Header photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
🎶 Save big money at Menards 🎶 For those outside of the upper midwest, Menards is a chain of home improvement stores headquartered in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. It now has over 300 stores in 15 states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
Unfortunately, as of April 2020, dogs are no longer allowed in Menards unless they are service dogs. This is the case even though Menards sells plenty of dog-related items, including food, toys, and treats.
Note: this post may contain affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something, we may earn a commission. Thanks for reading!
Does Menards Allow Dogs?
As of April 2020, Menards no longer allows pets unless they are service animals. This change was instated in April 2020 at the start of COVID. Due to state- and city-level restrictions on store capacity, Menards changed their policy to not allow kids under 16, and to not allow non-service animals.
These signs were first posted online in April of 2020.
Menards later changed their policy to allow children again, but the restriction on non-service animals remains in effect. As a result, you cannot bring your dog into Menards unless they are a service animal.
So if you remember seeing dogs in Menards, you’re likely remembering a store visit before COVID-19. Since the pandemic started, only service animals are allowed in.
Bringing a Service Animal into Menards
Per Menards policy, you can bring a service dog into a Menards store. The ADA makes it illegal for stores to ask for documentation about a service animal, to inquire about a person’s disability, or to have the dog demonstrate a task.
However, Menards employees can ask the following questions:
- Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability?
- What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?
It’s not okay to lie about your dog being a service animal. If your dog is not a registered service animal, you will have to leave that at home, or if it is safe to do so, leave them in the car.
Pet-Friendly Home Improvement Alternatives
If you need to bring your dog into a home improvement store, you can visit Lowes, which has a dog-friendly policy. Likewise, you can bring your dog into Tractor Supply stores, which have a dog-friendly policy as well. And finally, depending which states you live in, you might be able to bring your dog into Fleet Farm or Farm & Fleet.
