Can You Bring Your Dog Into Lowes?
People love to bring their dogs with them. Most dogs often enjoy being with their owners and investigating the areas that they want to bring their dogs to. As such, many stores and franchises make it clear on whether or not dogs are allowed to enter so that people know where their dogs can go.
However, some places may not have these rules stated as clearly as they could be. Some places change their rules over time, and some people may not support those rules meaning that their individual stores are different, despite the fact that by technicality, your dog is allowed.
One such store that you may be wondering about is Lowes Hardware. If you are wondering about are dogs allowed in Lowes, you may have a bit of trouble, as the lines on this rule can be a little bit blurred at times. First things first, it is important to understand the clear and defined rules.
The Concrete Facts
There are a few things that are blanket rules across all stores and locations. This is that service dogs are always going to be allowed into the store and that dogs that are unruly and untrained are not going to be allowed. As long as your dog has a clearly visible vest and you have the documentation to prove it is a service animal, it will be allowed in all stores.
Likewise, regardless of the individual difference in store owners and management, dogs that are not able to control themselves (or owners who are not able or willing to control their dogs) are not going to be allowed to stay in the store. Either the dog has to go or both the owner and the dog will have to go, depending on the owner’s willingness to keep the dog well-behaved. If your dog is one that may lose control over all the exciting aspects of going to the store, you should probably hold off on taking it here.
These are the baseline facts that you can assume to be true of all locations, regardless of how individual managers keep their stores maintained. If your dog is one that cannot behave properly on store grounds, it will not be allowed to stay, and likewise, if your dog is a service animal, it will almost always be allowed to enter the store so that it can assist you.
The Policy of the Store and How it Is Managed
The general policy of the store is that only service animals are allowed in. This makes sense, as dogs typically aren’t allowed to enter most stores in the first place as the risks of having dogs in the store tends to be far greater than the business benefits of allowing dogs in the store. There are some locations that strictly follow the store policy, especially if there has been trouble with dogs in the past.
With that being said, individual owners of stores and different management teams tend to be more lenient than others, especially given that a hardware store doesn’t have to worry about the same food contamination issues as other stores do. This means that some store management will simply look the other way from your dog being in the store, assuming that your dog is well-behaved and not causing a ruckus.
This means that, in truth, whether or not a non-service animal is allowed in the store is going to come down to the management of the store itself. Depending on the circumstances, you may be able to contact the management of your local store to see whether or not they are strict about upholding their policy, although they may be obligated to say “yes,” even if they would otherwise allow a dog in.
What Does This Mean for You?
Unfortunately, this can lead to a lot of confusion and blurred lines on whether or not you can actually bring your dog into the store. Assuming that your dog is not a certified service animal, some management teams will ask you to take your dog off the store property. Other places may come and make sure that your dog is not causing distress, but will leave it at that.
The best thing that you can do is call ahead to your local store and see what their own personal management policy is. Store management varies by location, and even two stores in the same city may have different rules on allowing dogs onto the property. Management also varies by reputation, meaning that if your dog has caused problems before, chances are that it won’t be allowed in at all.
While this means that there is no clear answer of whether or not your dog is allowed in, this does mean that there is a better chance of your dog being allowed to hang out with you in the store than at most other stores that have a strict “no pets” policy. Additionally, you can always talk to the management in the store yourself, though they may not be as willing to listen if they are dealing with an unexpected dog.
Increasing the Chances Your Dog Can Be with You
More often than not, excluding the stores that are particularly strict about allowing animals on the property, as long as your dog is not causing attention to itself (for reasons other than being cute), most management won’t mind having the dog on the property. There are ways that you can make sure your dog is well-behaved in the store.
For dogs small enough to be carried easily, you can simply carry your dog. This drastically decreases the risk that your dog will urinate or defecate on the ground, which helps management be more willing to allow the dog in. You can also have your dog in a stroller or a carrier, which will serve the same type of purpose while leaving your hands free.
If your dog has a tendency to bark at things, it probably won’t be allowed in as barking can be startling. If your dog is a quieter dog, then there’s a better chance that it will be allowed to stay with you. Additionally, any dog you bring in (that isn’t in a carrier or a stroller) should always be leashed. Most places won’t allow dogs that are not on a leash.
As a bottom line, you should be able to maintain complete control over your dog. Dogs that are unruly or misbehaving won’t be allowed to stay in the store at all, no matter how lenient management might be. Smaller, quieter dogs tend to be accepted more often than loud, large dogs, as a rule of thumb.
