The grocery store in the Finnish city of Tampere even has an official golden retriever who tests out dog treats and shares the results in Instagram videos.
A ‘su-paw-market’ in Finland is welcoming canine customers, with specially-adapted carts which allow dog owners to bring their pooches grocery shopping.
The Kesko grocery chain in the city of Tampere has introduced the “Koirakärry” – dog cart – as a way to welcome in more dog-owning customers at one of its stores, where usually only service animals would be permitted inside the aisles.
“The idea is already used in some countries, but not in Finland, and we have a lot of dog owners nearby,” explains Matilda Tistelgren, who has been operating the supermarket with her partner Joona Pesonen since the spring.
“We have a golden retriever ourselves, and if we go out jogging with the dog and forget something from the store, we don’t want to go home, leave the dog, then have to return to the store ourselves, we want to be able to take the dog with us,” Matilda tells Euronews.
The carts have a dog bed in the bottom, and a clip for leads or harnesses, with owners encouraged to pick up their pups and put them inside – although a future version of the cart might include a small ramp so the dogs can walk in unaided.
Since taking over the management of the supermarket in Tampere’s neighbourhood Kissanmaa – which funnily enough translates as “Cat’s Land” – Matilda and Joona have introduced other pet-friendly innovations.
The couple’s own retriever Tove appears on Instagram with ‘Tove Tastes’ videos where she samples different dog treats.
“Our customers love it,” exclaims Matilda. “In this part of town we have a lot of dog owners and that means a lot of dog customers too, and we already have a lot of hairy regulars,” she adds.
Wagging her tail in a desperate attempt to get assistance before giving up on life, this homeless puppy makes one last plea.
The puppy was suffering from distemper and recognized she was dying. When she saw somebody passing by, she asked for help one last time.
Distemper is one of the leading causes of death among unvaccinated street dogs. This infectious virus, which targets the breathing, gastrointestinal and central nervous systems of dogs, is often deadly.
In this video, we watch Animal Help Unlimited staff try to rescue a young homeless young puppy suffering from distemper.
The dog had actually been infected for weeks but had no treatment because the baby was homeless. She was eventually found collapsed by a roadside, wagging her tail in the hopes of seeking rescue.
The rescue team realized the canine was dying, but they intended to provide it a possibility to recover. She got intensive care for 2 week, which included antibiotics and fluids.
In spite of her excruciating discomfort, the dog was grateful to have humans look after her for the first time in her life.
She was gradually getting better every day! It was a magical moment for the grooming team when the puppy restored the strength to fit on all fours and walk again!
She was so overjoyed at her victory that she rushed towards her rescuers and hugged them tightly. Her bright smiles and unlimited waving of her tail brightened our day!
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