I share custody of my six-year-old corgi, Peach, with my ex, making every second together extra precious. I generally work from home, so we usually spend the day cuddled up on the sofa, but I do enjoy the occasional day spent away from my desk (i.e. the couch), whether it’s working from the Toronto Reference Library or a cute café. The only problem? Dogs are not welcome at these spaces. I’ll survive a day away from my pup (I’m not one of those people), but I have yearned from time to time to have her by my side while pecking away at my laptop in some coworking space or another. Toiling away under deadline just feels so much nicer when I can lean down and pet her soft fur or proffer a liver treat.
Given how dog-obsessed Toronto is, I figured it was just a matter of time before someone combined two of the city’s passions: hustle and pups. There are some dog-friendly cafés around and a few coworking spaces that welcome dogs, but the newly opened Hound House is the city’s first dedicated canine social club and coworking space. So, eager to checkout this dog owners’ fantasy, I put on Peach’s booties and we braved our way through the sleet to check out the space on Queen Street, just west of Spadina. At first glance, it looks like your standard contemporary coworking spot, all sleek brown benches and oval tables, the wall studded with plentiful electrical outlets.
Except for the line of snouts.
The café is up front, gated off so as to stay in line with food prep laws. As we walked through, up to the little gate, we were met by a small crowd of pups: a big husky, a blue-eyed Bernedoodle, a small fluffy poodle. The other tell that this was a dog’s world? Pup pillows are scattered around the room, and the back wall sports beautiful built-in dog bowls. There’s also a big patch of grass topped with a large pup statue crafted out of greenery. Shortly after I arrived, I watched a dog stroll over, lift a leg, and pee on it — as intended. (And if your dog has to poop? The attendants will do the scooping for you.)
Peach settled in quickly, accepting an offering of a fresh artisanal multi-layer pupcake ($4, three flavours). I told the attendants that she can sometimes resource-guard food around other dogs, so best to administer any treats away from fellow pups. I was a little nervous: Would they be annoyed at Peach for any food-hoarding freak-outs? Even with these precautions, a scuffle or two broke out, Peach doing her full shrieking, snarling routine, gnashing her little fangs at any dog within a foot of her treat. Normally, this can be a little embarrassing, but at Hound House, they … didn’t care? The attendant calmly intervened and immediately quelled the quarrel. “As much as you can work from here and it’s a social club, we’re a dog place first,” Hound House owner Lauren Guizzetti told me. “We make it clear to everyone that this is a place for dogs. Barking can happen!”
I told her how much of a relief this was, knowing that the staff actually knew how to handle dogs and their peccadilloes. At Hound House, attendants are trained in dog behaviour and first aid and monitor the dogs at all times. They operate a three-strikes rule for all dogs, but they try and show grace where needed. Guizzetti says that they’ll tailor care to each dog. “Every dog is different, just like humans: You have to treat them on a case-by-case basis,” she says.
With this approach, Hound House offers a safe place to socialize your dog, where you can get some work done at the same time. Full-access monthly membership starts at $130 for non dog owners and $170 for dog owners with one dog. Daily drop-in passes start at $30. Members can also pay a small fee for doggy daycare as well ($30 for a full day or $15 for a half day), and if you’re just running an errand in the neighbourhood, you can leave your pup with the attendants for up to an hour gratis. In future, they hope to branch out into other services, whether it’s bringing in a full-time groomer or offering overnight boarding.
I pulled out my laptop to do some emailing and I looked around at the pupscape. Two women chatted in the corner, their small dogs alternating lolling about on the floor or exploring the space. In-house staffer pup Floki, a rescue husky, loped around the perimeter. At one point, Insta-famous Bacon, the mini schnauzer — sporting an orange velvet hoodie — jumped up to sit beside me. Peach chilled out, resting her head on her paws to my right.
All the pup content instilled a sense of cosiness and calm in me. Working in here for a day would be delightful indeed, especially if you stocked up on snacks. They serve delicious sandwiches from Freebird Market and Detour Coffee, while canine companions can dine on Barker & Snouts dog ice cream (three flavours, $5.50). Peach devoured her own Puppuccino (a small cup of whipped cream for 50 cents), eyes wide with deranged ecstasy. “Having your dog with you while working, it’s honestly such therapy and stress relief; it’s so nice to have that human-dog interaction,” Guizzetti says. “Plus, they can play and get their socializing in. When I visited the similar spot in L.A., my dog Sky would play all day, and I wouldn’t feel guilty when we came home from work, because she was pooped already, so I killed two birds with one stone.”
While it’s a fun spot to work, Guizzetti also wants to use the club to build community. Some members join just for the bustling social calendar (and some don’t even own a dog and just want in on the pup fun). They host regular social events, from trivia nights and movie screenings to singles events and dog yoga. They also want to forge new connections among citizens as well, hosting adopt-a-thons and behavioural specialist training sessions that are open to the public.
On my way out, I was waylaid in the small curated shop section, packed with chic pup accessories, from cute customizable tags and Dandylion paw cleaner to Travertine treat canisters and dog-calming candles. Peach deserved a few more Christmas prezzies, so I picked out a fuzzy baby-blue treat ball for her, along with a black marble bowl for her cat sister. When we got home, Peach went directly to the couch and passed right out — totally pooped, as promised.
