John Lewis is now dog friendly!

[ACJ68]

Apparently it’s a soft launch,
Well behaved dogs on leads are now allowed in all John Lewis stores.
I’m not certain if any of the cafe areas have designated areas for dogs, as there isn’t any information online.
There may also be difficulties if the store is accessed via a shopping centre that only allows guide / assistance dogs.
A brave but great move by JLP - I’m just off to visit my nearest store!

[Snappymcsnappy]

Yes, slobber, dog hair, wee and poo is indeed a potential concern.

I have seen this work so well in Vienna (dogs in shops) but I am just not convinced it would work well here due to poor owners

[MrsGollach]

I think this is fake news ( I hope so anyway)

[OrdinaryGirl]

This has got to be a wind-up.

[Girlfrommars11]

Tbh pets at home lets dogs in and it's a nightmare. Not sure it's a great idea in a department store full of expensive goods.

So many dogs wee in pets at home, so my dog who is trained wants to wee to scent mark. So I can't take my eye of him for one second. Then you have other dogs being aggressive to him. Only a couple of weeks ago he was bitten by a big bull/lab cross looking thing in pets at home.

It would work if only nice dogs go in, but in my experience most dogs are poorly trained and poorly socialised.

[fleshmarketclose]

I wouldn't take my dog in even if she is small and well behaved but I'd be happy to see other dogs out and about in JL. When we went on holiday in Dumfries it seemed as though everywhere welcomed dogs which I found really nice tbh and didn't notice it causing any problems.

[sulee]

Great idea. Not sure I’ll ever take mine in, but good on them!

[ngreen]

I think its a great idea if you are sure your dog is well behaved and perhaps smaller than average. Perhaps if you are driving to out of town stores it may not make sense to take your dog with you, but in cities where you don't need to drive you can/may take your dog for a walk en-route to shopping or meeting friends etc, its slightly different.
My dog would much prefer to be with me anywhere (even Jlewis!) than be home alone without me. Sadly dogs just aren't safe left outside of our local shops anymore (perhaps that just applies to cities). There isnt any law against dogs being allowed in stores or cafe's but it is down to the confidence of the store/cafe owners own hygiene practices. Some well-known stores like Fenwicks and Liberty allow dogs into their cafes which is great and many smaller more local cafes do too. I guess I'm slightly biased in favour of the JL policy as a responsible dog owner and do appreciate people may have had bad experiences with other dogs and are nervous. But my dog has been trained and is extremely sociable and well-behaved and she's also hypo-allergenic (as my partner has asthma) so I am really confident taking her anywhere. In reality, very few people are going to take their dogs (especially big bouncy ones), but its a nice for those of us that can.

[Itssosunnyout]

Terrible idea. I'm scared of dogs, my motherland siblings are allergic. I always shop there. I now wouldn't go in store for that reason nor would my family which is 5 customers lost.

I don't understand this obsession to integrate dogs everywhere. If you need to go to the shops surely you can part with your dog for a few hours.

[Decormad38]

I love my dog but I don’t want to take her shopping!

[adaline]

I don't understand this obsession to integrate dogs everywhere. If you need to go to the shops surely you can part with your dog for a few hours.

I think the idea is more that you can take your dog shopping without having to go home first. So if you're out walking him and you want to pop in, you can.

Around here dogs are welcome in a good 95% of local shops - except ones that sell food basically. I can take my dog everywhere in town except Tesco and co-op!

[Toddlerteaplease]

Think I might take my cat shopping. She'd enjoy that!

[Grumpyoldpersonwithcats]

It's time to confess that one of my previous cats had a myWaitrose card. The rules stated you had to be 18 - didn't mention you had to be a person. Not sure I'll be taking the cats to John Lewis though.

[nevertol]

Took mine today. She was made very welcome!!

[Wiltom]

This is great. Often I pass JL and just need to pop in for something and can't as I would never leave my dog in the car. I then end up ordering whatever I needed online which is not supporting the high street.

[Sarcelle]

I don't have a dog but would love one. So not anti dogs but why do they need to go to shops. What if they cock their leg up and wee or do a poo?

[Purplecatshopaholic]

I think this policy is great. I generally shop online but want to take my boy in to show support for it. I don’t go to places that don’t allow dogs, there is no way I would tie him up outside somewhere. Well done JL

[Lagloiredemonpere]

Having lived in France for a while, I am absolutely amazed at the difference of acceptance of dogs in our everyday lives..
In France, who does not claim to be a dog loving country, the understanding is that your pet is part of your everyday lives and if you wish to take It to a particular shop because you do not wish to leave it at home alone or because it’s too hot or for whatever reason, you are welcome to do so. In all my years here, I have never ever encountered or heard of this being a problem..
In this country, who claims to be a dog loving country, this is frowned upon at being unacceptable behaviour..
I have never come accross any pets with their owners acting unacceptably within an establishment, even in the U.K. where dogs are allowed, it is all absolutely fine..I couldn’t say the same for a lot of children and their parents..

[PookieDo]

I take my dog to Pets at home all the time he loves it

But I probably will swerve JL. I can’t think why I would need to?

[Pipandmum]

Why would anyone want to take a dog into a shop like John Lewis? I never understand it when I see people walking around busy shopping areas with a poor dog on a very short leash. It can’t really sniff anything or wee or do it’s business. It’s loud, it’s hot and I imagine quite confusing.

[fitflopqueen]

We recently stopped by JL Cheadle on way home from day out to get some electrical item. Our springer came in with us, she is well behaved and enjoyed the attention, staff and customers were all very nice with her. It’s about being aware and sensible, wouldn’t want to walk round the clothing or china/glass due to hairs and risk of breakages

[pgreenmom]

it is indeed great news and they have now formally announced it for John Lewis stores

[nitgel]

Have to say I don't particularly like this. There were few in our local store this weekend. I just don't really like them around.esp in the clothing section. I think it's an odd idea really.

[SunshineOutdoors]

My dh is extremely allergic to dogs (and all pet hair). John Lewis is one of my favourite shops. Guess I’ll have to go on my own and get final decision on all purchases.