Does IKEA Allow Dogs – Are Stores Pet Friendly?
IKEA has been known for a long time as one of the most famous places to shop. While there are a lot of stores all over the world and the continental United States (and Canada as well), some people misunderstand why they can’t take their pets into some famous stores. Is IKEA actually dog friendly? Well, it just depends on the dog, and why you are wanting or needing to bring them in with you. Therefore, we’re going to talk about this issue and find out whether they’re dog friendly or not.
Only Service Dogs
The answer to the above question, is that yes, IKEA is somewhat dog friendly – as long as your dog’s only a service dog. If you have a dog for emotional support (even emotional support dogs), then no, you have to leave your pooch at home or in your vehicle. So, this means that if you’re wanting to share anything in the store with your dog – no, you’re not allowed to.
Does This Mean They’re Not Dog Friendly?
The company may not allow anything other than service dogs in their stores, it doesn’t mean that they’re not dog friendly. As a matter of fact, they heavily encourage those who have service dogs to bring their pet into the store. This is simply because they do want people to be able to shop in their stores no matter what. If someone has a service animal, it is medically required that they take their service dog with them everywhere. Of course, they don’t regularly allow people to just walk in with their dogs, even if they are a service dog.
How Do People Take Service Dogs In?
Of course, you can walk into the store with your dog, but if you get questioned, the customer service door greeter’s job is to ask if this is a service dog. If you say yes, they’re supposed to make sure or contact the manager to let them know. There are reasons for this, and while some people get upset about it, it’s more than just making things safe for the shopper with a service dog.
IKEA takes pride in all of their customers, and some of their customers may be allergic to dogs – so your pooch may cause allergic reactions from customers and in some cases, such as asthmatic customers, it can also cause health problems. If you have a service dog, you also want to make sure that it is very well demeaned, because small children or other people may be afraid of your dog. If people are afraid of your dog, this can cause problems that can also hurt people in case your dog gets scared themselves. Therefore, they’re pretty unwelcome for most pets in the store.
What About Other Countries?
While US IKEA stores only allow service dogs, and dogs are not allowed at all into Germany stores, there are countries that do allow dogs – as long as it’s on a leach and is very well behaved. For example, IKEA in Switzerland states on their store websites that you are able to bring your dog in with a leach into certain locations. Other locations have kennels that you can place your pet into while you’re shopping into the stores. Australia doesn’t allow any dogs in their stores. Germany as we said doesn’t allow dogs in their stores as well, and in Canada, only service dogs are allowed too.
But I can’t leave my pet in the car!
It is strictly advised that if you don’t have a service dog that is certified for that purpose, then you should leave your dog at home. If the weather is permitting, then of course, many places don’t cause any problems if you have your dog in your vehicle and have the window cracked down. That doesn’t mean that you should do this though.
Conclusion
It appears that while IKEA stores are there to cater to service animals and those with disabilities that require a service dog, they generally don’t allow any pets of any kind in their stores. So far, Switzerland is the only country in the world that apparently allows people to shop and leave their pets at the front in one of their provided kennels, or take them in on a leash. However, this can pose all types of health problems. Therefore, to avoid your dog getting sick from a devastating disease such as parvo or worms, it’s highly not recommended to bring your dog to any IKEA store.
