Doggy Style Deli

Modern Dog Sept. 05

By Jane Mundy

Doggy Style Deli is not a porn shop. That's what the lawyer for its owners Glenn and Ryan Ennis had to explain to the authorities when they had a problem with name approval.

Instead it's a gourmet diner for dogs on Denman Street. According to employee Carol Whitehead, the west end community finds the sexual connotation amusing, although some people "don't get it." But the clients don't seem too concerned with the controversy because it's what's in the bowl that counts, or for some finicky eaters, the spoon. Yes, Whitehead actually hand-feeds or spoon-feeds some customers. They chow down to pasteurized raw meat from Australia that includes muskox, rabbit, elk and pheasant, with assorted toppings to choose from such as organic spinach or sesame seeds. All the deli's products follow the Pandean principles: fresh pasteurized nutrient dense, all natural food. That means no preservatives or additives in anything.

Ryan Ennis says the all-time fave is liver brownies, "the canine equivalent to crack cocaine." Doggy style tables and chairs are scattered about the room to "eat in" or order from the take-out menu. And it's ok to dine with your pooch; just bring your own human bag.