MINI planning to be the first officially DOG-FRIENDLY car retailer by 2022

MINI partners with the Dogs Trust as it aims to make MINI dog-friendly and become the first officially dog-friendly car retailer.

We’ve seen car makers try to reach out to dog-owning car buyers to tick boxes that floats boats for dog-lovers and coax them into their brand for a long time.

Land Rover has made the Defender dog-proof for a decade, Jaguar launched a range of dog-friendly accessories, (and pet packs here and here), and Nissan offered a Paw Pack for the X-Trail.- and many more dog initiatives from others – and now it’s MINI’s turn to tap into the potentially lucrative seam of dog-loving car buyers.

MINI has teamed up with the Dogs Trust to help dogs be happier travellers, and are aiming to be the first officially dog-friendly car retailer by next year.

With 12.5 million dog owners in the UK it seems like a no-brainer for MINI marketers to pander to their customers’ four-legged companions, and welcoming dogs into showrooms – with water bowls and mats on hand – is a start.

David George, Director of MINI UK, said:

It’s just as important to us that our four-legged customers love being in a MINI as much as the drivers do and we have had a lot of fun letting dogs of all shapes and sizes put our cars through the ultimate tail-wagging tests. As our partnership continues we are really looking forward to working with Dogs Trust to help us support our MINI and dog-loving customers across the car buying and ownership journey, as we strive to become the UK’s first officially dog-friendly car retailer.

MINI says a recent survey shows 90 per cent of dogs are happy in a MINI (we assume they asked owners, not their dogs) and they already have a range of dog stuff available, like guards and mats, to help.

So if you’re off to a MINI showroom any time soon, take the dog and let us know if it’s as welcome as MINI want it to be.