It was Shih Tzu dog being carried in a shopping cart that lunged at her. In early 2011 a Home Depot worked in Ottawa, Canada, had her nose partially bitten off by a dog as she greeted the animal and owner at the door of the store. Certified service animals are an exception to this policy and are welcome in our stores.” The safety of our customers and associates is our number one priority. “The Home Depot Canada follows a strict no animals in-store policy. Here’s what their animal policy is quoted directly from the Canadian version of the website: Dogs are not allowed in Home Depot Canada, with zero exceptions aside from service dogs. However, things are a little different in Canada, and far stricter. So, in effect I am working in a dog friendly Home Depot, even though officially it isn’t’.” Are dogs allowed in Home Depot Canada? “My boss told me to never, ever ask for a service dog’s documentation otherwise we could get terminated. For 30 minutes customers were running carts all through it!” It’s not always that great though, last Halloween a dog messed in the drywall aisle and it wasn’t reported and cleaned up. “Colleagues of mine actually carry little bags of doggie treats in their aprons. As long as you clean up after your dog, none of us actually care a jot.”

To be honest, none of us want to ask anyway, it’s too awkward. “My manager told me that it’s too much of a grind to ask every dog owner who comes inside the store for documentation proving their animal is a service dog.

Management have told us that as long as the dog doesn’t mess on the floor, act aggressive or scare customers then it’s fine for them to come in.” “Our store never enforces the service dog rule. This assumption is backed up by what some Home Depot employees told me on Twitter. It appears that the Home Depot dog policy is something that is very lax and depends on what the store manager’s opinion is. “Leashed dogs are welcome inside Home Depot, but they must be under control and cleaned up after.” In fact, I found one store in Dallas that has this notice on their website: Home Depot is clearly a very dog friendly store, and it appears that only a few stores in the United States actually bother to enforce the policy about service dogs. But you might have found that this dog policy is not enforced in your local Home Depot, and there’s a good reason why. It’s quite clear that only certain types of dogs are permitted in the store. They are not the same as emotional support dogs. Service animals may also be referred to as assistance dogs, assist dogs, or helper dogs depending on the country and the dog’s function.” “Service dogs are working dogs that have been trained to perform tasks that assist disabled people. The definition of a service dog is as follows: What does that mean exactly, as it’s a bit confusing right? Well, from what I can gather, dogs are allowed at Home Depot, but only if they are service dogs. However, many stores around the US have a lax approach and are dog friendly to all, with very few employees checking the credentials of the dogs that enter the store. Here’s what I found out.Īre dogs allowed in Home Depot? Home Depot’s dog policy officially states that only service dogs can come inside the store. I decided to find out once and for all, and actually interviewed some or their employees to get clarity on whether Home Depot allows dogs. But some stores are increasingly dog friendly, and Home Depot is said to be one such company, but what is the truth? Most of the time this is the correct assumption to make, particularly with stores that sell food. As dog owners we are conditioned into thinking that we can’t take our dogs into stores.

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