Pet Store Feature

THIS STORE IS ON POINT DOODLE DOGS is a perfect example of why you should shop at your local pet specialty retailer!

 Honest  Trendy  Ethical  Caring  Curb-Side Pick Up  In Store Experience  Delivery  Shipping  Social Media Savvy

HOW YOU GOT STARTED Doodle Dogs was founded on the idea that we were having to visit other big Canadian cities in order to find unique, hand-crafted items for our pets. Having spent the majority of our careers working in Oil and Gas in Calgary, we decided to make a change and open our own branded Dog Boutique that specialized in unique, handmade, locally sourced, and exclusive items for dogs in Calgary.

We opened in September of 2016 and have our third brick and mortar opening this fall in the SW of Calgary!

WHAT YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT OWNING A PET STORE We love the sense of community it creates for our clients and our vendors. Learning the names of our clients and their pets is such a joy, and so is knowing they love coming to shop at our store. We love crafting programs for our clients and rewarding frequent shoppers.

We also love bringing items they’ve never seen before right in front of their eyes to try on! Also, watching how much our staff members love working with the clients and doggies is such a joy. It’s awesome to know you can create a fun space for retail workers giving them unique customer service experience.

BIGGEST CHALLENGES (IF ANY) Growing too fast! We saw this with our second store and we will surely see it again with our third. While you become sought after by commercial realtors to fill strip malls, banks still look at you like you’re a liability. The question of “Can you grow too fast?” comes up often in interviews and panels and the answer is YES. But that shouldn’t stop you - you grow you, boo. You just have to get creative and learn to be patient. When you find a formula that works you ride that wave and go with your gut.

YOUR PETS NAMES Corey owns Maggie - 11 year old Boston Terrier (and our Mascot!) and Harley Quinn - a 3 year old Staffordshire Bull Terrier.

Meghan has Weechee Warrick a 6 year old liver Shih Tzu and Mallzie a Persian/ Himalayan.

THEN A LIST OF ALL THE AWARDS YOU HAVE WON (I KNOW THE LIST IS LONG!) 2018 - Calgary Small Business Week KPMG’s People’s Choice Award Winner 2018 - Calgary Small Business Week BDC’s Emerging Growth Award - Finalist

2018 - Calgary Small Business Week ATB’s Small Business of the Year - Finalist

2019 - Calgary Small Business Week BDC Emerging Growth Award - Winner

2018 - PIJAC Independent Retailer Award - Winner

ALSO EVERYTHING YOU GUYS DO FOR THE COMMUNITY We love to host events throughout the year to fundraise for local animals rescues and charities. Every year we walk in the Calgary Pride Parade, host 2-4 Photo fundraising events, sponsor Parkdale Petfest (co-founder), host our annual Charity Walk, host our Vendor Market where we invite 15-35 local pet artisans to sell and display their products.

We love to give back to our community. We believe there’s a social responsibility that comes from owning a business and that requires the support of the people who live in your city. That includes supporting their children’s silent auctions and donating t-shirts and other products to pet rescues. This year so far we have had to cancel most of our events but we’re proud to have hosted an online fundraiser and with thanks to our amazing distributors and manufactures raised over $4200 for two local charities.