WATCH: The Hot Dog Café is a restaurant near Montreal where pet owners can bring their dogs!
Beatrice Recio knew her dog sorely needed some playtime and canine company so she took him outside — to bring him indoors.
The Toronto resident made the short trip from her condo to the Purina PawsWay with Alfie, a 5 1/2-month-old morkie, a Maltese-Yorkshire terrier mix.
The pet centre is housed steps from the city’s waterfront where there’s ample outdoor space for pooches to play.
But with sub-zero temperatures continuing to cast a numbing chill over the city, some owners are keeping their pets active by visiting the PawsWay’s indoor off-leash program, which is supervised by owners and staff.
“I think it’s a good environment for them,” said first-time visitor Recio, as Alfie darted among the energetic dogs on the indoor mat.
“I like that it’s enclosed because you can take them to an off-leash outdoor dog park, but … they’ll probably get really dirty.
“And I’m not worried about him running off and getting hit by a car.”
Kelvin Cheng tries to attend sessions twice weekly during the winter with his five-year-old Boston terrier, Fenway.
“It’s a nice place — especially when the weather is bad outside. …
“In a way, he’s more of a people dog than a dog dog. But when he’s here, he’ll find a certain dog he likes to latch onto.”
PawsWay general manager Blair Keetch said the off-leash sessions give canine attendees more than just a chance to romp.
“It is fantastic for the dogs to socialize with each other,” he said, noting up to 40 dogs can be accommodated.
“We’ve had a lot of dogs that have come in at first where they’ve been very shy and you can really see them building their confidence playing with other dogs, getting used to other humans and just becoming far more comfortable in different environments.”
At the Hot Dog Cafe in Brossard, Que., a suburb on Montreal’s south shore, owners can enjoy a meal while pooches play in a landscaped, supervised, 1,000-square-foot indoor park which draws visitors from outside the city as well as neighbourhood residents.
“It helps for the winter,” said employee Sarah Larin.
“People don’t want to go outside, or they don’t want to leave the dog at their house all day long.”
Doggie Central in Mississauga, Ont., west of Toronto, offers a dedicated dog daycare as well as off-leash play sessions on weeknights and weekends supervised by staff and pet owners.
While most clients are locals, some come from well outside the city — including Hamilton and Oshawa — to use the facility, said Lesley Rooney, co-owner with her husband, Jeff.
Rooney said a variety of people take advantage of the daycare and play sessions, including seniors who can’t get out in the winter, or have an active dog they can’t exercise enough.
Cold and rainy days are the busiest for play sessions, but there is also a core group that attends regardless of outdoor conditions.
“They like the facility. They like the people that come here,” Rooney said.
“Their dogs have become friends with other dogs that come, so again, it becomes a very social situation for the dogs as well as the owners.”
Back at the PawsWay, Recio found she, too, benefited from the chance to chat with fellow morkie owners about changes she might expect to see as Alfie ages.
“It’s really interesting hearing other people’s perspectives and experiences with the same breed — especially with mixed breeds — because there’s no standard for their temperament.”
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