Stray Dog Café: Not for Profit, Just to Find Warm Homes for Homeless Dogs

Waf Cafe: Europe's First Dog-Friendly Coffee Shop for Strays

Recently, a coffee shop named Waf Cafe in Lille, northern France, has become popular! This is Europe's first coffee shop for stray dogs. Inside the cafe, there are many large dogs that have experienced abandonment, living on the streets, and suffering from abuse...

The dogs that come to this cafe are fortunate because they can have warm families for the rest of their lives. However, in France, nearly 60,000 dogs wander the streets every year, 80% of which are large dogs. People are hesitant to adopt them casually, fearing that the dogs might attack humans, resulting in many dogs ultimately needing to be euthanized.

The cafe owner couldn't bear to see so many dogs share the same fate, so she established a rescue center and collaborated with multiple organizations to do her part in saving more dogs. However, due to the remote location of the rescue center, few people noticed the organization, and very few came to adopt. After trying many methods to attract attention, she finally came up with the idea of having dogs interact with customers in the cafe to break people's prejudices against stray dogs.

Since opening five years ago, the cafe has helped more than 90 stray dogs find adoptive families. Although the number is small, through the cafe's promotion, more people have learned about this rescue organization, and more and more people are participating in rescue efforts.

Coffee With a Cause

When visiting this cafe, customers only need to pay 7 euros for unlimited coffee refills. The purpose of this coffee shop is to help dogs find homes, using coffee as a bridge to help people and dogs build emotional connections. And the staff here aren't just humans – several dogs are also official employees of the cafe.

Meet the Canine Staff

This is Cindy, the 12-year-old "grandma" who serves as the manager. Specialties: Nagging young people and noisy customers. Hobby: Meditating with eyes closed on the sofa.

This is Tudou, named for his potato-colored fur. Specialties: Stealing customers' waffles. Hobby: Snatching customers' waffles.

This is Douzi, the leader of the shop. Specialties: Managing the dogs during break time and enthusiastically welcoming customers. Hobby: Eating, eating, eating, and more eating.

The Owner's Philosophy

The coffee shop owner stated: "We cannot save every stray dog, which is why I must take even more care in looking after every dog I encounter."

She also hopes that through a cup of coffee, visiting customers will learn about stray animal rescue, and that everyone will choose adoption over purchasing. "Pets may not accompany everyone for their entire lives, but they spend their entire lives accompanying everyone."

Image source: Waf Cafe official website, Internet

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