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Christopher I have worked in luxury cosmetics since I was 19 as a Promotional Consultant, Make-up Artist, Counter Manager and Retail Sales Coordinator. I moved from Toronto to Vancouver with YSL eight years ago. My boss was so cute: she asked me if I liked to ski because there was a Business Development Manager position available in BC. I said yes in 3 seconds. I had never been to Vancouver, had no friends out here, but I knew I would love it! I went from being an Eastern bastard to a West Coaster as I was driving in the taxi from the airport over the Granville Bridge and I saw the ocean and mountains for the first time. I would never go back! And I thought Toronto was the center of the universe! I have had dogs around me all my life. I’ve bought them, inherited them, rescued them. I decided it was time for a change and wanted to surround myself with unconditional doggie love. I needed to leave my job in cosmetic land and take all my experience working in the luxury industry to open a high end dog boutique, The Pet Shop Boys, and see how far we can develop it!
David I was born and raised in Vancouver all my life. I was a good Jewish boy brought up by Jewish parents. Growing up, I wanted to become a Veterinarian and just work with animals all day. As a child I had fish, hamsters, iguanas and dogs, and I used to love riding horses. My background is working for the government and the public sector. I made the change to working with dogs because I have a real passion for animals, especially dogs! For the last couple of years I have volunteered as a dog walker for the Vancouver Pound. Christopher and I went to Europe last year for our honeymoon and had a revelation when we were in Paris. We were so inspired by the romantic architecture and design that we came up with the idea to open our own doggie French boutique here in Vancouver. I am so lucky to live in such a dog friendly city and even luckier to have met my husband Christopher who is an animal lover as well. We were married in 2008 and share two amazing dogs, Pippin and Drake.
Pippin My story began 5 and a half years ago when my original owners were going through a messy divorce and didn't have room for me in their new lives. I was put up for adoption on David's workplace website. I was only 6 months old at the time. The next day a man called and asked all these questions about me. He seemed pretty interested and wanted to know if I was still up for adoption. My current owners agreed to adopt me out to this nice single Jewish guy named David who lived in Kits. This was going to be a fresh start for me, in a nice trendy neighborhood where everyone has a dog and the beach is only five minutes away. (Just for the record, Christopher — David's husband — came in the picture after I was adopted so technically I have a higher rank than he does. We will keep that between you and me though.) I currently have the most important job. I am the Julie McCoy (The Love Boat) of the store. My formal title is "Activity Director" for The Pet Shop Boys. I round up all the dogs and get them to play with each other. I also make sure that all the dogs get enough exercise.
Drake My story is a sad one but it has a happy ending. I lived with a family for five years when one day we all went on a car ride through the countryside. They pulled over onto a dirt road, opened the back door to let me out and threw a ball for me to chase. As I retrieved the ball, I turned around to see my family drive away, leaving me behind. I was pretty scared. I had never been on my own before. I roamed the countryside for two months all on my own, eating anything I could get my teeth into: garbage, wood, paper, grass, anything. Then one day I was rescued by a man in a blue uniform and taken to an animal shelter. I was very sick, 20 pounds underweight, and had lots of health problems. The shelter put my picture up on their webpage for adoption, and 24 hours later two guys showed up with a little pug. They had seen my picture online and drove all the way out to see me! We went on a long walk together, then they returned me to the handler at the shelter. I thought that was the end. Little did I know... these guys had always wanted a Great Dane/Lab cross and instead of buying one from a breeder, they went online to see if they could adopt one. Twenty minutes later there was my picture and information on the shelter's web page. After meeting me, Christopher and David knew I was very sick and would need lots of medical attention for the next 6-8 months, and that would probably cost a pretty penny, and didn't know if they were up to the financial commitment. I found out later that David wanted to surprise Christopher with a trip to San Francisco for their anniversary that month. But David came clean and told Christopher of the surprise holiday trip. They both decided to cash it in and use that money to adopt me and make me better! I am the friendly Alfa of the house (big boss) just because I am the oldest, and of course the more experienced dog. I have a full time job where I get to go to work with Christopher every day (lucky me!) I manage and play with dogs all day long, making sure everyone behaves and has lots of fun! I especially enjoy playing with little puppies. They love my height and are always trying to lick my lips. I am loved!