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SHOPPING
ponds and designer tanks for fish. Of course,
dogs, who populate the in-house daycare, are
also provided for with fancy T-shirts, collars
and beds. Lash, a former veterinarian, applied
her love for and knowledge of animals to her
large shop, which she began seven years ago
when the neighborhood was in desperate need
of a pet store.
Since then, the area has filled with trendy
pet boutiques. This may not be Hollywood,
where the starlets carry tiny pups like purses,
but dogs are just as popular with Portlanders
(see p. 18 for dog-friendly spots around
town), and pocket-sized pooches are gaining
in numbers in the city’s urban areas. LexiDog
Boutique & Social Club (416 NW 10th Ave, 243-
6200; 6767 SW Macadam Ave, 245-4363; and Bridgeport
Village, 431-2052, lexidog.com) caters to dog owners
who treat their pets like family. “People who
don’t have kids treat their animals like their
children, and they want them to look cute
when they go out,” says manager Lia Gorretta.
Although they cater to dogs of all sizes and
breeds with snout-watering gourmet treats
and even aromatherapy spritzes, soaps and
candles from Good Dogma (gooddogma.
com), the fashions are particularly suited to
smaller dogs. Your baby will look adorable
in a fuzzy sweater, pink leather biker jacket,
angel wings or a tiny cowboy hat (with holes
for ears, of course), while you’ll display good
taste walking him or her around with a jewelcovered
collar ($150), lavender leather leash/
harness combo ($60–$80) or in an enclosed
pink stroller ($205).
Pets on Broadway
photo: Josh Elliott
If you’re not quite ready to go that far,
Furever Pets (1902 NE Broadway, 282-4225) is a
brightly-colored pet store where owner Symon
Lee makes sure all his products are durable,
practical, affordable and well-designed.
Popular items include camouflage-print dog
vests ($28.50–$32.50), orthopedic dog beds
($45.50–$114.50, constructed with egg-crate
foam to ease hip and joint problems), cat
furniture ($16.50–$216.50) and edible apple
stick and willow rabbit toys ($3–$17.25). Lee
also packs social events into his schedule for
local pets and their owners—on Halloween,
he hosted a costume party at the shop with
prizes for both animals and people, and on
Valentine’s Day, customers attended a banquet
and silent auction. And that’s just naming a
few, so drop in often to find out what’s coming
up next.
The small, friendly dog (and cat) store
Salty’s Dog Shop (3741 N Mississippi Ave, 249-1432,
saltysdogshop.com) has created a local pet community
in the North Portland neighborhood.
Owner Nancy Fedelem presents a treat to each
dog that visits the store, and she’s currently
compiling photos of each customer’s pet for
the store’s website. Bestsellers include the
rodent-shaped “Squirrel Dude” chew toys
($6–$12) and the “Walky Dog” ($45), a device
that attaches to your bike on one end and your
dog on the other so it can trot along with you
during a bike ride. Fedelem also offers healthy
dry food, and for an extra $2.50, she’ll have it
delivered right to your door.
While most of the above shops carry
high-quality foods, a few retailers focus primarily
on diet. On the shelves at Healthy Pets
Northwest (2224 NE Alberta St, 249-6571 & 1402A SE
39th Ave, 236-8036, healthypetsnw.com) you’ll find
chemical-free food with protein as its main
ingredient (many commercial foods’ primary
ingredients are carbohydrates, despite the fact
cats and dogs are carnivores!), plus liquid homeopathic
drops that help calm pets in times
of stress. Raw food, which must be kept refrigerated,
is also an excellent option for your
pet; since the ingredients mimic what animals
find in the wild, pets that eat raw food have
more energy, fewer allergies, shiner coats and
cleaner teeth. You’ll find the largest selection
of raw food at Meat (2250 E Burnside, 236-6971,
meatforcatsanddogs.com), where you can get a full
diet in one bag or buy separate ingredients to
mix yourself. “[A raw food diet] puts the body
where it should be,” says Meat owner Heidi
Liedeker. “They become the cat or dog they’re
supposed to be.”
With all these options, we suggest nourishing
your pet with health-conscious food
and products, then gussying him/her up with
frilly (or studly) extras for a day out on the
town. Portland’s wide variety of creative shops
makes it easy to pamper your animals on both
the inside and out.
Finding Your
New Friend
Chain pet stores carry great supplies,
but they aren’t always the best place to
pick up your new pet. Adopting an animal
through a rescue agency not only helps
minimize the pet overpopulation, but you
are assured health checks, shots and
support in the transition to your home.
Here are some options in the Portland
area for adopting your new best friend:
Oregon Humane Society
1067 NE Columbia Blvd, 285-7722
oregonhumane.org
Pets: Cats, kittens, dogs, puppies, rabbits,
birds, guinea pigs, rodents
Cost: Various adoption fees
Animal Rescue and Care Fund, Inc
284-8768, pdx-petadoption.org
Pets: Cats
Cost: Donations accepted
Cat Adoption Team
141 SW Galbreath Dr, Sherwood, 925-8903
catadoptionteam.org
Pets: Cats, kittens
Cost: Kittens $125, adult cats $85, senior
cats $60, discounts for more than one
cat/kitten
PAWS Animal Shelter
1741 Willamette Falls Dr, 650-0855
pawsanimalshelter.org
Pets: Mostly cats and kittens, some dogs
and various small animals
Cost: Various adoption fees
Family Dogs New Life Shelter
9101 SE Stanley Ave, 771-5596
familydogsnewlife.org
Pets: Dogs
Cost: Various adoption fees
Animal Aid, Inc.
5335 SW 42nd Ave, 292-6628
animalaidpdx.org
Pets: Cats, dogs
Cost: Donations accepted
August 2006 / PDXmagazine.com 53