IKEA, a popular furniture store originating from Sweden, has more than 500 stores worldwide. IKEA has been in the furniture industry for more than 75 years. Its Scandinavian origins have provided homes with modern and stylish yet affordable furniture.
Throughout the years, IKEA is also involved in a lot of initiatives that help marginalized sectors to improve their quality of living. One of the advocacies that IKEA is supporting is the improvement of the lives of animals in need.
The IKEA branch in Catania, Italy, has been receiving raves from people, especially dog lovers. The staff of IKEA has invited stray dogs inside their showroom to shelter them from the afternoon rain. The dogs were lounging peacefully on the rugs provided by the staff.
Martine Taccia, one of the loyal shoppers of IKEA, was touched by the kind gesture. She immediately brought out her phone to take a video of the heartwarming scene. Martina’s mother, Vitorria Taccia Gabrielli, uploaded the said video on Facebook, and to their surprise, it went viral! The video was viewed 1,300,000 times, garnered more than 1,200 comments, and received more than 8,000 reactions.
It was later found out that the dogs not only received temporary shelter at IKEA, but were also provided with food, water, and plenty of love and belly rubs from the staff! Moreover, stray dogs often found their adopters there! IKEA’s loyal shopper would bring home a stray dog that they had found within IKEA’s premises.
IKEA had started to show its love for dogs in 2014 when it partnered with several animal welfare organizations in Singapore to help shelter dogs find their forever homes. The said initiative was called Home for Hope, a collaborative effort together with Animal Lovers League and Save Our Street Dogs (SOSD).
Good job, IKEA!
Video screenshots from Vittoria Taccia Gabrielli via Facebook