Just 3 days ago, I posted photos and a glowing report about Lilly doing well inside a Home Depot. I did it not only to share a training tale about Lilly but also to say something nice about Home Depot for being a dog-friendly place. Consider that retracted. Sometime between Saturday, Oct 27, and Saturday, Nov 3, the store closest to me in Golden, CO, banned dogs. When Lilly and I arrived Saturday afternoon while out running errands, a large, handwritten sign covered the glass on the entrance doors, announcing that dogs are no longer allowed. It took more than 2 years (TWO YEARS!!!) of training to get Lilly to a point where she was brave enough to go inside. Now, after just 2 visits, she’s locked out??? I could just scream.
Do you remember those scenes with Charlie Brown throwing his head back in despair and yelling “AUGH”? Well, that was me on Saturday.
So, I set out to find out what exactly happened — not only because I want to write about it here but also so that I can potentially write about it for one of my newspaper or magazine clients. I already have calls into editors. (For those just tuning in, I’m a professional writer/reporter.)
Here is what I’ve heard so far …
In the parking lot on Saturday, I asked another woman with a dog if she knew what was up. She said that she heard there’d been a bad dog fight inside the store and than an employee was injured trying to break it up.
This morning, on the phone, I asked the customer service person who answered about the change in policy, and she said it was because a dog had diarrhea inside the store and that its person made no attempt to clean it up or ask for help.
The store manager, however, told me that there have been no incidents inside his store. He said the change came in response to things happening at other local stores. He would not say what those events were.
He also told me that it’s company policy NOT to allow dogs at all, but that the stores in Colorado, which is a dog-crazy state, allowed it … until recently. (I’m checking with dog pals across the country to see what store policy is where they live, and so far several have reported back that the Home Depot stores near them DO allow dogs. If you’d like to add to our informal poll, please post with info on your store experience.)
My quest continued with a call to the animal control agency with jurisdiction over the store’s location. There is a joke among journalists — If your mom says she loves you, check it out. In other words, don’t believe things people tell you, unless you can confirm.
So, I went digging, just to see. A police department staff member in the records office checked all police reports, which included animal control calls, going back 10 days, and found no reports of dog bites or dog fights at the store address. So, who knows where the dog fight story started, but it appears not to be true at least for “my” store.
To check on the store policy rules, I tried calling two media contacts for this region of Home Depot stores, but I could not reach anyone live. Messages instructed me to send an email to their blackberries for a faster response, so I did, but it’s been 2 hours, and I haven’t heard back. So, that piece of the puzzle is pending.
I’ll report back when (if) I get an answer.
I’m so sorry to hear about your experience. So many people have no CLUE how threatening they seem to dogs — both in body language and tone of voice.
Our closest Home Depot, for some reason, is allowing dogs again. I learned that when I took Lilly shopping with me for flowers. We stayed out in the garden area, but the staff we talked to said it was OK to bring her inside. I don’t think they encourage it, but I don’t think they forbid it anymore.
I would be VERY upset if someone was belligerent about it, though. I honestly believe that good customer service is extinct.
I just went into a homedepot one manger who i asked before I took my two goldens into said yes, everything was going great until another worker(or manger came up) very aggrssive and angery and even started to yell at us how dogs where not allowed in. I told him I got an ok with another manger and that I am a dog trainer myself. My one golden did a small bunny hop which then he pointed at and said what if that was a child! Once again I stated most parents would ask before letting their child come up to a dog, and most childern aren’t showing themselves as an threat as you are right now. Needless to say I will not be shoping at homedepot or even giving it paws up to any dog owner who comes for trianing.
Sad to hear. this is all increasing troubles.
I’d heard many years ago that they had banned dog in Home Depot but as you say some stores allow it anyway. I’m supposing it’s a matter of staff at a particular store not being aware of the rules.
You can take dogs into McGuckin’s Hardware in Boulder. The staff even carry biscuits in their aprons to feed to the dogs. There’s also a place across the street from Chipotle on Pearl St. west of the mall that allows dogs. Urban Outfitters maybe? It’s been about 6 years since I was there though so it might be gone and/or have changed policies.
I just heard back from a media person for Home Depot in my region, and she confirmed that indeed it’s official Corporate Policy that dogs are not allowed in the stores. She says there should be formal signage near the doors that says dogs are not allowed.
She emphasized that this is not a change in policy. It has always been the policy.
But, I also have confirmed reports of dogs regularly being allowed without any trouble inside Home Depot stores in several cities in the U.S. and Canada. So, clearly in some communities it’s not just tolerated but allowed more openly than others. And, it was in mine … until last week.
And, I’m very, very bummed about that.