IKEA Opens Doors for Stray Dogs

In Catania, Italy, a local IKEA store is popular among residents for its home furnishings and great prices. However, the store has decided that they needed to go above and beyond that offering and have helped out local dogs in need of a soft and warm place to stay. Their popularity with customers has only grown in the meantime.

A woman named Martine Taccia visited the IKEA store recently on a cold fall day and was taken aback when she began to walk through the store. There were several dogs snuggled up and sleeping in one of the store’s displays for a living room. She was amazed by what she saw and was told by an employee that the dogs were local strays and the store had invited them inside. Not only that, but all homeless dogs in the area were welcome to come inside to be protected from the elements—and much more. The store’s employees were feeding and grooming the dogs as well. Best of all, some of the strays found homes with customers who fell in love with them while shopping.

While the store does not advertise this offering, word has certainly gotten out about this incredible policy. It’s left a very positive impression on all those who shop in the store. Many shoppers say it’s a heartwarming scene to see all the dogs gathered in the store, quietly sleeping on soft rugs. Though this store is just one among hundreds of IKEA stores around the world, the IKEA corporate offices partnered recently with a group called Home for Hope to install cardboard cutouts of shelter dogs in their stores. But when it comes to a cardboard dog or a real one, nothing is better than a sweet dog getting a good nap on a comfortable rug, safe from the elements.