BURST
Who doesn’t like puppies? Dawn Slykhuis wants to know.
The yoga studio owner has filed a freedom of information request with the City of Port Moody to find out why her business, and six visiting puppies, drew the ire of bylaw officers on Aug. 16 during Port Moody’s Car-Free Day . Slykhuis admits she speaks out regularly about ordinances she believes are unfair to small businesses, such as not being able to get a permit to teach yoga in city parks because it was a “conflict of interest” with city-run classes.
It’s entirely possible that city officials just don’t like a squeaky wheel, said Slykhuis.
But puppies? That’s crossing a line.
Slykhuis said she paid the city $50 to put up a table in front of her studio, RVN Wellness, for a day of handing out stickers to kids, electrolytes to adults, and a chance to watch a half-dozen fluffy rescue puppies playing inside her studio.
Since last September, Slykhuis has partnered with Bark, Brews and Beyond to host rescue-puppy fundraisers where limber humans and a few adorable fluffy orphans get to share mat time together, although the puppies get a helpful cheat — pee pads instead of yoga mats.
They are usually 10 weeks old, just learning about socialization and how not to bonk their heads into things.
A recent puppy yoga class included a spiritual gong bath — a passive meditation where you “bathe” in the healing vibrations of sound — at the end, through which the puppies slept blissfully.
“One hundred per cent of the profits goes to Bark, Brews and Beyond,” said Slykhuis.
“Her fundraisers have raised thousands of dollars, and provided important opportunities for puppies to socialize,” said Lauren Ebel, event coordinator with Bark, Brews and Beyond, a volunteer-run association that bridges the gap between local rescue organizations and potential adopters.
At Car Free Day, Slykhuis shared information about the organization and their adoption events. “People could go in and meet the puppies if they wanted,” said Slykhuis.
Children and passersby lined up for a chance to join the supervised meet-and-greet. Then came officialdom.
“I had five or six people in uniform, a mix of police and bylaw officers coming by, peeking in the windows and asking who is in charge here, and what’s going on,” said Slykhuis. “The whole thing gave me a weird vibe.”
Finally, one of the bylaw officers laid down the law.
“She said she was going to fine me,” said Slykhuis. “I said, ‘Fine for what?'”
That’s when Slykhuis said she was hit with a confusing barrage of contravention concerns: Did she have a licence for puppies in her studio? Did she have puppy liability insurance? What happens if a puppy gets aggressive?
Slykhuis was flabbergasted. Aggressive? “They’re puppies!” said Slykhuis. They just pick them up and put them in “air jail,” the puppy version of a time out, if they misbehave, she explained.
Finally, the bylaw officer threw what might have been a Hail Mary. What about all the people looking in the window? It was a serious blockage of the sidewalk.
Slykhuis pointed out that it was Car Free Day. The entire road was available for walking.
“She was adamant. She said your fine will be in the mail,” said Slykhuis.
Although the city backed down on issuing a fine after learning her business licence doesn’t have a no-puppy clause, they raised other concerns, said Slykhuis, suggesting event organizers had complained she had not paid her fee, something that she points out could have been easily verified on the day.
“The City of Port Moody is not supportive of small businesses. Right now, in this economy, we need that support more than ever.”
The City of Port Moody said in a statement that during the Car Free Day event, bylaw officers needed to “check applicable zoning and licensing bylaws to confirm if the pet-related activities were permitted.” They told the owner they would follow up the next day. In the meantime, the owner was “free to continue their activities and no tickets or warnings were issued.”
“Bylaws followed up with the business owner on Monday (Aug. 17) to confirm that their pet-related activities were permitted under applicable zoning and licensing bylaws and that no ticket would be issued.”
As for Slykhuis’s complaint about not being allowed to offer free classes in city parks occasionally, the city confirmed it does not allow any fitness classes if they are similar to what the city offers.
Slykhuis knows that by speaking out she could draw even more unwelcome attention from officials, but she’s not backing down. Was this about restricting small businesses, or was her business being singled out? Or even worse, does someone just not like puppies?
As for the rescue-puppy yoga, she has “no intention of stopping.”
Even if the puppies sleep through the whole thing.