Are you looking for a dog friendly store?
Maybe you have a puppy that needs to be socialized. Or perhaps you have an adult dog who’s trained and you want to proof his obedience around distractions.
You probably know that stores like Home Depot and Zamzows are dog-friendly, but this list is different! I spent a few hours calling around to local stores in the greater Boise area to personally find out who allows dogs and who doesn’t.
Here’s a FRESH NEW LIST of dog-friendly stores in Boise:
- Dollar Tree*
316 W State St., Eagle, ID 83616 - Big Lots
7001 W State St., Boise, ID 83714 - Ross Dress for Less
6720 N Glenwood St., Boise, ID 83714 - Rite Aid*
7020 W State St., Boise, ID 83714 - Steelz Department Store
280 E Corporate Dr., Meridian, ID 83642 - Vapor Emporium
2020 E Overland Rd., Suite 120, Meridian, ID 83642 and 5205 Cleveland Blvd, Suite 103, Caldwell, ID 83607 - Marshalls
2020 N Eagle Rd., Meridian, ID 83646 - Cattle Kate
1533 N Wildwood Way, Boise, ID 83713 (this is a boutique store; they are dog-friendly but only for well-behaved dogs) - Dillard’s**
350 N Milwaukee St., Boise, ID 83704 - Macy’s**
370 N Milwaukee St., Boise, ID 83704 - Nordstrom Rack**
534 N Milwaukee St., Boise, ID 83704 - Sears**
460 N Milwaukee St., Boise, ID 83704
*Multiple locations in the greater Boise area
**Located in the Boise Town Plaza
Other pet-friendly stores (you probably know about)
- Home Depot
- Ace Hardware
- Lowe’s (some, not all)
- Northwest Pets
- Petco
- Petsmart
- Sportsman’s Warehouse
Everyone I talked to said something along the lines of, “We’re dog-friendly if the dog is friendly, well-behaved and on leash.” (Completely understandable!) Aggressive dogs, disruptive dogs and dogs who may make customers uncomfortable are not allowed.
Please remember that bringing your dog into a store is a privilege and not a right.
- Be courteous
- Potty your dogs in advance
- Bring poop bags just in case
- Never let your dog climb on or damage merchandise. (Like, ever! Your dog should never be on top of something that’s for sale.)
- Always keep your dog away from people who clearly do not wish to say hi
And if you want to go the extra mile…
- Buy something while you’re in there
- And thank an employee for being dog-friendly
If more responsible owners with well-behaved dogs did the above things, we might not lose the privilege.
I’ve always appreciated being able to go inside stores with dogs in training. But nowadays, with COVID-19, when dogs still need to be socialized and trained, having access to dog-friendly stores is a godsend.
When I called one of the stores, Vapor Emporium, the employee didn’t know if they were dog-friendly anymore or not. “We used to be dog-friendly like five years ago. But then we had so many dogs come in that weren’t friendly, so I don’t know if we are not or not.” He recommended calling their other location to speak with a manager. Fortunately, the manager said they are in fact dog-friendly. (Phew!)
Several of the stores listed above said they rarely get doggie visitors.
Do you know what that means? This is our chance to make a GREAT FIRST IMPRESSION!
Please, if your dog is aggressive, poorly behaved on leash or not potty trained, please don’t go into stores with him/her. You need to do some training. (Ahem, we can help you!) You’ll be amazed at what a few private lessons or a board & train can do for your dog’s overall happiness, obedience and general behavior.
Of course, a few places I called said “No” to dogs, so it’s only fair to list those stores too so we respect the rules.
The following stores are not dog-friendly (they only allow trained service dogs):
- Walgreens
- Marshalls
- JC Penney
Keep in mind that places like grocery stores who offer mostly food products are not going to be pet-friendly and by law are only required to allow trained service dogs.
I’ll bet most of the dog owners in Boise don’t know how many stores are dog-friendly. Let’s get the word out–
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Thank you and happy training!
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