A WOKINGHAM business is helping customers and their four-legged friends by providing dog-friendly stickers for shop windows.
Nicola Kipling, owner of dog grooming company, Because I’m Woof It launched the project last month.
She has created free stickers for business owners to place in their store windows, indicating that dogs are allowed inside.
“In our house the phrase ‘if the dogs can’t come I’m not going’ really is used on a regular basis.” she explained. “All too often we then question where we can go and which places allow dogs in.
“I kept seeing on social media people were asking for recommendations on which places are dog-friendly. And with a dog-grooming business, I think about these things a lot.
“They do similar things in countryside and coastal towns, so we wanted to start it here.”
To begin the project, Ms Kipling targeted shops and businesses in Wokingham town centre.
“We have been round the town centre and given all the dog-friendly places stickers for their doors and windows, to shout out to the dog world and allow everyone to know when it’s perfectly okay to take well-behaved dogs into places without the need to ask.”
Ms Kipling was surprised to see businesses immediately put up her stickers, including a number of national companies in the Wokingham town centre.
“I walked up one side of the road, dropping off stickers, and back down the other. By the time I had done a whole lap around the town, lots of stickers were already on windows, even in places like Vodafone and Fatface.
“I’ve also had people contact me from out of town locations also asking for stickers, some in Woodley and Crowthorne too.”
Ms Kipling is working to build a comprehensive list of all businesses in the borough that use her stickers to show they allow dogs inside. The list will then be available via her company’s website.
“I’d like to encourage businesses to put up their stickers and get added to the list,” she added. “I’m hoping to roll this out across more towns in the borough, my next location to visit is Woodley.”
Businesses that want to get involved should contact Ms Kipling via Because I’m Woof It’s Facebook page. Stickers are free of charge.
