25 Dog Friendly Stores Beyond Service Animals

There are a lot of great reasons to have a dog, but if you want to take your furbaby with you to run errands, you might wonder which stores welcome pets, and which ones prohibit them. Check our list of 25 dog-friendly stores – beyond service animals – before you head out with your pup.

More Dog Friendly Stores Than You Think

It wasn’t long ago that dogs weren’t allowed in a retail setting unless they were service animals. The times are changing, and today, many mainstream retail stores welcome your dog to come inside and shop with you. This relaxed pet policy has dog owners everywhere rejoicing. The convenience factor is wonderful, not to mention that you can avoid leaving your pet at home unattended for long periods of time. Although some stores still uphold a strict no-pet policy, more and more retail chains have amended their rules to welcome both you and your dog.

Stores That Are Dog-Friendly

It’s important to note that the final decision on whether or not dogs are allowed at certain stores is ultimately left up to the individual store manager, so even if a chain is dog-friendly, your local store may not be. It’s always best to call ahead and ask before taking your dog along.

• • Anthropologie is dog friendly.
  • Apple store is dog friendly.
  • Barnes and Noble is dog friendly.
  • Bass Pro Shops are dog friendly.
  • Bebe is dog friendly.
  • Bloomingdale’s is dog friendly.
  • Crate and Barrel is dog friendly.
  • Foot Locker is dog friendly.
  • Free People is dog friendly.
  • Gap is dog friendly.
  • Home Goods is dog friendly.
  • JoAnn Fabrics is dog friendly.
  • Kohl’s is dog friendly.
  • Lowes is dog friendly.
  • Lush Cosmetics is dog friendly.
  • Macy’s is dog friendly.
  • Marshalls is dog friendly.
  • Michael’s is dog friendly.
  • Neiman Marcus is dog friendly.
  • Nordstrom is dog friendly.
  • Old Navy is dog friendly.
  • PetCo is dog friendly.
  • PetSmart is dog friendly.
  • Pottery Barn is dog friendly.
  • Restoration Hardware is dog friendly.
  • Saks Fifth Avenue is dog friendly.
  • Saturn car dealerships are dog friendly.
  • Sephora is dog friendly.
  • TJ Maxx is dog friendly.
  • Tractor Supply Co. is dog friendly.
  • Urban Outfitters is dog friendly.

Stores That Are Not Dog-Friendly

It’s important to note that stores which are not pet and dog-friendly will still allow service dogs to enter their retail space. They won’t, however, allow pet dogs on their premises.

• • Belks is not dog friendly.
  • Best Buy is not dog friendly.
  • BJ’s Wholesale Club is not dog friendly.
  • Costco is not dog friendly.
  • CVS is not dog friendly.
  • Dillard’s is not dog friendly.
  • Home Depot is not dog friendly.
  • JC Penny is not dog friendly.
  • KMart is not dog friendly.
  • Kroger is not dog friendly.
  • Lowe’s is not dog friendly.
  • Party City is not dog friendly.
  • Rite Aid is not dog friendly.
  • Sams Club is not dog friendly.
  • Sears is not dog friendly.
  • Target is not dog friendly.
  • Walgreens is not dog friendly.
  • Walmart is not dog friendly.
  • Dollar General is not dog friendly.
  • Dollar Tree is not dog friendly.

Is There A Loophole?  Can I Get My Dog Certified As A Service Animal?

Since discrimination against a disabled member of the public who uses a service animal is illegal, you may be wondering if you can get your dog certified as a service animal to get into the stores you like.   

This answer is: you can, but it’s an extensive process. 

People regularly assert their animals are emotional support animals.  For example a man in Michigan recently sued the city of Whiteaker, Michigan for ticketing him for keeping six emotional support chickens on his property (here).  And the TSA recently denied a woman access to her flight due to her possession of a 4 foot emotional support boa constrictor (Tampa Bay News).   So, the legality of emotional support animals is far from clear. 

The law is far clearer as regards service animals.  Per the U.S. Department of Justice, “businesses and non-profits that are open to the public as well as state/local governments must allow service animals to go most places where the public can go. This is true even if they have a “no pets” policy ” (here).

Getting your dog certified as service animal is doable, but not easy.  Service animals must be dogs and trained to perform a task directly related to a persons disability (DOJ).  In reality this means professional training and certifications, and you also need to have a legitimate diagnosable disability.  So, its not just buying a certificate on the internet and waltzing down your local Starbucks. 

Don’t Pay Full Retail for Pet Food

If you’re looking for pet friendly stores, you’re probably buying pet food and supplies.   Here at savingadvice we advocate not paying full retail for anything, pet food included. Here are three ideas to help cover your pets costs:

1. Get cash back. Ibotta is a major cash back app. They have plenty of pet food cash back offers from major retailers.   If you don’t have the app, you can get it here. 
2. Coupons.  You can email the manufacturer of the pet food or supplies you like and see if they have any coupons available.  Nobody does this but, yes, you can save money with this approach. 
3. Use a cash back card in combination with receipt scanning apps.  If you aren’t going to hustle coupons or cash back, definitely use a cash back credit card (but be sure to pay it off), and take the extra money.  Next, scan the receipt with an app like Fetch, ReceiptPal, ReceiptHog, or the like.  These apps will give you points towards a giftcard or whatever you need.  This will help shave an additional 1/2% off the bill. 

None of these are earth shattering, but if you do them consistently over time, it should reduce your pet costs. 

Finally, We would love to make this list comprehensive so dog lovers know where they can and can’t take their pets. If you know of a store that is pet-friendly or one on this list, which is no longer dog friendly, please leave a comment so we can ensure this list is the most up to date.

For more on pets and how they can affect your finances check out these articles:

How Much Does a Dog Cost? It’s More Than You Think
Five Ways to Make Money if You Love Pets
How to Save Money on Dog Food

(Photo courtesy of Anders Porter)

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