Toronto is a city of condos…and pet lovers. If in the past the two were sometimes considered incompatible, that’s changing now. A recent count of search terms on Realtor.ca showed “pet friendly condos” firmly in the top. If you’re moving to King West with the your furry family member, or if you’re thinking of adopting a pet, condo cats and condo dogs are welcomed in grand style at a number of outstanding King West condos. King West offers a healthy variety of amenities for pet owners. In the neighbourhood are dog washing stations, pet spas and even doggie daycare. Pet friendly condos attract pet services to their ground level retail shops. It’s not uncommon to find groomers, dog sitting services, vets and pet stores among the retail businesses of new build condos’ ground floors.
We think one of the most important aspects of a pet friendly condominium community is its proximity to dog friendly parks and walking trails. For dogs and their owners, having places to walk, run and play are downright essential. (As a blogger on this subject noted, cats don’t consider these features to be important in their lives at all. Other things matter to cats. They’re cats.)
All the condos we rate as pet friendly in King West have access to great parks and places to walk. Stanley Park, bordered by King Street West and Wellington Street, is an ideal place to take your dog. It features a nice fenced in dog run so your pet can go off leash safely and play with other dogs. Water is readily available, both for humans and for dogs. The park also has one baseball diamond and an enormous grassy field. Stanley Park has been renovated and gets enthusiastic reviews.
Historic Clarence Square Park on Spadina Avenue just north of Front Street is a beautiful neighbourhood park where you and your dog can get some fresh air. A large fenced in area gives dogs some off leash play and exercise. Squirrels abound, keeping things interesting for your pet. The bench-lined walkway provides plenty of room for dog and people watching. It’s definitely a serene gated oasis within the city.
CityPlace, just blocks from King West, boasts an abundance of services and shops geared toward pets and their owners. Dog boarding, cat sitting, pet day care adventures, dog walkers who are passionate about their services, mobile veterinary services and shops for everything from designer leashes to dog and cat food—all this and more is readily accessible to pets and their owners. And, just in case, Front Street Veterinary Hospital is only a few blocks away.
Here are our top three pet friendly condos in King West:
The Kings Lofts (800 King Street West) is ideal for pet owners who want to be downtown. The Kings Lofts is a small 5-storey building with just 76 units, but the building is packed with great amenities including fitness facilities, a party room, barbecues, meeting rooms and a sauna. Its policies and its people are definitely pet friendly. The Kings Lofts is ideally located on the King streetcar line, is close to restaurants and shopping, but most importantly, it’s just down the street from Stanley Park.
