There’s a new retreat in town, and it comes with door-to-door transportation, extreme safety precautions and acres of Ontario countryside – but don’t book those vacation days just yet. This retreat is for dogs only.
Wild Dogs is a cabin and forest retreat co-founded by partners Joe Rutherford and Tyler Macdougall. Located in Uxbridge, the retreat gives your pooch the chance to roam 34 acres of fenced land in a guided tour. All of their hiking buddies are equipped with a GPS tracker to ensure their safety throughout the day.
To make the day easier for the owners, Wild Dogs offers a complimentary transportation service which picks up each dog from their house and drops them off once the hike is over. Dogs are thoroughly vetted by Wild Dogs to make sure they get along with other dogs and would be comfortable in a new environment with new friends.
“I had a dog walking business for quite a few years in the city. I was walking dogs on leash, and I actually went on a date with my now partner, and we were with his dog Sammy in the Rouge Valley,” said Rutherford when explaining how he and his partner created the idea for Wild Dogs.
“It was the first time that I’ve ever been in a situation with a dog who was hiking through the woods. I remember just being enthralled with the experience that she was having,” he said. “She was so phenomenally excited and just involved in everything but also sticking with us, hiking with us and people around us.”
For Rutherford, the Wild Dogs idea was better than he could have ever imagined. He enjoys being able to take city dogs out of their element, showing them just how great the outdoors can be. However, the Wild Dogs name doesn’t apply to the safety precautions taken around the grounds.
“We’ve got a triple gated entranceway, and then they come with us. So I have four staff members that work with me, and we each pick up dogs from different locations in the city. So everybody knows their day hike leader really well. We know the dogs super well.”
Even with the GPS trackers on each dog, staff regularly communicate with each other through walkie-talkies and perform roll calls to ensure all dogs are accounted for.
Rutherford, Macdougall and the four staff members spent two and a half years carving out walkable trails by hand. Because of this, the dogs have a safe environment to roam around in.
Wild Dogs also offers cabin stays for those looking for longer adventures with the group. And once you get a glimpse at the cabin Macdougall and Rutherford have built, you’ll be jealous you can’t come along too.
Wild Dogs is currently taking customers in the Toronto area, with the goal of eventually spreading out into the GTA.
