Surely you have lived this too, having to go to the supermarket and seeing how your furry one looks at you with those little eyes so you do not abandon him. Your dog does not understand minutes and every second you spend outside the house is an eternity for him. And many people do not know if they can go with their dogs to the supermarket.
Well, the clear answer is that you cannot because state law is quite strict with this, but there are some very specific exceptions, so we are going to tell you in which cases you can enter with your pet in some places!
The law in New York
The regulations of the New York Department of Agriculture and Markets state that dogs and any other animals are not allowed in places where food is present or handled. When they say they are not allowed, they mean it literally.
If an inspector sees a dog inside a supermarket, the store can receive a citation. What is more, even a simple complaint from a customer can trigger a formal review. What they want to avoid is contamination, accidents or problems between pets and consumers. Obviously, edible fish or seafood (or even fish inside aquariums for sale) do not apply here, those can be in the store.
Employees also cannot be taking care of animals while handling food… This is not crazy, right? Imagine a cashier taking care of her chihuahua behind the counter.
Are there exceptions?
The law only makes exceptions in very specific cases, as we told you before, only for those animals considered food products or those in fish tanks or aquariums for sale (fish, seafood, etc.).
Aside from that, no cats, no rabbits, no tiny dogs that “do not bother” inside handbags à la Paris Hilton… nothing.
And service dogs?
These animals are the only ones that can enter without problem in food stores, because they are specifically for helping people with disabilities, whether blind people or people on the autism spectrum.
What are service dogs?
They are animals specifically trained to help their owners (normally people with some type of disability) perform specific tasks, alert to medical crises, help with walking, detect seizures or simply guide in the case of blind people.
And not all dogs count as service dogs, only dogs trained for that purpose will qualify (neither emotional support dogs, nor therapy dogs nor pets).
No matter how adorable or calm they are, they do not have specialized training, so the law does not consider them service animals. And yes, this usually causes arguments in supermarkets, more than you would imagine.
What happens if a supermarket lets pets in?
It risks a court citation, the inspection system in NY is quite active and if they find or see an animal where it should not be, they face quite expensive fines or even closures.
If you are going grocery shopping with your dog…
- Remember that you cannot enter with your pet, even if he suffers (and you suffer), you will have to leave him at the door (unless he is trained as a service animal).
- Remember that emotional support dogs do not count, no matter how much they help you emotionally (and yes, this confuses a lot of people), so if you have doubts, maybe it is better to leave your dog at home even if he looks at you with those little eyes.
- And remember, food safety goes far above how manipulative our pets’ little eyes can be when we leave the house, but you can win back their trust by bringing them a treat when you get back 😉