Fetching Options for Furry Condo Dwellers
For many people in the city, condos have become principle residences, housing whole families along with their beloved pets. Four-footed condo dwellers are a permanent part of the urban picture and residents, developers and the municipality all have a vested interest in providing amenities and services for them.
As owners increasingly seek out pet-friendly condos, forward-thinking developers are providing amenities such as dog runs and pet spas. With the Canadian winters, it is the ultimate convenience for owners to be able to walk their dogs within a specialized rooftop area.
Steve Gupta is president of Easton’s Group of Hotels, developer of Dundas Square Gardens condominium residences. “We have created five different levels of condos. On the 17th floor, we have approximately 8,000 square feet of gardens. Within that, we have created dog walks that they can go around without leaving the building. Gupta learned about pet services from his days as a hotelier. “We do the same thing in our hotels. We have a pet-friendly hotel on Wellington Street and we have no issues.”
Savvy entrepreneurs are also filling the niche with pet services, grooming and doggie daycare. Suzanne Singh started Pet Social several years ago, and now with two stores, there’s been no looking back. She got the idea as a resident of the Concord Adex CityPlace condo complex. “When we crunched all the numbers, we realized that at that time, there was an average of seven registered dogs per floor.” Surprisingly, there’s an even higher ratio of condo felines to canines. “I can tell you that there are four cats for every dog you see,” says Singh.
Dundas Square Gardens offers dog walks in their 17th floor garden.
So what kind of services do condo owners require? It’s the same as any pet owner would have, says Singh, primarily grooming and food. “But for those who live in condos, spaces for the dogs to run is most important I think.” Doggie daycare
“Condos are quite small, especially right in downtown Toronto, so (residents) don’t necessarily want to keep their dogs inside 600 square feet all day. There has been a great demand for daycare.”
Suzanne Singh founder of Pet Social
Concord is one of the most pet-friendly developers out there, says Singh. “Concord is an awesome friend to the pet-friendly people. They has been a very successful component of the business. “Condos are quite small, especially right in downtown Toronto, so they don’t necessarily want to keep their dogs inside 600 square feet all day. There has been a great demand for daycare,” explains Singh. They don’t treat the animals as animals — they look at them more like furry residents within the buildings.”