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May 18, 2007
It's a dog's life down here
Yaletown boasts more four-legged friends than any other district.
VERONIKA STEWART
For dog owners looking to live in downtown Vancouver, a quick sweep
of the local housing listings reveals a bleak outcome: dog-friendly
apartments are extremely rare. However, for those who can afford
to buy, and for a few lucky renters, a home in Yaletown may be more
accommodating to canine companions.
It may be the array of green spaces in the area, or the downtown
dweller's need for companionship, but on the cobbled streets of
Yaletown, where designer clothes and coffee rule, residents can
find a wide array of shops and boutiques to help them outfit and
care for their pooch. Stores like Luv My Dog, Dog and Hydrant and
Barking Babies provide a variety of canine services to keep Yaletown
dogs well-dressed and well-groomed.
Yaletown resident Lynne Vanderheyden said she takes her dog, Piper,
for walks on the seawall and to the three on- and off-leash Yaletown
parks.
"They are so dog-friendly in Yaletown," Vanderheyden explained.
She also said many of the other Yaletown residents she knows also
have dogs.
She said she often takes Piper to the doggy deli on Denman Street,
and that her four-year-old Italian greyhound was also recently a
guest there at a doggy friend's birthday party.
Vanderheyden is definitely not alone in her love for dogs. In fact,
Jan Le, owner of Luv My Dog, said that her store location was based
on the high concentration of pups in the area. "We did market
research beforehand and it showed that Yaletown did have the densest
population of dogs in all of the city," Le explained. "And
plus, the market down here is very into buying things for their
dog, and spoiling their dog."
Le herself is the owner of one such spoiled pooch. She said her
tiny five-pound dog, Lelo, often keeps her company at the store,
and that tourists like to take pictures of the adorable pup.
The store carries a wide array of products: toys, clothes and jewelry.
However, Le said the best-selling products are the clothes –
T-shirts and jackets – as not everyone is comfortable yet with
the idea of buying jewelry for their dog.
"With clothes and stuff like that, people have adapted more,"
Le said. "Jewelry is a pretty new thing."
Le also said a majority of her clientele are smaller breeds, as
many of Yaletown's high-rise condos are too small for bigger dogs.
"We do get some larger dogs in here, but there's kind of a
stereotype when you walk in that nothing in here is made for big
dogs. So we have to explain that we do have some stuff for big dogs,"
Le said. "But in general, it is smaller dogs [that come in]."
Le also speculated that many Yaletown residents choose dogs over
children, because if a large dog can't fit into a smaller condo,
then it's unlikely a child will. Instead of spoiling kids with toys,
it's the dogs that get spoiled here.
"I think also the population down here is a younger generation
that doesn't have kids so, instead, they have dogs," she observed,
"and that's why they spoil their dogs."
It's not only the younger generation who are reaping the benefits
of canine companionship, however. Retiree Diane, who asked that
her last name be withheld, volunteers as a neighborhood dog walker,
and walks several other dogs along with her own on the seawall.
Since beginning her volunteer work with her husband, Diane said
she has had a much healthier lifestyle from all of the extra exercise
she gets taking care of the rambunctious mutts.
"I've lost 25 pounds since I started," she explained.
According to dog owner Jocelyn Wong, a manager at Barking Babies
and also a Yaletown resident, convenience plays a big part of why
it's great to have a dog in Yaletown.
"It's convenient, because everything is downtown," Wong
said. "Even if I want to go out, I'm not too far away from
home. I could just run home and see him and make sure that he's
OK."
This is a big part of why dogs are such popular pets in the area,
she said, along with the added bonus that you also don't really
need a car to take your pet out and about.
"Everyone in Yaletown has a dog, pretty much, or several dogs
for that matter, or want a dog," Wong said. "I think in
business, it's because they work all day and they want to come home
to something and, if they don't have a partner, a pet is nice because
it's something to care for."
On a sunny Wednesday afternoon, just walking down the brick-layered
streets, literally everyone and their dog is out and about. This
established dog community in itself, along with the immediacy of
dog parks, spas and stores, makes Yaletown a premier spot for dog-lovers
in the Lower Mainland.
Veronika Stewart is a Vancouver freelance writer.
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