Let’s be honest: university is cool and all, until it isn’t. You lose sleep, you gain weight. You’re only half joking when you say you’re going to drop out and work at Chipotle because you want to “follow your heart”. There is one burden of university, however, that truly trumps them all: missing your dog. Whether you live downtown and your pup doesn’t fit in your glorified shoe box of an apartment, or you commute but can’t handle more than five hours of separation, or you don’t even have a dog but still think about them a lot, we all feel that doggo shaped hole in our hearts.
Source: Giphy
Wipe that tear (or stream of tears, depending how drained you are) from the corner of your eye though, because I’ve got some good news. Ryerson is full of prime dog spotting areas, and I’ve got them covered. Here’s a comprehensive list of the best places to find love dogs:
Allan Gardens: Only a short walk down Gerrard St E, Allan Gardens is a haven for nice dogs. This scenic spot is the closest park to Ryerson, featuring an off-leash area for dogs to frolic to their heart’s content and a public garden for you to also frolic in too (if that’s what you’re into). You can essentially kill two birds with one stone and get your daily dose of fresh air AND K-9 friendship.
Source: @RUTherapyDogs/Twitter
The SLC: Ryerson prides itself on bringing cool things to campus—namely Drake, 6ix dads, and dogs. Every Wednesday from 12-1pm in the SLC you can talk to the St. John’s Ambulance therapy dogs—they have five on duty most of the year, and ten during midterms and finals! These well-trained professionals are good listeners, good sitters, and generally good boys. Not all heroes wear capes, after all. You can follow @RUTherapyDogs on Twitter and Instagram to keep pup-dated.
Kerr Hall Quad: Possibly the only perk of venturing into Kerr Hall (from which you may never return) is seeing dogs running happily around the field, fetching tennis balls or challenging city squirrels. It’s a lovely reminder of what true freedom from responsibilities looks like. Personally, if the last thing I saw before getting lost in Kerr Hall for the rest of my life was a happy dog, I would willingly accept my fate.
Source: Ben Garey/Facebook
Pitman Quad: The great thing about having a campus that’s integrated into the downtown core is that a lot of people walking through happen to have dogs. I have yet to exit the RCC without seeing at least one yapper/pupper/doggo/woofer just living its life like it deserves to. Just remember that dogs usually have humans attached to them, and for the sake of both safety and courtesy you should ask the owner to say hello before you drop to the ground and pet their dog.
Source: Seiji De Luca Whiteman/Facebook
Ryerson Dog Spotting: So maybe you don’t have time to go out and find some dogs. Or maybe you just can’t commit to leaving your bed, that’s fine too. Thankfully the kind team at Ryerson Dog Spotting has got your back. Established in August 2016, this group of over 300 members provides a public space for people to share the spectacular pups they have run into on and off campus (any doggo belonging to a Ryerson student is considered a Ryerson doggo). For the days when all you really need in life is to look at a dog, join the Facebook group and follow @RyersonDogSpotting on Instagram.
Some honourable mentions that aren’t quite on campus, but are good for the days you need to walk your invisible dog:
- Winchester park
- Saint James park
- Barbara Hall park
Header photo courtesy of Ben Garey, Ryerson Dog Spotting. Editor’s Note: If you spot any dogs make sure to tag us on Twitter @HCRyerson