New doggie daycare spot Come Play Stay in Toronto’s Beaches neighbourhood has taken over the building that used to be Fitzgerald’s Pub and Grill at 2298 Queen St. E.Photography by Doublespace Photography
“Woof, woof, woof!” said the black one on the left, leaving a tiny patch of condensation on the big window.
Not to be outdone, the smaller, gold one in the middle added: “Arf, arf arf!”
The third, after a single “Bork!” just wagged its tail.
All very good boys and girls, I’m sure they were just welcoming us to Come Play Stay, a new – and very stylish – doggie daycare spot in Toronto’s Beaches neighbourhood. And had they not liked the look of my face (and really liked the look of my jugular instead), there are plenty of half-walls, gates and corralling areas to keep us apart, thanks to the design work of Sonia Ramundi and Zachariah Glennon of IAh Architects.
In front of the big dog window, a long counter serves as a staff desk, sales counter and a separation device. Along the bottom of the counter is a low, dog-height shelf. And all of it is made from “indestructible” Corian, says Ms. Ramundi, along with floors of groutless, welded Marmoleum. Which means no claws leaving marks and no pee seeping into cracks.
A long counter at the front of the daycare is used as a staff desk, sales counter and a separation device.
“They’re allowed to have this portion as a pet store, so it was designed for that flexibility; they could have food, leashes, things like that. And then the shelving there,” says the architect, pointing to the low shelf, “they could sell dog beds.”
Behind the counter, oil-rubbed metal clads the wall from floor to the beltline and then warm, golden wood carries up to the ceiling (the dogs don’t notice, but the humans who work here seem to like it). Same on the opposite wall, with the addition of a metal bench for pet owners. On the other side of the big, interior window (the one full of dog-greeters), the same, seamless finishes line up just like pups in the kitchen when the treat bag opens. It’s all very clean, detailed and posh: a bespoke daycare and overnighter for the four-legged.
“All these complicated little nooks and crannies,” Ms. Ramundi says with a laugh. “We had a good millwork team, good contractor and a lot of site co-ordination things to make the detail work, [there was] 3-D modelling, site visits, things that you can’t just do in drawings.”
The floors are groutless, welded Marmoleum to avoid claw marks and pee seeping into cracks.
But has design gone to the dogs? Do they deserve it? Why not? Many of us love them as if they were our children. It also helps to know that the building (2298 Queen St. E.) is owned by veterinarian Dr. Mark Dilworth, who purchased in 2018 while co-owner of Beaches Animal Hospital two doors down. And, although he’s moved his practice to Avenue Road and Davenport Road since then, he wanted to stay connected to the neighbourhood. So, by partnering with Jen Ego, the daycare was born.
However, the building handed to IAh (in collaboration with Odd Lots during the early stages) during the first months of the pandemic, wasn’t exactly dog-friendly. Dark and cozy for humans craving a pint of lager, perhaps, but the old Fitzgerald’s Pub and Grill needed a great deal of rethinking to become a pooch paradise. Such as? To wit: the aforementioned hard surfaces and their cleanability; sound proofing for all that barking; square footage per doggo; separation of big and small dogs; grooming areas; dog (and human) washing stations; lockers for dogs (meds, toys) and for staff; security cameras and pet owner-accessible cameras; a second-floor animal education space for children; and outdoor play-spaces along with pee areas with hidden drainage.
The daycare has separate areas for big and small dogs.
As Ms. Ramundi and I walk from the reception area into the main dog room, it’s clear the dogs don’t notice all of IAh’s laborious design work, or the precision with which it was carried out by contractor Desar Construction Studio. Nope, it’s the ample sunbeams and rolling tennis balls that catch their eyes. But down in the high-ceilinged basement, or up on the second floor where kids have birthday parties with chinchillas and lizards, this writer notices the almost unnoticeable design things, the big, sexy moves, and the way transitions between very different materials have been handled so deftly.
Outside, bold black-and-white graphics of dog silhouettes facing Scarborough Road catch my eye as does the new, all glazed, corner-disappearing entrance and the projecting metal box around the second-floor window.
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Of most interest is the semi-opaque fence that encloses the many play areas. Custom-designed, the fence is made of stark, anodized aluminum black frames (again, pee-resistant) that house white polycarbonate panels, which are removable for cleaning. “That’s a very high-end fence,” says Ms. Ramundi, adding that the cost was about double that of a standard cedar fence. “Then again, a traditional fence with slack would rattle the dogs if other dogs were walking by; so how can we let a little bit of light in … while the dogs are not seeing anything while they’re in there.” And, with the new plantings, what is on view are gentle, swaying shadows of grasses and leaves.
A custom-made, semi-opaque fence encloses play areas for the dogs.
Since the operation is fairly new and staff continue to figure out how the dogs use the space and at what times of day (it’s a 24-hour facility so that dogs are never alone), Ms. Ramundi says there will be inevitable tweaking. For instance, separation of big and small dogs hasn’t been completely necessary, but, depending on new furry clientele, the various gates and separate entrances may be put to more stringent use.
But, right now, what matters are all of those tails a-wagging, and the fact that a little part of the Beaches has gone completely to the dogs, in the best way possible.