Vancouver, British Columbia, is a city with distinct pockets: areas in the city visitors gravitate to and some others avoid. Granville Island is not to be avoided. Locals head to the market then home. Tourists stay all afternoon. And people with dogs fall into both categories.

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Granville Island is my favourite place in Vancouver (see guidebook here). Each time I visit this coastal Canadian city, I carve out significant time to spend on Granville Island. My recent visit was no exception, only this time I had an agenda: find out if Granville Island is pet dog friendly.

Visiting Vancouver, British Columbia

But first, Vancouver. The Canadian city that captures people’s curiosity, finding itself on many a ‘must-visit’ list. I remember the 1990s, when Vancouver, B.C. – the promising city on the coast – beckoned many creative young Canadians, particularly among my Ontario peer group. And the East saw a small exodus to the West in search of greener pastures – well, mountains actually.

Since then, the city has earned its cred as a desirable international destination and prices have followed. Vancouver is a shiny multicultural city with all the benefits and challenges of major centers. (Note: avoid Hastings and Main Streets area, along with parts of Chinatown. Unfortunately, addiction is in full crisis mode there).

Dog-friendly Granville Island

But one section of Vancouver stands out for me and that’s Granville Island. You and your dog should head to this peppy and popular small island filled with a permanent farmers’ market, artist studios, boutique shopping, a brewery, hotel, and general arty vibe.

Granville is a ten-minute boat ride from the edge of Vancouver. And yes, you should take a boat. There’s a bridge, and cars are permitted on the island. But it’s challenging to drive, and there’s limited parking in the Granville Island area.

Dog-friendly Water Taxi

Aquabus is one company operating cute tugboat-like taxis across False Creek, the body of water separating Vancouver from Granville. And guess what? Dogs are welcome on the boats. Rides are affordable and fun. It’s the most economical way to sight-see along the city’s coast. Granville Island is not the only stop on the water taxi route.

Yaletown, an area in Vancouver, is the closest water taxi stop to Granville. You can take the Skytrain or public transportation to Yaletown from anywhere in the city (and from nearby city Richmond). Note, however, the crowded Skytrain is not pet-friendly, though I saw several dogs riding along.

Once you disembark onto Granville Island, you start walking, and so do many others. Granville Island surges with pedestrian activity along the roads and between open public spaces filled with benches, picnic tables and likely other dogs.

Stand along the deck railing and breathe in the ocean air and view of the city skyline, then take your dog for a stroll along the boardwalk. Note that it gets crowded – you’ll need a short leash, a good harness, and patience when people want to meet your pup.

Shopping with Dogs

Granville Island is home to creative arts school Arts Umbrella, so there are rows of artists’ studios along the narrow streets. Most are open to dogs strolling in, including one sporting a portrait of the studio dog on the front door. Some indoor buildings contain boutiques selling everything and anything from jewellery to soap and hats to handmade brooms. Granville Island has the highest concentration of stationery stores I’ve ever seen in one place.

It isn’t mandatory, but would be unfortunate if dog people missed the caboose containing The Granville Island Pet Treatery – shopping inside is a squeeze, but there are dog and cat toys and treats inside. The feature is the company’s Pet Treatery (affiliate link) line of treats, mostly dehydrated meats, including fish, turkey hearts, beef lung and more. I’ve seen this line at many pet boutiques across Canada but had no idea. Little did I know, the Pet Treatery opened here as Vancouver’s first dog bakery in 1985.

Granville Public Market

The one building dogs definitely can’t go into, thanks to food safety rules, is the main Public Market, and this really is the draw for most people heading to Granville Island. Inside a converted industrial building, the Public Market is a bougie urban farmers’ market selling meat, produce, cheese, and every other kind of grocery food. But the ready-made eats are what people line up for. If you need to go in – and you should, especially to get lunch and take it outdoors to eat – Granville Market has a solution.

Outside the market is a green and white doghouse called the PetParker. It’s a free service that allows shoppers with dogs to safely park their dog inside the climate-controlled doghouse. Using an app, you can lock the unit (no risk of your dog getting stolen) for a short time, then unlock the door, retrieve your pup, and continue on your way.

Dog-friendly Granville Island Hotel

Want to stay overnight on Granville Island with your dog? It’s possible.

Speaking Pet Treatery, you’ll get some Pet Treatery treats (affiliate link) as part of the Pet Package when you and your pup (or two) check into the dog-friendly Granville Island Hotel – a boutique hotel with 82 individually decorated guest suites. Select rooms are pet-friendly for one or two dogs under 60 pounds. Pet fee is $30 per pet per night.

Greenspace is out the front door (and a waterside deck is outside the back door). However, the restaurant’s outdoor patio is not pet-friendly, which is odd. Summer prices start at $500 a night (plus pet fee). Vancouver isn’t a cheap city.

Granville Patios and Pups

You might not be able to eat with your dog at the Granville Island Hotel patio, but you can on many others around the island – which isn’t big, but big enough. It’s easily a two-hour walk through crowded narrow streets (dogs should be well socialized), open green spaces, and along waterside boardwalks.

A lot of people buy food from the market and eat at outdoor tables, but various restaurants of various price points offer a variety of menus, and clearly seafood features prominently. Of course, if beer is part of your diet, you should stop for a cold one with your dog at Granville Island Brewing on the front patio near the entrance. Unfortunately, if you’re there to eat on the back patio, dogs have to stay leashed on the other side of the railing.

Overall …

Described by many as eclectic and creative, the Granville Island vibe is heavily influenced by foodies and artists. In the summer, street performers are a common sight among the shops, markets, studios, theatre, improv comedy studio, and yes, dog walkers. Leashes are mandatory.

Fun fact: Granville Island is actually an artificial island created in 1916 to serve the needs of factories, warehouses, and mills. The ‘island’ is actually a peninsula attached in one spot to the mainland. It was primarily industrial until the Public Market was built in 1979, then things gradually morphed into this mosaic of food, art, and entertainment.

One industry remains, however. If you’re in the market for cement, Ocean Concrete still operates on the island filling about four barges a week while hundreds of people, and many dogs, stroll the narrow streets shopping, eating, and escaping the big city about three kilometres away.

Writer bio: Sherri Telenko has been a professional writer for decades and a travel writer for the last two. She’s a member of TMAC (Travel Media Association of Canada) and Dog Writers Association of America and travels almost weekly with her canine companion, Victoria.Contact Sherri at dogtrotting.net here. All written content is original, written by a person, and based on experience and research. Please subscribe!