If you are a dog owner in Toronto, you may have heard a lot of buzz about Woofstock, a dog festival that took place on the last weekend of May in Toronto’s Woodbine Park. The festival is now on its 14th year celebrating dogs and dog owners and just as the years before, this two-day celebration was one big party for dogs and dog lovers.
As a long-time dog lover and owner – and author of Urbaneer’s Animal House blog series – there was no question that I would be attending this tail-wagging fun gathering with my rambunctious border collie Logan. In fact, this year I was proud to represent the Urbaneer Team and our parent brokerage, Bosley Real Estate, as one of the festival exhibitors. What a phenomenal way to combine my two loves – real estate and dogs! Not only did I have an opportunity to chat with the visitors about balancing urban life and pet ownership, but also had a chance to raffle off a show-stopping dog house designed by S&E Custom Carpentry. Saeed Edalatmand, the proprietor, is a long time carpenter with extensive experience in custom homes but also designs custom dog houses that provide the perfect shelter for dogs and an aesthetically pleasing addition to any backyard setting.
If you’ve been to Woofstock, you know how much fun it is to stroll around Woodbine Park, checking out all the fun events and peruse through all the interesting goods and services the vendors are offering. If you haven’t attended Woofstock before and being surrounded by hundreds of dogs is your idea of heaven, brace yourself for the time of your life! There was definitely no lack of variety at this two-day gathering. Vendors offered free grooming, free microchipping, doggie treats including ice cream, photo booths and even a chance to try out surfing on a big rig brought in from California. Some dogs were not as amused as others by trying to hang ten on a surfboard, but it was definitely fun to watch.
While I spent most of the two days meeting all the pooches and their humans, I also found some time to get to know a few of the interesting, local vendors and chat with them about the product and services they were promoting. Here are just a few that in my opinion are making good things happen in the dog community.
Dog Tales Rescue
This dog rescue and horse sanctuary is a brainchild of Rob Scheinberg and Danielle Eden and located on 20 hectares of rolling fields and woodland in King City, Ontario. The Dog Tales Rescue booth, charmingly resembling a dog house, drew me in with their clever offering. Visitors lined up for a portrait with their four-legged companion propped up on an adorable bed resembling one you’d find in a children’s bedroom, centred within a giant picture frame. This cute set up drew in crowds.
But aside from the creative exhibit booth, Dog Tales Rescue is doing amazing things for animals in need with their facility which houses more than a dozen dogs and four retired horses. You won’t find bleak metal cages of most animal shelters. The shelter’s kennels are decorated with with custom-made sofas, doggy-friendly beds and even antiques. The idea is to create a space that would help troubled dogs grow accustomed to life at home in order to prime them for adoption. If you are seriously considering pet adoption, check out the Dog Tales Rescue website or visit the facility at their open house each Sunday.
Rescue Coffee
At first glance one would wonder what does coffee have to do with dogs, right? Rescue Coffee not only offers fair-trade organically grown coffee roasted in the Maritimes but also donates 10% of proceeds to partnering animal shelters in Canada. In Toronto, one of the rescue partners is Save Our Scruff, an all-breed dog rescue that relies on their network of foster families to provide loving temporary care for the dogs until they are carefully matched with the right forever home. At Woofstock, Rescue Coffee Co. hosted a fun booth where visitors could purchase the coffee beans in a range of tastes, as well as mugs, tanks, t-shirt and other fun swag. If you missed Rescue Coffee at Woofstock, their coffee is currently available at Unleashed in the City, Dundas West Animal Hospital, Kew Beach Veterinary Hospital, The Dog Bowl and Wishbone Cafe.
PetVibe
At this year’s Woofstock, the all-things-pet-centric app pledged to donate $1 for each new member that joined to the 15 animal rescue groups who took part in the festival, with the goal to raise $10,000. For pet owners that enjoy staying connected through social media, this app could be life-changing. The main goal is to create a “hub” specifically for the pet community, whether you’re looking to fill your social calendar or looking for helpful resources for your pet. Becoming a member of PetVibe is as easy as downloading the app (available on both IOS and Android), creating a profile for you and your pet and you’re all set! The app is packed with useful resources such as a directory of pet businesses in your area including user-driven reviews. Do you travel? PetVibe readjusts based on your geographic location, so you’ll be able to find recommendations for pet-friendly businesses no matter where you are. Lost a pet? PetVibe app has a lost pet alert feature that allows you and your community to receive notifications and alerts from local organizations when a lost pet is found. Logan and I are enjoying the app and keep our social calendar filled with fun community events.
Woofstock was such a fun event and it was so great to be a part of it and spend two-days meeting so many wonderful people and their fur babies. This isn’t the last one for Urbaneer! You can find me and Logan at this year’s Paws in the Park taking place August 12th at Woodbine Park. Paws in the Park is an annual event that provides a significant portion of the Toronto Humane Society’s annual operating costs through fundraising. So mark your calendar and stop by for a day of fun!
Our dogs bring us so much joy. If you enjoy spending time outdoors exploring Toronto’s green spaces, here is a blog on My Top Toronto Off-Leash Dog Parks. Did your fave make the list? If you share your life with a four-legged friend and looking for helpful tips on living with pets, check out Tips To Help Pet Owners Keep Their Homes Clean to help you maintain a tidy home. And if you’re looking to purchase a pet-friendly urban space, check out Buying a Condo Your Dog Will Love.
Are you on the hunt for that perfect place to share with your pooch? Do you have questions or topic ideas about caring for dogs in the city?
Contact Monika@urbaneer.com for insights and information as it pertains to Toronto real estate and living with pets.
And please know I’m here to help!
~ Monika and the Urbaneer Team
Monika MacMillan, Sales Representative
& The Innovative Urbaneer Team
Bosley Real Estate Ltd., Brokerage – (416) 322-8000
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Monika’s Animal House