Does Ikea Allow Dogs & Are They Pet Friendly? [full Guide]

There are 50 different IKEA locations across the US and if you have a pet dog, you might decide to take it with you.

While only pet-friendly dogs are allowed to enter the store, IKEA’s staff are able to care for them with special crates.

Does IKEA Allow Dogs In 2022?

The first official IKEA dog park was opened in 2015 on the grounds of IKEA’s Swedish home-town of Hägersten. In 2012, IKEA announced it was partnering with Pet Partners to turn the parking lot beside its stores in the Greater Boston area into its first official IKEA dog park.

If you have a passion for IKEA, you need to read this article. In here, you will learn about the reasons why IKEA does not allow pets – and which of their stores tend to bend the rules.

Is IKEA Pet Friendly?

The one exception though is if you have a pet that is “comfortably handled” it does not have to be up-to-date with vaccines, or be microchipped.

For those not familiar with IKEA’s pet policy, they do not allow pets to enter their stores.

It has been verified at IKEA stores in the US that service dogs are only allowed to accompany a customer within the store, and not while purchasing a home.

You will not be allowed to bring fish, food, or plants into the store.

The idea is to provide enough food and other household goods for a family of four with low prices, while not having to pay for excess inventory.

The stores that have these items are prohibited from allowing animals inside under the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) Food service codes.

While IKEA Does Not Officially Allow Dogs, Some Stores Break The Rules…

I’ve just discovered that IKEA’s no-dog policy is not enforced equally in every situation, and I’m not happy.

Shoppers are reporting seeing people with dog and other pets inside Ikea stores.

According to a new study by the American Veterinary Medical Association, most dog owners do not take their dogs to the market. Many stores are not very flexible about allowing dogs in the aisles.

Why Does IKEA Not Allow Pets?

IKEA does not allow pets because they want all customers to be happy and enjoy themselves with their shopping experience, including those who aren’t afraid of animals, or who are allergic to their fur.

This way, every customer will feel comfortable in-store. Pets, in general, are prohibited.

IKEA has a very strict pet policy. IKEA stores cannot serve food at in-store restaurants. Pet dogs and other animals aren’t permitted.

As of March 28, 2020, the CDC has recommended that people avoid eating live or raw or partially cooked seafood and prepared food from restaurants and other food establishments.

Concern is that an animal could track dirt, drool, or unsanitary materials into the store and contaminate food and other products.

Does IKEA Allow Service Animals?

You can’t take a pet into the IKEA store, but you can take a service animal!

A service animal helps people who are blind, deaf or have other disabilities. They include dogs, birds, or miniature horses.

A service animal must be able to perform a specific task related to the disability the owner has.

People of all species can be service animals. Service animals help people with disabilities by providing them with life-enhancing abilities, including alerting their disembodied injured or elderly parents.

Are All Service Animals Allowed In IKEA?

Generally, all service dogs and other service animals are allowed into IKEA stores. However, some rules and restrictions do apply. But you better make sure that the store’s policy allows dogs into the store and that you can meet all the requirements listed there before you bring your dog inside.

Many businesses allow pets inside, but many have rules about not letting pets disturb customers.

Employees are free to ask customers if their animals are service animals, or just pets. It’s not discrimination if they do.

I think these questions are allowed because I don’t think they can be answered.

Please be aware that any discussion about social services, welfare or disability status is a topic outside of what is allowed for the purposes of this interview and will be considered as an attack on your rights. The following questions have been designed to help you discuss things that are relevant to your individual circumstances such as employment, education, work, housing and training.

Are Emotional Support Animals Allowed In IKEA?

An individual has an emotional support animal if he or she demonstrates a specific emotional need.

Service animals are trained to carry out practical tasks to help people with disabilities. They are not trained to offer therapeutic benefits to people with mental or psychiatric disabilities.

The policy states owners and their emotional support animal must not enter the IKEA retail department. However, the policy also says owners and their emotional support animal can take an item into the IKEA retail department as a gift.

Can You Leave Your Dog Outside An IKEA?

While you can’t bring your dog inside the IKEA store, they can still hang around outside.

In the UK, dog walkers were baffled to find an IKEA parking lot in the middle of the street where they could park their dogs during their visit.

In the UK, dog walkers were baffled to find an IKEA parking lot in the middle of the street during their visit.

Dogs that get shelter from the sun and rain and may have water bowls and kennels depending on the location.

**Note: If you are a customer (not a service member), please do not post answers in the comments on questions. You should always contact the original poster of the question. If you need to contact someone for any reason, please contact the help desk.**
For questions and concerns, please click here.
Note that you must provide us with your email to be properly routed to the IKEA Help Desk.

You may also want to read the Walmart dog policy, the Walgreens dog policy, the Target dog policy, and the Costco dog policy to see the difference between each.

Conclusion

Service dogs are legal to be brought into the IKEA store but they can’t be left alone unsupervised in the store. They are also not allowed to be carried into the store as carry-on items or in the trunk of a car.

In order to find out whether a customer’s pet is actually a service animal, IKEA employees must ask the pet owner what specific tasks this animal performs.

Pets and emotional support animals are not permitted in IKEA, as they may interfere with food safety laws and may cause discomfort to people who are sensitive to the animals.

For customers who wish to bring their dog with them to IKEA, they have dog parking outside the store. To get in touch with your nearest IKEA store for more information.