Pound or Pedigree, Alexandria is A Dog Friendly Place to Be!
March 21st, 2008 Categories: Alexandria, Del Ray, Doggone It, Old Town, Real Estate News
Named as one of the Top 10 Cities (as part of the greater Washington Metropolitan area) in the U.S. for dogs, Alexandria is home to 20 dog parks, 6 specialty pet boutiques, 3 pet bakeries, 2 organic pet food stores, a luxury pet spa, and at least one doggie happy hour.
Dogs are front and center at Halloween parades, December’s Scottish Walk, St. Patrick’s Day Fun, Yappy Hours, numerous adoption days and the Annual Canine Games in Chinquapin Park. In fact, the local animal shelter, run by the Animal Welfare League, is named after former city manager, Vola Lawson.
Charlie
Saturday morning at the Farmer’s Market - whether in Del Ray or Old Town - is as much about seeing and being seen with your dog as it is about buying fresh produce. And on the beautiful spring days that Alexandria is known for, well, you might think you were at the Westminster Kennel Club walking the judges ring!
One of the newest additions to the specialty pet market is Nature’s Nibbles, which sells all natural, totally organic pet food, natural treats and raw bones plus supplements, toys, beds, hemp collars and leashes.
The business, owned by Chris Gabriel and his wife Anne, grew out of their experience with their own dog Gypsy who was allergic to certain grains. Chris started Nature’s Nibbles as an online delivery venture first, but opened a store front operation in Del Ray just a little over a year ago.
When the weather is nice, Nature’s Nibbles offers a “do it yourself dog wash”. You supply the dirty dog, they supply temperature controlled water, hypo-allergenic shampoo, towels and the bath. What a deal!
In business since 1995, another all natural, all organic shop is Petsage, Inc. which specializes in offering healthy diet choices both at their retail location off Duke Street and on line.
Barkley Square -named the 2006 Alexandria Chamber of Commerce Retail Business of the year - with locations in Old Town and Del Ray (right next to our favorite Evening Star cafe) offers a variety of gift baskets that make gift giving simple for that special dog in your life. Owner Kristina Robertson is a member of the Chamber of Commerce, the Alexandria City Visitors Association (ACVA) and is a board member of the King Street Metro Enterprise Team (KSMET) which works to enhance the pet friendly atmosphere of the community.
Fetch Dog and Cat Bakery Boutique is located directly across from the Old Town Starbucks which makes it a destination for dog and owner alike. (We all know that kitties do not go for walks, nor do they have owners.) Fetch offers more than 60 kinds of edible treatsand specializes in unusual birthday cakes. There are also doggie cupcakes, tiny pizzas, “Postman cookies” and “Kitty cookies”so, as owner Lisa Erbe joked, “a dog can eat a cat.”*** Fetch has just opened a second location in Lorton, VA - just south of Alexandria on I-95.
Treats from Fetch
The real pioneers in pet care however are Carlos and Sandy Mejias who opened Olde Town School for Dogs in 1975 in a 300 sq. ft. rental in the heart of historic Old Town. Since that time they have expanded, on the same block, to 7,000 sq. ft. devoted solely to training, grooming and retail.
Perhaps best known for their innovative “Puppy Head Start” program, OTSFD offers pick up and delivery service for area residents (dogs only, no humans allowed). Using the streets, shops and parks of Alexandria as a perfect situational training ground, OTSFD ”students” are a common sight in Old Town.
The Mejias most recent enterprise is the Olde Towne Pet Resort in Springfield, VA offering some 200 rooms, or suites, with packages that can include windows, television, and play time in an indoor pool or on an agility course. Similar accommodations are offered for feline friends.
Other specialty stores include For Pet’s Sake in the Fairlington area of Alexandria, and Pro Feed in the Bradlee Shopping Center. The Alexandria Medical Arts Pharmacy in Old Town will specially prepare pet medicines to make them more palatable.
Who ever came up with the phrase “going to the dogs” was obviously not from this area ’cause our dogs have it good . . .as does our spoiled feline
Thanks for stopping by,
Michael
***Mac did NOT think much of this cookie idea!
