Bark and Fitz

Need a slicker brush? Waterless dog shampoo? A Chuck-​It ball? Chances are this store WON’T have have it when you need it. My wife and I really wanted to love this place. The location is convenient, the layout is pleasant and the store is clean and well-​kept. The employees really seem to like dogs, and always have nice treats for our little guy. Unfortunately, we have never come across any kind of store with as many stocking problems as this place. Even items that they normally carry are consistently unavailable.
Even worse, the store is frequently closed during the stated normal business hours. We can only surmise that this is because one person manages the store at a time, and they have stepped out to run errands. We can certainly see this occurring from time-​to-​time, but closures occur at this store with maddening length and frequency.
We really wanted Bark and Fitz to be our «go-​to» for our dog’s needs. However, they need to be far more diligent with their stock, store hours and dog grooming services. Previously, we found a manager named Justin extremely knowledgable and helpful. However since his departure, the place has become far too frustrating an establishment to recommend.

Good organic baked goods for my pup and amazing groomer that is careful. I have a rescue who gets very nervous and the groomer knew how to comfort the pup.

I swore I would never take my dog to this place again for grooming. The previous groomer, Jennifer, would always tack on an extra $ 10-​$ 20 to the groom for my toy poodle. She would always make up some excuse such as the dog was matted, which she never was. Her haircuts & attitude kept getting worse and the final straw was when she charged me $ 90.00 for a $ 60 groom. Well the good news is she left and I decided to give the new groomer a try because the groomer at Stanley Bark where I was going left. The new groomer Mica did my dog for the first time today and my dog looks amazing. Mica had 2 years training in Japan she does amazing scissor work and is fast. I explained what I wanted and Mica got it perfect. A new groomer seldom does that until they get to know you and your dog. Having been burned on charges there before I made sure that I told them I expected the bill to be no more than the regular $ 60.00. I would highly recommend Mica and will be taking my business back to Bark & Fitz. I always liked the store itself, friendly service and good products. Now they have a good groomer.

Noone else can cut my dogs nails, he is a wrestler and a squirmer and it takes 3 people at his vet. The groomer here does it for half the price, by herself, in five minutes with no stress, and they usually let us walk right in. For a pet owner this is a ridiculous weight off of my shoulders. And they have great, reasonably priced food and fun things like dog bow ties. Aplus.

Well, unfortunately, I’m never bringing my dog here again. Usually I take my small dog to Pawsh, which is an amazing dog grooming facility with great staff who are always friendly and love my dog. They were fully booked today, so I decided to give Bark and Fitz a try.
After his appointment, we were not only charged $ 20 more than we are at Pawsh for the same haircut and grooming options — we were also charged an additional $ 10 for having a «difficult dog», which has NEVER been expressed to us by any grooming facility, ever. We taught our dog to tolerate clippers and scissors very early on in his life to avoid these kinds of issues.
That would have been okay, I suppose, if the groomer had not accidentally poked him all over with scissors because of how «difficult» he was. She then proceeded to tell my husband, who was holding my terrified pup, that he has post traumatic stress from bad grooming techniques at other pet spas and that we need to teach him how to be a well behaved boy.
I really, really wanted to like this place. My dog does look well groomed and I am grateful for that. But I’m certainly not going to subject him to this kind of treatment again. Bad for my dog, bad for my wallet.

Went with a friend and her two lasso apso’s. The little female doggie got nervous and did a poo, by mistake, as they went into the reception area. The groomer had a fit. I mean really is this the first dog to misbehave. It was so embarrassing. I felt so sorry for my friend who is a perfect lady and very aware of everything. She was mortified. Talk about losing a really good customer. I would NEVER go back there and NEVER recommend that place if you are a dog lover. Imagine what the groomer does to your pet when you are NOT there. I will go out of my way to tell people the behaviour of this dog groomer. If you love your pet — go elsewhere.

A sweet little store, and I loved that they had a generous selection of very small toys, just the right size for Little Dog’s mouth. She fancies herself quite the little huntress (she once killed a juvenile rat, and after all our last name means «huntsman»), so she takes her toys very seriously, and greatly prefers the ones that are small enough to be something that she might have actually killed. There are amazingly few small toys in most pet supply stores, so I appreciated this detail.
They also had the usual leashes, bowls, jackets, food, treats, etc. (some fancy baked treats!), and I found the salesgirl unobtrusive while I browsed, though she did point out another section of small toys I had missed, and that counts for friendly in my book. I’ll definitely go back before Little Dog’s birthday to stock up on some new tiny toys since we’ve worked our way through the offerings at Bow Wow Haus over the past few years, and I like to pick up a variety of toys when it’s time to vacuum instead of all the same thing; I don’t think Little Dog cares, as long as she can pounce on it and bite it and shake it and kill it, and then prance around the house, showing off her prey to all and sundry…
October Challenge ¹²⁄₃₁

