Sam’s Club is a membership-only chain that sells everything from groceries and household essentials to electronics and apparel, making it an excellent stop for people to access wholesale prices on a wide range of products. However, taking a trip to the Sam’s Club begs the question if dogs are allowed in the stores for dog parents.
Our article will guide you on everything about shopping at Sam’s Club with a dog. Continue reading to the end to know if you can shop at Sam’s Club with your dog.
Does Sam’s Club Allow Dogs in the Store?
The shortest answer to whether dogs are allowed in Sam’s Club is no. Sam’s Club doesn’t allow dogs in the stores. This policy doesn’t only apply to dogs, though. All pets are denied entry to all of 600 Sam’s Club locations.
This means you’ll need to leave your dog at home before shopping at Sam’s Club. You’ll also need to do the same before shopping at the parent company of Sam’s Club, Walmart.
However, not all dog owners are subject to the pet policy of Sam’s Club or Walmart. There are exceptions to the pet policy of stores and other locations open to the general public.
Are Service Dogs Allowed in Sam’s Club?
Service animals are protected under federal law as their handler with a disability requires them to live independently. Thousands of individuals with varying disabilities rely on their service animals, and the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) grants service animals public access rights.
Therefore, service animals aren’t subject to businesses’ pet policies. If you have a service animal, you can take them shopping with you at Sam’s Club. This exception given to service animals doesn’t only apply to this particular establishment. The public access rights of service animals are granted to any store, regardless of what they sell, that is open to the general public.
Can Sam’s Club Deny a Service Animal?
Sam’s Club can’t deny service animals because of their pet policy. Unless the presence of the service animal poses a direct threat to the health or safety of the people in the store, you can enter the store with your service animal.
Additionally, the service dog must be well-behaved and housebroken. Sam’s Club may ask someone with a service animal to leave if the animal is out of control and the handler can’t get the dog under control.
When entering Sam’s Club, you aren’t required to present any documentation proving the status of your dog as a service animal. However, Sam’s Club may ask the following questions as explained in the ADA.
- Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability?
- What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?
Besides these two questions, Sam’s Club workers can’t ask your service animal to perform a specific task to demonstrate their training or require documentation proving their training. Doing so would be against federal law. If you encounter discrimination because of your disability, you can report it to the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division online.
How to Make Your Dog a Service Animal
With public access rights, thousands of Americans want to make their dogs service animals. However, a dog becoming a service animal isn’t as straightforward as putting on a special harness.
Nevertheless, there isn’t a specific path to make your dog a service animal. Any dog can become a service animal as long as they are trained to assist someone with a disability. This also means only those with a qualifying disability can have their dogs as a service animal.
If you qualify, you have two options to make your dog a service animal. You can utilize service animal training resources to train your dog at home or hire a trainer. Since service animals take on a wide range of duties to help their handler, there are tasks easier to train than others.
For example, those with hearing impairment can teach their dogs to alert them when the smoke alarm goes off, or someone knocks on the door in a few weeks. However, those with physical disabilities needing a mobility assistance dog to pull on a wheelchair or retrieve objects from specific locations will need to invest a lot more time and effort.
Once your dog is fully trained to assist you, there shouldn’t be a problem entering Sam’s Club, or any other store, for that matter.
Are Emotional Support Animals Allowed in Sam’s Club?
Emotional support animals (ESAs) are also assistance animals. They provide comfort to their handler with a psychiatric disability through companionship. Instead of executing specific commands to help their handler, these animals simply exist and provide emotional comfort.
Although these animals, whether a dog or any other pet, are an irreplaceable part of their owners’ lives, they don’t have the same public access rights as service animals. The Americans With Disabilities Act only covers service animals, not ESAs.
How to Leave Your Dog at Home to Shop at Sam’s Club (And Other Stores)
If your dog can stay home without you needing to be there, that’s great! You can leave them at home and shop at Sam’s Club. However, this isn’t a feasible option for many dog owners because their dogs experience separation anxiety from the moment they leave home.
It’s common for a dog with separation anxiety to make excessive noise, making it impossible to leave them at home due to fears of conflict with neighbors. Those in this situation aren’t helpless. You can help your dog overcome their separation anxiety – not only so you can leave them home to shop at Sam’s Club but also to help them live independently.
Here are a few tips on how you can help your dog overcome separation anxiety.
- Crate Training: Helping your dog associate their crate positively and increasing the time spent inside slowly without your presence can help your dog overcome separation anxiety.
- Keep Them Busy: Keeping your dog occupied with a puzzle stuffed with tasty treats will move your dog’s mind away from you and focus on what they have in front of them. You can also incorporate this with the crate.
- Exercise: A tired dog is less likely to experience stress when you leave home and engage in destructive behavior or excessive barking. Make sure your dog is well-exercised and mentally stimulated before leaving them home alone.
- White Noise: If your dog’s separation anxiety is mild, you can play white noise in the background before you leave them home alone or in their crate. It will block outside noises, which may make your dog look for you. This works particularly well with dogs that feel afraid when you leave and tend to bark.
The above can help, but take into consideration that your dog may be experiencing a medical problem if their separation anxiety is severe. If you’ve tried everything, but your dog can’t overcome their fears of being home alone, consider talking to your vet. Additionally, you can consult a professional trainer to get assistance.
What If You Can’t Leave Your Dog?
Sometimes, leaving your dog home alone isn’t an option. If this situation applies to you, your only alternative is to shop online. Luckily, you can shop for pretty much anything sold in Sam’s Club stores online. You can place an order for the items you want to buy and get everything delivered to your home.
Although shopping online may be convenient, note that you’ll need to pay for shipping. However, you can get everything delivered to your address for free with a Sam’s Club Plus membership.
Final Thoughts On If You Can Bring Your Dog to Sam’s Club
Unless you have a service animal, you can’t take your dog shopping at Sam’s Club. All 600 Sam’s Club stores have a no-pet policy prohibiting dogs from entering the premises. Those who don’t qualify for a service animal will need to leave their dogs at home before going to shop at Sam’s Club or order online.
If you have a disability, you can train your dog to become a service animal. It will ensure you can enter Sam’s Club and other stores and improve your quality of life by having your dog assist you.
Already have a service animal? Consider registering your service animal with us to get a registered service animal card to prove their status easily.