You’re on your way home, dinner plans in mind, when you remember you’re out of pasta sauce.
Rover is in the backseat, tongue out, happy as ever. But when you swing into the parking lot of the grocery store, you hit a dilemma: Are dogs actually allowed inside Alabama grocery stores?
Here’s what to know about Alabama’s law.
Can you bring your dog into an Alabama grocery store?
Under Alabama law and health-code regulations, live animals are generally prohibited inside food establishments where food is prepared, stored or sold, including retail food stores. Alabama grocers can be fined for violations, as it is the store’s responsibility to protect public health and ensure a sanitary environment. The presence of animals is considered a potential source of contamination and a risk to customer safety.
Can service animals go into an Alabama grocery store?
Service dogs can accompany their handler anywhere the public can go, even in places that generally don’t allow animals, such as restaurants, stores, schools and more, in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Pets must be leashed and kept under control, and employees may not handle them. All pet waste or bodily fluids must be cleaned and sanitized immediately…