Dog-friendly shops and cafes challenge allergy sufferers

Dog-friendly cafes, restaurants and shops are becoming more common, but the trend is creating challenges for people with severe allergies, Yle reports. Seven-year-old Mila Hallikainen must take double medication when she is expected to visit a place where dogs may be present.

Finnish law has allowed dogs in cafes and restaurants since 2012 and in grocery stores since April 2021. Many businesses now display signs saying that dogs are welcome.

Kaisa Gold, a department head at the Finnish Kennel Club, said attitudes towards dogs accompanying their owners in public places have become more accepting. She said dog-friendly shops are particularly useful in warm weather, when dogs should not be left alone in hot cars while their owners shop.

Allergy requires careful planning

Mila, who lives in Joensuu, was diagnosed with a severe dog allergy at the age of one. Her mother, Enni Hallikainen, said the family has to prepare whenever they know they are going somewhere dogs may be present.

“We have to take allergy medication, preferably twice the usual amount. Asthma medication is also always with us,” Hallikainen said.

Dogs cause Mila to suffer from itchy eyes and skin symptoms, and in the worst cases breathing difficulties. Her family eventually had to give up their own dogs after her allergy was diagnosed.

Mila still likes dogs and can be near them outdoors without serious symptoms. However, she must wash her hands immediately after touching one. Hallikainen said she would prefer dogs to be kept carefully in areas designated for them at pet-friendly businesses.

Symptoms vary between individuals

About 15 per cent of people in Finland experience allergic symptoms from pets, according to the Allergy, Skin and Asthma Federation. Allergens can also be carried into places without animals on their owners’ clothes, hair and skin.

Jussi Karjalainen, chief physician at the Allergy Centre of the wellbeing services county of Pirkanmaa, said severe dog allergies are very rare. Symptoms vary widely, making general guidance difficult.

People with milder dog allergies often experience no symptoms from a dog in a cafe or outdoors, Karjalainen said. Symptoms such as a runny nose and itchy eyes would usually require contact with the dog.

Gold said the dog owner has a central responsibility for ensuring that the animal does not disturb others. If someone with a severe dog allergy is inside, the person should come first, she said.

Hallikainen said cramped cafes, where a dog may be unexpectedly close, were a particular concern. If she and Mila had to choose, they would go to a cafe where dogs were not allowed.