Thursday, May 19, 2011

Halifax Dog Friendly Downtown's Time has come

I subscribe to a google alert for "dog friendly" - and an article about "Saratoga Springs Dog Friendly Downtown" came through a couple days ago - and it's a fabulous initiative that the city of Saratoga down in the States has.

A whole bunch of businesses have realized that dog owner's really do love their dogs - and they love to spend money and be with their dogs at the same time - so they've banded together and made their businesses pet friendly - and put up logos on their doors - they have special events for pet owners - and fun stuff like that.

They have a blog at http://dogfriendlydowntown.blogspot.com/  and right now they're having a scavenger photo hunt for pet owners to bring them into the member businesses. Doesn't that sound like fun?


When I went to the blog it struck me - the number of businesses that they have participating doesn't sound like too many more than I have listed on my website as being dog friendly JUST in downtown Halifax - NOT including everywhere else in HRM. Altogether - there's over 150 resources and dog friendly listings on the Charlie loves Halifax site now - and there's TWENTY-SEVEN dog friendly stores in the downtown core of Halifax.

The Saratoga Dogfriendly downtown Association has thirty six participants.

I'd say that Halifax is doing pretty good as a dog friendly destination.

If those businesses got together and actually catered to the dog owners that they're attracting to their stores - they could actually make a lot more money - and we dog owners would have a lot more access to fabulous services - and be spending more time with our chosen life companions.

I think we need to do some thinking.....

4 comments:

  1. Joan, sounds like a fabulous idea that should be presented to the various street and neighbourhood associations in HRM too.

    Thanks for finding and writing about this.

    H

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love this - wish we had more pet friendly establishments: but I doubt HRM and the NS Gov't is enlightened enough to lessen restrictive laws that are based not on logic... paws crossed.

    ReplyDelete
  3. You might want to share this with the mayor and the downtown business association.

    What a great idea.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous1:38 PM

    Charm Diamond Center on Spring Garden welcomes furry shoppers :) as well as the Needs on Queen Street.

    ReplyDelete