She’s puttin’ on the dog

The phone number is 744-WOOF.

Hours of business are “Sniffing hours.”

And customers are welcomed by Molly, a 2-year-old German shepherd, reclining on a fluffy stack of dog beds.

The month after terrorists hit the World Trade Center, Deborah Olmsted’s beloved golden retriever/Labrador mix, Rosie, died. It was like a one-two punch that made her realize life is short and she’d better have fun while she could.

“Whatever I do,” she recalled thinking, “I want to be able to bring my dog to work.”

After seeing a dog boutique on Animal Planet and visiting one in Hood River, Ore., Olmsted started The Urban Canine. The South Hill store sells things like goggles, fleece vests and hand-tooled leather collars. There’s premium dog food and all-natural snacks, Muttluks to protect those tender paws, and even high-tech doggie raingear, a Gortex shell with fleece lining.

The store, which opened Dec. 3, 2002, in a refurbished garage just south of 29th and Grand, was an immediate success. It grossed almost $90,000 in 2003 and is headed toward sales of about $135,000 this year. Now she’s looking to expand into a new location where she can add grooming, training, massage and water therapy for injured dogs.

Opening the store “was a triage sort of event,” Olmsted said. “I’m 46, and I just want to have fun. It’s OK not to be a workaholic anymore.”

Olmsted came to Spokane in 1989 from Chico, Calif., following her husband’s job. Once here, she went into real estate and worked in the field for 10 years. Eventually, she was selling 100 homes a year and became part-owner of Keller Williams Realty Spokane, the second largest real estate office in Spokane.

In the real estate newsletter she published, she eulogized Rosie, and the outpouring of support and sympathy she received from clients overwhelmed her. “All that underscores that people are really devoted to their dogs,” she said.

Though Olmsted thought she’d have to carry the store with her savings for awhile, it was immediately successful. She said she hasn’t had a single day without a customer.

Indeed, a steady flow of customers stopped by Wednesday morning, two with their dogs. One young woman in shorts and flip-flops, driving a bright red Jeep, picked up a dog bed she’d ordered. Another woman came in with Lady, her border collie/Australian shepherd mix, to pick up a new collar. The bright red, leather collar with its studded flower design offset Lady’s black and white coat beautifully. Other customers bought $40 bags of dog food, treats and toys.

Olmsted attributed the store’s success after 9/11 to peoples’ desire to stay home and shower their loved ones, including their pets, with affection. That has continued, she said, as the country has been at war.

The store isn’t breed-specific, as are dog boutiques in some cities. Instead, it’s a “generic ‘I love my dog’ store,” Olmsted said. Her clientele is “a little bit of the frou-frou, but mostly the REI types.” Some drive Cadillacs and like to dress up their French poodles, but more are outdoorsy folks who include their dogs in their lifestyles, Olmsted said. For them, there are lifejackets, rugged booties and fleece-lined vests.

But there are also Italian leather dog collars studded with shining Swarovski ice crystals and selling for $34 to $125, depending on neck size. At Halloween, Olmsted sells costumes for dogs, and when the bride and groom want to include their canine pal in their big day, there are top hats, bow ties and tuxedos.

Sympathy cards for owners who’ve lost pets share space with dog birthday cards. One has a giant steak overflowing a dog dish and adorned with a single candle. The message inside: “Happy, happy birthday!”

Olmsted also is seeing a trend in women holding “puppy showers” for friends who bring home new dogs, so she’s starting a puppy registry, with lists of items the new owner desires.

Olmsted tries to buy all the products she carries in the U.S., and in the Northwest if possible. The dog beds come from Bozeman, Mont., and the hands-free leashes come from Oregon. “Very few of our products are made overseas,” she said.

Though plans to expand might seem like something a “workaholic” would do, Olmsted said her new business meets her career goals. She’s less stressed and Molly is with her every day. The shop is doing well, and she loves the relationships she’s developed with her customers, all of whom share her love of animals.

“I love dogs, and they’re fun,” Olmsted said with a smile. “It would be hard for me to go back because I’m just having such a good time.”