Can you really bring your four-legged child with you on a shopping trip? When Finn, my golden retriever was a puppy I pretty much brought him with me everywhere. Mostly because he was a tiny pup and I could bring him in my bag and unto a shopping cart but the day came when that became the impossible, he just got too big. Sadly, I found myself leaving him home. Oh, how I wish we can bring our dogs with us everywhere. You can’t bring them to work, to go food shopping, and to go eat.
However, I believe we are seeing an improvement with many retail stores. I truly believe taking your dog with on shopping tips helps improve the quality of their life as well as yours. Socializing in your trips gives them purpose, prepare them to learn how to behave around people and crowded spaces.
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I have created a list for you that are dog friendly. Keep in mind starting out especially if this is your first time. First check out their pet policy on their website and keep in mind that some stores might have restrictions for a particular location. make sure your dog has gone potty before entering the store and always keep poop bags with you. You might want to start slow, liken tight spaces and loud noises might make some dogs nervous. Perhaps consider the time and day when the store is less crowded. Eventually, you know your dog tolerance and weed certain stores out. Another consideration are wide isles and low noise levels. Finn loves people and crowds do not scare him at all. So, I have been pretty lucky and it has given us more bonding time. Importantly, always have your dog on a leash.
I really miss those days. However, there are some stores that are dog friendly and here’s a list of stores that welcome dogs.
- Academy Sports & Outdoors
- Ace Hardware
- Ann Taylor
- Anthropologie
- Abercrombie & Fitch
- Apple Stores
- Banana Republic
- Bath & Body Works (standalone locations, not mall stores)
- Bass Pro Shops
- Bed Bath N Beyond
- Barnes and Noble
- Bloomingdales
- Cabels's
- Camping World
- Foot Locker
- Gap
- Half Price Books
- Hallmark
- Hobby Lobby
- Home Goods
- Home Depot
- Joann Fabrics
- Loft
- Lowes
- Lulumelon
- Macys
- Madewell
- Marshall’s
- Michaels
- Nordstrom
- Nordstom Rack
- Old Navy
- Preilly Auto Parts
- Petco
- PetSmart
- Pet Supplies Plus
- Pottery Barn
- Ross
- Saks Fifth Avenue
- Sephora
- TJ MAXX
- Urban Outfitters
- Warby Parker
- Tractor Supply
Here’s a website BringFido.com and you can get their app BringFido to help find a pet-friendly store near you.
