At one of Love’s most recent travel center openings in Rural Hall, North Carolina, the convenience retailer marked a milestone for travelers and their furry friends: its 400th dog park.

Love’s first began adding dog parks in late 2018, and now has parks in 42 states across the country.

The fully fenced yards are approximately 50 by 100 feet with turf, grass and gravel surfaces and pet waste stations with bags. Many of the parks have separate areas for large and small breed dogs.

The dog parks are open 24 hours per day, seven days a week, so that pets can stretch their legs whenever needed.

In store, some Love’s locations offer dog food, cat food, kitty litter, dog treats, leashes and food bowls.

Also a fan of furry friends, OnCue was awarded “Best Dog Activity Park in Noble County” by A.I. Global Media for the second consecutive year. A.I. Global Media’s research and judging team assessed OnCue’s suitability for the achievement by measuring metrics through websites, social media, review platforms, customer testimonials and media outlets.

The first OnCue dog park opened in Billings, Oklahoma, in 2016 after a customer made a request to an employee. This was one of the first dog parks implemented at a convenience store in Oklahoma. Since then, OnCue has added five more dog parks at different stores for customers’ four-legged friends and has been awarded twice for pet-friendly design.

Travelers with pets—whether professional drivers or families on vacation—are indeed a coveted and growing customer base for c-stores. “Pet ownership is on the rise. In 2022, 70% of U.S. households, or more than 90 million families, owned a pet,” reported Matt Ogden, president of Evolution Dog Wash, which markets “plug-and-play” dog wash machines for car washes, travel centers and retail stores.

For more on the rise of furry road trip companions, check out “Pandering to Pets” in the September 2023 issue of NACS Magazine.