Costco is a popular American retailer chain, founded in 1983, in Seattle. It operates on a membership basis and is very convenient for those buying goods in bulk. Dog owners are always anxious if the store they want to visit allows dogs. Dogs are great companions, and as humans, we tend to get extremely attached to our pets. In this article, we will visit Costco’s dog policy in detail and tell you Costco allow dogs or not, Are they Pet-friendly?.
Costco’s Dog Policy
Costco has an official policy regarding dogs in their store, which states that only service dogs are allowed in. This policy complies with the rules of the American Disabilities Association, or the ADA, which highlights the necessity of service dogs.
Costco does not allow pet dogs or emotional support animals, also called ESA. Depending on the store, however, Costco could allow your dogs in without checking its credentials and some Costco stores are very pet-friendly in this regard, so you could just walk in with your pet and not face any problems.
Difference Between a Service Dog and an ESA
So what is considered a service dog? Service dogs are trained dogs, trained specifically for some purpose. They help people with disabilities by guiding them with tasks and such. These dogs will be trained directly to help their owner with disabilities. They are called assistance dogs, as they help their owner and make life easier for them.
Emotional support dogs, who help relieve their owners of mental health issues like loneliness or depression, are considered to be different from service dogs. They provide their owners with companionship, but they are not vital in their owners’ life, which is where the difference lies.
How To Enter Costco With A Dog?
As mentioned earlier, some Costco stores may turn a blind eye to your dog even if it is not a service dog. You could try entering your local Costco once to test if it is dog-friendly or not.
As this is technically in opposition to their official policy, it depends on a lot of factors such as the location, leniency of the management, timings, and how busy the store is.
It also depends on how well-behaved your dog is. Usually, stores don’t allow pets as they disturb other customers. So, each customer may have a different experience with the same store regarding their dog.
If you are someone who has a service dog with you, entering any Costco store with your dog is easy. You have immediate access to any store in the country. They will need to verify whether your dog is a service dog first. The in-store employees will ask just two questions. These are:
- Is your dog needed to help you with a disability, and if it is a service dog?
- What kind of task does your dog need to help you with?
If you answer these two questions, the employees will let you in without a fuss. It is very rare for employees to ask you for documentation, and no one carries around documentation while going grocery shopping anyway.
When Are Dogs Not Allowed In?
The reason that most places do not allow pets like dogs is due to a variety of factors.
- There may be customers who are allergic to dogs.
- Some owners like to put dogs in shopping carts, which is a possible health violation. The food may be contaminated, their shedding dog hair may cause problems for others.
- And most importantly, dogs may urinate or defecate anywhere in the store, causing inconvenience to everyone.
The employees will be affected first if anything happens, so they like to be cautious.
Still, as Costco has a reputation for being dog friendly, there are a few things your dog can avoid and have a nice time at Costco. Any loud barking, aggressive snarling, and growling will count against your dog.
If your dog keeps pulling its leash or disturbs the items in the store, trying to get a hold of food or anything of that sort. These things will lead employees to send your dog out of the store, even if they are lenient enough to let it in.
Conclusion
Costco is fairly dog-friendly, as some stores are more relaxed and let dogs in without any questions. However, if an employee asks you whether your dog is a service dog, it is advisable not to lie. Lying could be a serious offense, especially if your dog causes trouble in the store.
Nevertheless, unless you have to, taking your dog out shopping is not ideal. You could try making arrangements for your dog to be safe elsewhere while you go out to buy your groceries. Dogs make wonderful pets, but not ideal shopping companions.
We hope this article helped shed a bit of light on the question of Costco’s dog policy. Happy Shopping!
