A “woof top” patio and many other dog-friendly amenities is the newest trend in the Vancouver developing world.

While some developers are taking advantage of the sky-rocketing metro Vancouver real estate, others are focused in on the growing population of people with dogs moving into condos. The developer, Bosa, is just one of these forward thinking companies who have already put some furry-friendly ideas into place. A study from the SPCA on how many buildings allowed pets showed only five per cent allow dogs and nine per cent allow cats in Vancouver’s rental market.

Starting this month, Bosa has opened a rental building that is pet-friendly, with plans of a dog grooming and washing area. Jean Openshaw, Sales Director for Bosa explains that having perks, such as being able to own a dog where you live, will help encourage people to buy.

Marketing Manager for Amacon, Melissa Howey, discusses the reasons for their “woof top” patios implemented back in 2011, “It was in response to the lack of off-leash park space for dogs in downtown Vancouver. It was a nice feature for people and what it said to the buyer was we really think about how you live. We recognize that our pets are part of our families.”

Howey also pointed out that this pet-friendly atmosphere also encourages a sense of community building while getting to know our neighbours.

This brilliant and realistic living arrangement can be extremely helpful to the pet owner. And let’s face it, I am sure these furry family members lucky enough to live in these new developments will feel that warm fuzzy feeling when they realize how much they are cared for.

For more information, check out Vancouver Sun‘s article.