have dogs in here!" to which I replied, "Yes, you can." He sort of harrumphed and we walked on. As we were coming out of an aisle a few minutes later I noticed the old guy coming in the front door - with his old black lab dog!! I thought that was great! He went out and got his dog to join him!
Callie has a fan club at Lowe's. Several of the workers fawn on her and call her "dog therapy," and of course she soaks up their affections, presenting herself for tummy rubs and going down the receiving line of people waiting to pet her. She has been extremely well-behaved in the store. A clerk commented to me that Callie behaved better than most children in the store - I could not agree more. We got a death glare from a mean lady in the paint section, but otherwise have had a warm welcome at Lowe's.
I am using the store time to work on "turn right" and "turn left" commands, and Callie seems to be getting that concept. This is very handy when steering a cart with one hand and holding a dog leash in the other. She never puts her paws on the counter unless invited to do so (which she has been twice now). It's great fun taking her shopping and I wish more stores allowed pets in. Pet stores do, including Petco and Petsmart, and I believe Zamzows. Grocery stores of course won't, probably some health code thing. (I wish Callie could pass as a service dog!).
Being able to take Callie has made my home improvement project a lot easier and a lot less worry and I am really grateful that someone got the bright idea to allow dogs into home improvement stores. If you don't already take your dog, start! I never knew it was allowed before.
Comments
My state generally has laws against dogs indoors at places that are licensed to sell food, but no other laws (stores can make their own rules though). Of course, if you know medicine these laws are based on superstition, not true science (therapy dogs go to hospitals all the time).
Then one unsuspecting day some 6ft guy's aggressive pit mix jumped out of his cart and bit my guy. The man got a full strength hard kick into my guy's ribs before he took off and yelled at me threatening me across the garden center for 5 minutes while also screaming at his wife. Of course this all made me thing he kicks his dog (or he would not have been so fast to have been able to get that kick in since mine took off like lightning to escape and he runs like a deer. When people rushed over to see if he and I were ok one lady suggested I get someone to go get the man's license plate. I really appreciated her compassion and support but hmmm this is Arizona - the guy probably has a concealed weapons permit - no thanks.
Ok so back to HOME DEPOT and why I think they have any responsibility in the event - just some crazy man I could have run into on some street - not their fault - agreed. But the manager's response - what a butthead! When he eventually saunters over to the victim 1 - he first told there was a no pet policy and there was a sign. I was so shaken I did not tell him half his staff had greeted my pooch THAT day and none had told us of the policy change you butthead. 2 - Even after I told him without prompting I was not going to sue the store b/c the crazy man was not his responsibility, he did not bother to ask me if I was ok even though both my dog and I were visibly shaking. What a nice human experience. Avoidance of liability does not mean lack of humanity.
BTW I have driven by to see about the big sign he said was posted - and guess what- it is a stupid handmade sign on a piece of cheap posterboard in colored markers - not even the fat dark ones - that looks like his kids made it and slides behind the home depot sign when the doors open for pete's sake!
So protect your pet - be sure they are allowed - and watch out for crazy people.
BTW REI says they have a national no pet policy - much to their own disappointment due to owner bad behavior - leaving dog droppings in the store and not cleaning up - how we (the lovely HD customer included) trash our own privileges - sad!
I apologize if my tone sounds harsh, but I am a pet lover who works in a store where I am told to ignore this safety policy by my manager...and I clearly disagree. Not to punish pet owners or their pets, but to protect them.
I apologize if my tone sounds harsh, but I am a pet lover who works in a store where I am told to ignore this safety policy by my manager...and I clearly disagree. Not to punish pet owners or their pets, but to protect them.
I can understand not liking dogs based on bad experience, and it;s reasonable to expect owners to keep dogs under control. However, part of living in society involves having to deal with things we don't like. Just as you have bad dog stories you probably have even more bad kid stories - kids screaming, running out of control, throwing food in restaurants, making rude comments, etc. Bad parents let their kids act that way, and there are bad dog parents as well as bad kid parents.
Someone close to has lost several children and she feels a lot of emotional pain at times seeing babies or kids, but she can either face that or become a hermit. I regret that sh has a hard time, and I'm sorry you do with dogs, but in a free society there will always be some tradeoffs. Hopefully you can make owners aware of WHY they should leash in public, but not advocate banning dogs who are responsibly managed.
I never let my dog greet someone in the elevator or other crowded public place without asking them if they mind - it's easy to tell who likes and doesn't like dogs.
MOST hardware stores don't allow pets so there is absolutely no question that you can go to the local hardware store without worrying about allergies to pets. You can probably even go to Lowe's and Home Depot and just be careful to avoid them. While I am sympathetic to people with allergies and I certainly control my pets so they don't interact with anyone who does not want to interact with them, as a society I don't think it's unreasonable to have some places that allow pets, including stores. Bringing your dog someplace doesn't mean you don't care about people with allergies. It's not reasonable to expect people to always leave pets at home because a few people have severe allergies; it makes more sense for those few people to exercise caution.
Recently when visiting one of the two HD stores near me I noticed they had put a no-pets sign in the window. I haven't been to the other store yet to see if they have a similar policy. I am quite sure the sign and policy at the store are new. I looked for a sign before taking her in there once before and could not find it.
If HD and Lowes ban my little dog, I will most definitely shop someplace else.
Anyway I just brought my cat (yes Cat) to HD for the first time today, and everyone loved her. She loved being pushed in the cart. She was well behaved until we got outside again and she jumped out of the cart. More then half the staff gave her pets and were excited to see a cat in the store since they always see dogs. Even customers turned to look at the sight. I saw no sign on the doors but one employee did say pets shouldnt be in there but said it's not a strict rule as long as they are well behaved and in a cart.
I have always seen more pets in Lowes then I have in HD. I say as long as the animal is behaved and just sits quietly in a cart then why not? Large dogs can be a hassle and can get in the way but like i said, if they behave then they should go. My dog is large but is excitable around people so I dont bring him.