| Overdressed for summer, a male with a thick, dark brown coat wolfs down his food as if he hasn’t eaten in days. A female with a pretty pink bow in her curly blond hair eats like the lady she is – daintily, and pausing between bites. The other male is a picky eater (obviously spoiled by his parents as a youngster), suspiciously sniffing the food, chewing odd bits and spitting out what he doesn’t like.
These are the sundry patrons at the noon shift of Sunday brunch at the new Urban Dog Market in Marda Loop (3538 Garrison Gate S.W.; phone 242-3641). This weekend’s spread featured homemade salmon and cream cheese whole-wheat bagels, cheese and bacon omelettes, and tuna-cheddar soy milk ice cream. Every Sunday, hip owners Jon Molyneux (general manager and part owner of The Living Room) and Melissa Sikic (formerly of Cilantro and Mortal Coil) drape a blue and lime green tablecloth over a long banquet table and lay out the culinary delights. And on this very hot day, a wading pool provides the ultimate cool down.
The brunch is standing room only, runs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and is free (who said there’s no such thing as a free brunch!). So far there haven’t been any fights over food, just a good deal of bad manners – such as stealing food or grabbing several treats at once. My dog Jiboo wasn’t so much rude as overzealous – he jumped on top of the brunch table.
Molyneux and Sikic felt there was a need for a boutique dog store in the area, especially after discovering how many of their neighbours were canines. Describing the urban dog, Sikic says, "It’s the hip, city-living dog who wants to have a cool collar and leash that not every other dog has, as well as some cool toys and gear." In addition to selling the latest in accessories, the Urban Dog Market has a great selection of raw, dry and canned foods that don’t contain preservatives, fillers or meat byproducts. It features brands such as NRG, Timberwolf, Wellness, SolidGold, Urban Carnivore, Farmore and Nature’s Variety, all of which have only pure, natural, whole food ingredients.
"Couples like ourselves who don’t have any children are treating their dog as their child, so they want to feed them the same kind of lifestyle they’re eating. We find the more people who are into a healthier diet, not eating trans fats and aware of what they’re eating, want the same for their animals," says Sikic.
The couple’s dogs – Magnus, a 200-pound English mastiff, and Margaux, a 105-pound Dogue de Bordeaux – have been on a raw food diet since they were puppies. Magnus and Margaux are often in the store, so if your dog wants to hang out with them while you do your shopping in the Garrison Gates village, you can drop off your pooch at the store’s playroom (a 20-minute maximum, please).
A store owner by day, Sikic becomes a baker at night when she prepares snacks for the store’s deli case. Popular items are her cheese pizza – a cheese crust made from whole-wheat flour, topped with tomato sauce, basil, oregano, garlic and parmesan cheese – peanut butter bones, banana biscotti, barbecue rib-flavoured biscuits and cheddar cheese people crackers (a take on animal crackers). With a week’s notice, she can create treats for your dog’s birthday, such as banana or carrot cupcakes, dog name biscuits and loot bags for his/her friends. The Urban Dog Market is also in the process of creating a dog club card that will bear your dog’s photo and entitles you to redeem your reward points to save on future purchases.
Check out the Urban Dog Market’s website, www.urbandogmarket.com, for upcoming events and to view hilarious photos of Magnus and Margaux eating and modelling the latest merchandise. Stay tuned for Yappy Hours in the fall, a social get-together for dogs and people. |
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