WORKING LIKE A DOG
Angela Koop and her dog Jake enjoy a pint at Prairie Sun Brewery. The company is one of a number of businesses in Saskatoon that are adopting ‘pet-friendly’ policies and are seeing the benefits of welcoming customers and their furry friends.
Walk into a growing number of businesses around Saskatoon and you might see a customer enjoying a pint with their pup or picking out furniture with Fido.
Four-legged customers don’t spend any money, but business owners say they make for a better shopping experience for their twolegged companions.
Prairie Sun Brewery opened its doors to canine customers about a year ago. Recently, the brewery started offering food, so dogs are only welcome on days when the kitchen is closed (Sunday and Monday) to comply with health regulations.
Manager Kelita Deptuch said the response to the dog-friendly environment has been awesome.
“We’ve had lots of people come in simply because they want to have time with their pup,” she said.
She has seen at least 30 different dogs in the space since it adopted the pet-friendly policy, she said. The brewery has even hosted a couple of canine birthday parties, including one for a 19-year-old dog.
Deptuch said the business was inspired to welcome dogs by its resident pooch, Buddy, owned by Prairie Sun partner Heather Williams. She moved to Saskatchewan from Colorado, where craft breweries often have a dog-in-residence.
“I hope people in Saskatoon will embrace the animal vibes and open some more pet-friendly businesses,” Deptuch said. “For a lot of people their dog is their family, so it allows them to enjoy the experience with the pooch they love.”
Early’s Farm and Garden Centre can probably boast Saskatoon’s longest-standing pet-friendly status. Alexa Joy, media manager and sales team member, said the business has been pet-friendly since opening 110 years ago.
“Our doors have always been open to people with pets because we sell pet products and we always want them to come in and try them and it’s a good experience for the pets to get out,” she said.
Joy admits staff probably greet animal visitors before they turn their attention to the human shoppers.
“There’s always treats behind the counter. I can’t tell you how many dogs that come in here that know that and come straight to the sales counter. And I think dogs like picking out their own toys, as silly as that sounds,” she said.
Joy said she knows a lot of the animals by name, including regulars like Georgia the Great Dane and Patty the golden retriever. Patty went shopping at Early’s on her birthday last year and was greeted with a hat and a special doggie cupcake. And it’s not just dogs that enjoy a little browsing. Early’s has hosted cats, birds, horses, goats, raccoons, bunnies, pigs and even a yak.
The policy also comes in handy when it’s extremely cold out.
“Sometimes coming in and letting them walk around the store for 15 or 20 minutes is the best exercise they’re going to get,” Joy said.
As a shopper herself, she has seen more businesses adopt a petfriendly attitude. She has taken her bulldog Bowie on shopping trips to Rona and Michael’s, she said.
“It’s more time to spend with my pet so he’s not at home in a kennel.”
Pets are also welcome at the following Saskatoon businesses:
Broadway Shoe Repair
■ Urban Barn Dutch Growers Wilson’s Greenhouse Foster’s Shoes End of the Roll The Better Good Wholesale Sports Peavey Mart Critter’s PetSmart Pet Planet