Can You Walk Your Dog At The McKinley Mall?

More extreme weather is finally hitting again in Western New York. Where can you take your dogs to help get them some exercise and also not expose them to the weather?

Can You Walk Your Dog At The McKinley Mall?

Last week, I was scrolling through Facebook when I came across someone who asked if it was ok to take their dog to the McKinley Mall to get them some exercise. Their logic seemed to make sense too. It's actually not great to walk your dogs outside in weather like this. Not only can it be dangerous to walk them on the road when it's icy, but it also gets darker much earlier. Plus, the salt that they use to treat the roads can be bad for their feet.

The idea of taking them to the mall seems to make sense on the surface. It's climate-controlled, it's always lit up, they don't have to deal with cars, and all around it's just safer for everyone. You always see people in there walking around to get exercise.

Plus, they often hold special events where they help to get pets adopted.

Here's what the code of conduct says about pets in the mall

As you'd expect, bringing pets into the mall is against the code of conduct. The actual verbiage they use is this:

"All animals, other than Service Animals, are prohibited, except where otherwise specifically permitted, such as for special events or going to or from pet stores. Pursuant to the United States Department of Justice guidelines, only dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities qualify as Service Animals."

There are a lot of reasons for this. If people don't clean up after their pets, it can be a hassle for the staff, and a danger for people who are there to shop. Plus if certain dogs get aggressive with other dogs it could cause a problem for the mall.

So while the idea seems to be beneficial for some people, please do NOT bring your dog to the mall to walk them. While there aren't a lot of places to get your dog exercise indoors in Western New York, there are plenty of outdoor parks that aren't near roads where you can take them.