Last week I was planning to buy some necessary supplies for our soon to be apartment balcony garden. Since I’m focusing on planting a pet friendly garden, I thought it would be great if I could take Luna along with me. It would be a great opportunity to get her out of the house and a great opportunity for photos.

Luna stops to smell the flowers at Merrifield Garden Center

Since I had seen so much online about Home Depot allowing pets, I gave my local store a call. I was disappointed to speak with a rude employee who informed me that Home Depot’s corporate policy is that no pets are allowed and those Home Depots that do allow pets, shouldn’t be. Now, I don’t know if she was just cranky or if that is really Home Depot’s policy, but either way I don’t feel comfortable bringing my dog somewhere she isn’t welcomed.

I was pretty upset by the phone conversation and took to Beagles & Bargains’ Facebook page, where many of you joined in the conversation. I was surprised that I had such a poor experience when so many readers were welcomed with their dog at their local Home Depot. I’m not here to bash Home Depot, but I think this is an excellent lesson to ALWAYS call first before bring your pet anywhere. If management changes, so might the pet policy.

After this whole debacle, I was still in need of gardening supplies. I turned to the Merrifield Garden Center, which is local and actually right next to the Home Depot I had called. Merrifield Garden Center has three locations in the Northern Virginia area.

Luna visits pet friendly Merrifield Garden Center

I sent them a quick message asking if they allowed well-behaved, leashed dogs and quickly got a response that they do! After a long day at Beaglefest, Luna and I hopped into the car to get some plants. When we arrived, I saw another dog who had already picked out his selection with his person.

Right away I was a bit overwhelmed by the size of the place. They had all kinds of plants, flowers, and trees with a shop full of general supplies. It certainly was a gardener’s paradise.

We grabbed a little red wagon and started heading towards the plants I knew were pet friendly. Luna was greeted by many friendly employees and customers and we also saw another dog while we were browsing! It took a while to weave through all of the different options, but we were eventually able to narrow down our selection.

Merrifield Garden Center is a dog friendly shopping destination in Northern Virginia.

Things were a bit pricier than if you made a purchase from a hardware store, but I felt good because my money was going to a local business. Plus, they often have sales on certain plants and coupons online. We’ll definitely be making a few trips back!

Where do you take your dog shopping?

< O is for Open Your Heart to Pet Adoption || Q is for Quizzical Luna Ponders the World >

Jessica Shipman
Share →
Top