Reasons to Take Your ESA Along to a Pet Supermarket

1. What is a Pet Supermarket?

A pet supermarket is a specialty store that offers pet products like variety of food, vests, toys and a number of other things that are essential to keep a pet happy and satisfied. Nopw, we know that your emotional support animal is not a pet but these stores have something for it also.

Usually, superstores and grocery store do not allow animals like dogs, cats, reptiles and others, into their premises due to a number of health and hygiene reasons. However, these restrictions do not apply to service and assistance animals that help the owner in performing some crucial task.

So, does it mean that you should drop the idea of taking your ESA to a supermarket? Not necessarily.

Special pet supermarkets and pet-friendly stores do not only cater to the needs of your animal but also invite them to some friendly and luxurious pamper sessions. Besides, there are some great reasons to visit a pet superstore with your emotional support animal.

Additionally, you can differentiate your ESA with a good quality vest. With the help of an ESA dog vest, you can help others identify your pet as an emotional support animal and distinguish it from mainstream pets.

2. Why Visit the Pet Supermarket with Your ESA?

An emotional support animal do so much for us. It helps relieve our stress and it also helps us in coping with our situation in a better manner. While they do not ask for anything in return, you can still show your gratitude and love by treating them to a pet superstore.

Besides showing how much you appreciate the support and assistance your ESA offers, following are some of the reasons that you should plan your visit this weekend.

Your ESA will Learn the Necessary Social Skills

Training your ESA basic social skills will help them in moving with you. You will not have to leave them behind because you will know they will be well-behaved and a good social companion. You may think that you have trained your dog or cat adequately but, in reality, they may be lacking them.

Taking your ESA to a superstore will help you understand how well your animal behaves around people and it will help them in learning the basics of socializing with people.

Your ESA could Do Its Own Shopping

Yes, your ESA wants to do its own shopping and this is why there is a good number of superstores that are dedicated to pets, service and emotional support animals shopping items. Taking your ESA to one of these stores means that are giving your dog or cat a chance of choosing their own toys and food. While some stores are entirely dedicated to pet products, there are many that has a separate section for it.

They have everything from stuffed toys to a variety of food products. Let your ESA choose its own toys and the type of food they would like to have. Moreover, you can also buy coupons for these toys and products.

Your ESA can Get a Pamper Session

Do you know that your ESA has a dedicated stylist also? Yes, it does. Besides the law-making bodies, the beauty industry also acknowledges the importance of maintenance for your emotional support animal. Now, a number of supermarkets offer spa sessions for your beloved cat or dog.

These stylists are trained professionals who have years of experience and intense training of grooming pets.

You will Have a Memorable ‘Me Time’ and Bonding Session

We know that you two are always together and spending time together. Still, have a day out together will be a memorable experience for both of you. You can bond with each other better and you will have a chance to know your ESA in a different setting. Besides, you will also meet other ESA owners in these stores and have opportunities to have meaningful friends.

3. How to Make Sure that Your ESA Behaves Well in the Store?

While this behaving well factor applies when we are travelling with them, especially the dogs. Travelling with dogs need separate planning and you must prepare for the unexpected.

When you are planning to visit the pet supermarket with your support animal, make sure your dog or cat knows how to behave. Especially dogs, they get excited when they see something they like. Your support animal is trained with basic social skills.

Following are a few basic skills your support animal should be aware of.

• Your animal should stay by your side the entire time you are in the supermarket.
• You should train your animal in a way that if you ask it to leave something, it should obey your order.
• It’s best to make sure that they have an empty bladder before you both go shopping.
• If it finds something exciting in the market, it should understand your cue to be quiet.
• Your animal should be properly trained that it won’t harm anyone else in the market.

Taking your dog to a supermarket could be an enriching and memorable experience for both of you. While it raises many eyebrows but, let’s face it, our ESAs do a lot of things for us and we can show our appreciation by giving them some enjoyable day out.

4. Can we Take the ESA to all the Public Places?

Unfortunately, no. ESAs are gaining worldwide recognition and people are becoming receptive to this change but still, it will take some time to allow these animals in every place. Service animals are different because they are assisting the person with a specific task and this is why they have more rights than an ESA or a pet.

Pets and ESAs do not require any such training other than being disciplined. Therefore, therefore, they are not allowed in places like restaurants, hotels, the food section of the superstores, unless it is a specialty pet supermarket, and hospitals due to safety and hygiene reasons.

However, there are many restaurants that love to treat their canine and feline guests and give some treats also. ESAs are great to keep us relaxed and motivated about life but there are some limitations on the places that they have access to.

An emotional support animal is a great help for those who need emotional support and help to live peacefully. To have an ESA, you will need a legal ESA letter that has been written and signed by a licensed mental health professional.