I’ve never noticed this adorable pet shop in Coal Harbour before. Bark and Fitz is located on a small street close to The Westin Bayshore Hotel.
There are tons of unique toys and outfits to spoil your prince or princess with. After your purchase, you can also finish off with one of their fresh baked treats (for your dog, or you too I guess if you’re into that kind of stuff) displayed in the front.
#30DaysOfYelp ³⁄₃₀

Great location for a dog store. It’s like the Starbucks for dogs. The dog biscuits have something in it that the dogs go crazy for. I like to go there and buy the fancy dog biscuits for all the good little dogs I know. They do need more selection there at the store.
Very friendly staff! They have two dogs employed there as greeters. :-)

Nice store, lovely dogs and friendly groomer. I wished they carried more raw food products, and more eco-​friendly/​organic dog toys and clothing. I believe they carry doggy muffins, and they seem to be a pretty popular product. They have a nice display case full of dog biscuits, in which my dogs seem to love. All in all, nice location, nice store, I’d just wish they would carry a lot more products. They need variety in raw food and better quality toys.

I love this place. They are a cute little boutique down by the water, but their prices don’t seem to be all that different from the larger chains (Bosleys, Tisol, etc). I come here for cat food, actually, and although they are primarily a dog store and their cat food/​toy selection is limited, everything they sell is excellent quality. They stock Misery’s brand of cat food and her favourite treats, and sometimes I pick her up a toy. I have also shopped for my mom’s dog here a couple of times and love their selection of sweaters. It’s definitely a quality-​over-​quantity store. The staff are super friendly as well! I’d be curious to try the groomers (for the dog, not the cat, ha!), because the reviews all sound great.

I moved here a few weeks ago from Boston (…yeah, yeah, I’m a Canuck fan though) and I went to look for a place to groom my dog. The great thing about living Downtown is the large amount of dog stores, especially in Yaletown, however, finding one to groom my dog for a reasonable price is difficult. I spent an hour reading all the reviews on Unilocal and Google and finally stumbled on the Bark and Fitz. I called in and was greeted with a very friendly woman who mentioned that there is about a 1 to a 1.5 week wait list to get my dog groomed. Immediately I grinned and made an appointment; the wait list can only mean that the quality tends to match the price paid.
I originally gave them four stars, however, when I picked up my dog, they got the extra 5^th star. I’m used to having my dog being put in a crate after they have been groomed and once in a while, a tad wet. As I went to the grooming room, I noticed my dog was allowed to walk around (not crated), had a companion there who he adored, and he was completely dry.
I’m glad I found the Bark and Fitz.

Great location, clean and well stocked shop. The woman who helped was friendly and informative. But the two guys working at the front didn’t even greet us or ask for assistance. They were texting or something. They should do this in the back office, not in front of customers. I was definitely not impressed with the boys. 4 stars for presentation and the girl. –5 stars for the not so friendly fellas.

I take both of my dogs to Bark and Fitz to get groomed and they LOVE the girl that does the grooming. She is relaxed and calm with the dogs and with the exception of the ONE time they were done by another groomer (he’s gone now), they have always come back happy and looking fantastic!
I only give them 4 stars because their products have huge markups, the grooming is reasonably priced though. And the staff is always really nice.

super friendly staff every time i go in … great selection of fun stuff i have not seen elsewhere … i love walking my dog down to this store for a browse … bought a great bed that was cheaper than online !!! i have a hard time leaving the store without spending a little money: o)

This is Ripley’s all time favourite store. He gets treats from the people working here… and I get to buy his special liver fillet treats. This is a really friendly and fun place to stop with or without your pet. The resident bullies are always amusing and the staff is super. I can’t seem to pass by without stopping in… esp. if Ripley is along. Coal Harbour is great dog walking area so Bark and Fitx is a natural.

I don’t understand why Silvia K. doesn’t like Bark and Fitz. I live in Coal Harbour. Everyone I know loves Bark and Fitz. They have the best service ever. Recently I just moved to this area and I really don’t want to go to Bosleys where everyone goes. I want more like a boutique shop and I need people who really know and care about dogs. The customer service I got from there was amazing. I have a 4 years old poodle and the groomer did a amazing job on the cut. I didn’t have any problem with my dogs ears.

The Coal Harbour area is the stomping ground for me and my pooch, Rocco and a dog store has finally opened it’s doors. Bark & Fitz offers several products from natural foods, doggy wares and accessories.
They also have a groomer on site which makes this a great one stop shop for both the owner and their furry friends. My favorite find? A waterproof, nylon, fur-​trimmed hooded jacket by Puppia ($ 58 CDN). Rocco seems to be a big fan as he didn’t put up a fight when I was putting it on him.
Bark & Fitz, 561 Cardero Street, Vancouver BC, 604−568−6096

Bark & Fitz is a cute little pet store with high end pet food, treats, doggie sweaters, and toys. They even sell baked goods for your pooch. Two resident dogs hang out behind the desk along with their owner. I like a store that has friendly people working there so I really like Bark & Fitz.