Today, Dogs Trust Ireland is celebrating its eighth national Dog Friendly Ireland Day.
In a bid to motivate more businesses to consider becoming dog friendly, the charity is encouraging those who are curious, to try it out for a day before committing to a full dog-friendly policy.
Recent research carried out by Dogs Trust as part of Ireland’s Dog Census 2024 revealed that 24% of dog owners find that the lack of dog friendly spaces in Ireland is one of the biggest problems they face as dog owners.
Despite the many benefits of having a more dog friendly culture, Ireland is still lagging behind some of our European neighbours, and Dogs Trust wants this to change.
One example of a dog friendly business is Café Novello in Ratoath, co. Meath.
The café owner Russell Bailey sees the benefit of introducing dog friendly policies and says that the dog friendly aspect of the café has been a massive selling point for locals: ‘’We have created a relaxed space where people can come and enjoy a coffee with their furry friends.
“All dogs also get a free treat when they come into the café and many have become regulars over the years!’’
Paulina Padlo, Communications Manager at Dogs Trust Ireland, says: “Most dogs are really social creatures and love to be included in their owners’ everyday activities, whether that’s going to work or popping to a café for a ‘pup cup’.
“Being able to bring your dog to work can really improve the work/life balance, and studies have even shown that having dogs in the workplace can boost productivity and teamwork!
“We’d love to see as many businesses as possible explore dog friendly policies, or even try out being dog friendly for a day to see how it goes.
“Dogs Trust looks forward to the day when dogs are an accepted passenger on public transport, a welcome visitor in the workplace, a wanted tenant in rental accommodation and a regular customer in most food-serving establishments across the country.”
Dogs Trust believes that if Ireland were more accessible to dogs and the people who love them, the number of people willing to adopt a dog would also increase.
So far this year, the charity has rehomed 313 dogs, but they believe this number would be much higher if dogs were welcome in more places.
To find out more about the campaign and benefits of a more dog friendly Ireland, go to dogstrust.ie/DFI.