There are some popular furry fixtures inside of this Italian IKEA outlet – and they aren’t the shag rugs.
For years, the store in Catania has been welcoming stray dogs in off of the street so they can enjoy a nap with a roof over their heads.
Customers have often posted pictures of the pups lounging around the store to social media, praising the IKEA for opening their hearts and doors to the strays.
Martine Taccia recently published a video of some of the dogs to Facebook after she spotted them sleeping cozily by a living room furniture display – and the clip has already been viewed over one million times.
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“My reaction was pure amazement,” Taccia told The Dodo about how she learned of the initiative. “It’s not a common thing.”
“The dogs receive daily food and pampering from IKEA’s employees and customers,” Taccia added. “Some dogs have even found a family, going home with customers.”
Linda Chartier Scala, an American woman who now lives in Italy, told Mother Nature Network that there is even a local team of animal workers who make sure that the pups are spayed and neutered.
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“Dogs are there year-round,” she told the news outlet. “They love the air conditioning during the summer. They are sterilized and looked after by an animal welfare group. Fat and happy, they don’t wander from there.”
Another customer told MNN: “I know those dogs well. You find them at the entrance sleeping between the racks, or at the exit between the tables of their restaurant, always with their sweet eyes. I love them. They give me a sense of peace.”
This is not the first time that IKEA has done something kind for animals, either – back in 2017, the Swedish furniture company donated doll beds to animal shelters so that cats could have a comfortable place to sleep.
Though IKEA has not commented on their Italian store’s labor of love, customers hope that other businesses will follow their example in the future.
(WATCH the video below)
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What wonderful people run these stores! Wish everyone could be so thoughtful. Thanks Ikea.