Going to the dogs

Southern Living, Jun 2000 by Thomas, Les

One of Virginia's oldest cities rolls out the red carpet for its funy friends.

Lucky dogs. They live in

Old Town Alexandria, Virginia.

There may not be another city in America that treats pooches more royally. Businesses from Gap to Starbucks Coffee Co. welcome dogs and their owners and hand out biscuits and other treats.

There's also a bakery and other shops just for dogs. Artist Lisa Brock does a brisk business hand painting monogrammed collars for customers with names like Spot and Rover. Each morning and afternoon, the exclusive Olde Towne School for Dogs picks up and brings home canine pupils on their own doggie school bus. And, on festive holidays the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria sponsots events; dogs don costumes for Halloween and have their pictures taken with Santa at Christmas.

"It's a good place to be a dog," says Megan Brooks, director of adoption services for the Animal Welfare League, which operates the local animal shelter. "One of the reasons dogs are so popular here is because of the way our community is set up. Old Town has a lot of townhouses by the water. There's plenty of open space." Many of the city's parks have areas set aside just for dogs.

Some pets like to bark up a different tree. The Old Town Crier newspaper occasionally runs a column under the byline of Nathan Poodle, an 8-pound toy poodle owned by Sarah Becker, director of one of Old Town's museums.

"He's written a review of the doggie bakery," Sarah says. "He's also given a canine commentary on the loss of parkland at Jones Point Park because of the expansion of Woodrow Wilson Bridge."

Lisa and Doug Erbe operate a bakery named Fetch that sells treats for pampered pups such as after-dinner mints and peanut-butter cookies. They also supply the biscuits handed out by Gap, Banana Republic, Starbucks Coffee Co., and other stores.

Even the local bank earns the interest of the canines who drop in with customers. Along with cashing checks and making change, tellers at Burke & Herbert Bank hand out dog biscuits. No one raises an eyebrow when a big standard poodle puts its paws on the counter for a treat.

Friendly golden retrievers, English setters, and mixed breeds relax in the late-afternoon sun in the courtyard of the Holiday Inn Select in Old Town, where hors d'oeuvres for pets and bowls of water are served during happy hour on summer Thursdays.

The Holiday Inn Select isn't the only place dogs can stop and smell the roses. The Enchanted Florist keeps a bone box stocked with dog biscuits. Pets and their owners stop to retrieve treats and to leave biscuits for other furry friends.

"I'm not originally from here," says manager Maura Smith, "It blows my mind how much people love their dogs."

Les Thomas

Alexandria Convention & Visitors Association: 221 King Street, Alexandria, VA 22314; 1-800-388-9119. Web site: www.funside.com. Fetch: 101 South St. Asaph Street; (703) 518-5188.

Olde Towne School for Dogs: 529 Oronoco Street; (703) 836-7643. Handpainted collars by Lisa Brock are sold in the retail shop. Holiday Inn Select: 1-800-368-5047; rates start at $159. O