This service helps people find dog friendly parks and hikes across BC

A new BC-based website has a directory of off-leash parks, hikes, and other dog-friendly areas for dog owners to explore.

The Dog Network was founded by Stacey Kerkhoff and Matt Klassen, two dog owners who decided to start the service after struggling to find detailed information on dog-friendly parks and trails online.

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“We were finding it challenging for ourselves so we thought it was probably challenging for other dog owners,” said  Kerkhoff in an interview with Daily Hive.

“We wanted to create a one-stop-shop for people to come to a website and find not only where the official office areas are, but information about them.”

Their website has a directory listing of every off-leash park in the Greater Vancouver area, and others such as Vancouver Island, the Okanagan, Whistler, and beyond.

 

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The site also allows you to filter according to different features such as if it’s a trail or a hike, off-leash park, dog-friendly beaches, a fenced enclosure area, a small dog area, if you can go swimming, etc.

“Depending on your dog and where they are in their training, people look for different things. My dog loves to swim and I love to hike. Other people are still working on training,”  said Kerkhoff.

You will also find a blog section filled with reviews, photos, and descriptions of hikes and trails they have visited with their dogs.

With travelling opening back up, the duo has even been adding dog-friendly hotels and other features such as restaurants, and groomers to the website.

” Dog tourism has become a huge industry. People are travelling more with their dogs and more hotels are becoming dog family. And so we wanted to be able to have a resource within our own province for people that are travelling with their dogs,” she said.

So if you’re a dog owner wanting some dog-friendly outdoor time, make sure to check their website to see which area is best for you and your dog.

You can also follow them on Instagram and Facebook for more updates.