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.
Left alone and suffering, a mother dog brings new life into this world, cradling her newborns in the chilly embrace, longing for love and comfort
What was most shocking? The heartless culprit was none other than the owner, banishing this innocent mother and her pups to such extreme conditions.
As we watched the video, our hearts sank. The mother dog lay outside, shivering, doing her best to protect her newborns.
Despite her own suffering, she ate snow to keep her puppies warm. Her resilience touched us deeply, but we knew they couldn’t survive long.
With urgency, we embarked on a three-hour rescue mission. The scene broke our hearts. We named the mother Maria, and her three pups were finally safe. In a warm, comfortable environment, we vowed to prevent their suffering.
Maria, understandably wary, had endured much pain and neglect. Trust was hard-earned. As we cared for her, she slowly relaxed.
Maria ate well, nourishing her weary body. Seeing her puppies thrive brought joy. We vowed to protect and love them.
Fifteen days later, Maria’s puppies thrived. Maria improved, a testament to their strength.
Fifty days later, the heartwarming news arrived—Maria and her pups had forever homes. We were grateful for the support.
One year later, Maria thrived in her forever home, alongside her companion Mike. Her pups grew into beautiful dogs. They formed a happy family, a testament to compassion.
This story reminds us of resilience and love. Maria’s journey inspires us to fight for the voiceless, ensuring no innocent animal suffers.
May her story kindle compassion and remind us of love’s transformative power.
Leave a Reply