Wilko became pet friendly as of last week, when they announced that 248 stores will now welcome our furry friends.

The retailer announced the change on Facebook: “A pet is more than just a pet, they’re family. That’s why we’ve decided to welcome pets in-store at 248 of our locations.

“We hope that shoppers will enjoy bringing their furry friends along with them.

“Please check for new signage at the entrance of your local store to see if they are participating.”

It has been met with a mixed response, so I took my border collie on a trip to Wilko where he could pick out his own treats for the first time.

We decided to test my dog, Taran, to see how he feels about going shopping so we found a clearly marked Wilko that allowed him on his shopping trip.

The Leader: The dog friendly stores have clear signage indicating that they allow dogsThe dog friendly stores have clear signage indicating that they allow dogs

Taran, whose name is Welsh for thunder (because he is grey and white rather than black and white), is not used to being in shops; he’s quite happy to sit outside with one of us and nose at everyone coming in and out.

Taran is house trained, which is important as no one wants any accidents during your shopping trip, and normally good on a lead so we knew he would be well behaved. This is key if you are thinking about taking your dog into a shop.

The Leader: Taran looks a bit apprehensive about going inside the shopTaran looks a bit apprehensive about going inside the shop

We weren’t certain he would go in at all. He once refused to go inside the vets and blocked the door to the entrance, another time we tried to take him into a Pets at Home, and he didn’t like the automatic doors.

We walked though the doors though no trouble and headed straight to the pet isle.

WATCH: This is how Taran's first shopping trip went in Wilko

He nudged some cat food and some bird seeds before finally spotting the toys. There is a vast range in the store, however with Taran, we are limited with what he can have as he has a habit of destroying things as quickly as he can.

He picked up a blue ball, a solid rubber one that can’t easily be broken and his favourite Jumbone, chicken and lamb.

The Leader: Our purchases that Taran picked Our purchases that Taran picked

We bought a single packet with the intention of picking up a selection of different treats however Taran, who can sometimes get nervous, started to lose interest in his shopping trip.

He also began to get a little overwhelmed with the noise, particularly of the tills which are new to him, so we decided it was time to go.

We paid with a self-checkout and headed back to the car.

Taran was more than pleased with his new toy, which he has already made a decent attempt at shredding, and his treat once we got home so perhaps it was the new environment that was off putting.

The Leader: Taran and his £2 ball from WilkoTaran and his £2 ball from Wilko

I’m not sure that we will be taking Taran into another pet friendly shop any time soon but that was nothing to do with Wilko and everything to do with Taran’s nerves.

The Leader recently asked via Facebook if People think dogs should be allowed in more shops.

Here's what our readers had to say:

One person responded: “Yes, with a responsible owner, safer than leaving a dog in the car”

But another said: “I'm a dog owner and don’t think dogs should be allowed in shops. For every well behaved dog, there is the one, that would pee somewhere or even grab something .. big no from me here !”

Someone else posted: “Does anyone think a dog enjoys shopping, walking around a town with only peoples legs to look at!”

Another said: "I like dogs but so many people are allergic and there a people that are actually scared of dogs. Also a lot of people think everyone likes their dog and doesn't mind it sniffing round you or jumping up. Bad idea in my opinion."