Big Love
There are over a million pets in the GTA, feeding a booming industry of groomers, doggie daycares and organic kibble purveyors. Here, six owners who dote, and splurge, on their furry, feathered, reptilian pals By Amy Verner
DEVON BOYD AND HER DOG, SARGEANT
Boyd is a surgeon at the Veterinary Emergency Clinic and Referral Centre (920 Yonge St., 416-920-2002). She shares her compact Yorkville apartment with her 125-pound bull mastiff and an asthmatic cat named Juba. Boyd met Sargent when he was just 12 hours old, after his mother was hospitalized for a C‑section and unable to feed him.
Doc’s Best Friend
I did the surgery for Sargent’s elbow dysplasia—he’s only 17 months old, but he has arthritis in his hips and elbows. He gets physio twice a week on an underwater treadmill at my clinic. It was weird to operate on my own dog, but I’d have a hard time trusting anyone else.
Dog Chow
Sargent’s food is Hill’s Prescription Diet j/d. It’s high in omega-3 fatty acids and fish oils, which help with arthritis pain. For treats, he gets Milk-Bones and dried liver.
Exercise Regime
He loves his soccer ball, which isn’t common for mastiffs. They’re not big exercisers.
Fashion Sense
My mom has knitted a few dog sweaters for him, and I had to get him some winter booties for the salt because he was getting really sore feet.
Collateral Damage
Sargent comes to work with me every day, and he’s ruined my entire office; he’s chewed the phone lines, and he ate a hole in the wall.
Total Monthly Cost
$200.
1 Comments
Comment on this story
Neither Amy Verner nor Toronto Life necessarily agree with the comments posted here. Editors will not correct spelling or grammar. Toronto Life reserves the right to edit or delete comments entirely. Read our full policy
Some articles on this site require that you have a Torontolife.com account in order to comment, and this is one of them. If you do not have an account, you can register now.
Really great article but none of these pet owners mentioned pet insurance. I have a French Bulldog and his insurance is $120 a month...so the cost of owning a dog or cat would be higher if the owners had insurance.
February 25, 2010 | by CreativeInToronto