McArthurGlen Outlets
Making posing in front of the beautiful light displays at the McArthurGlen Outlets
For those of you who live in the Vancouver area, you'll probably recognize the name McArthurGlen not as a place for dogs, but as a place to shop. It is an outlet mall and this is when you begin to realize that because we haven't been able to travel and go to the places that we had planned because of the pandemic (we had a trip cancelled), we're really stretching for places to go around town!
All jokes aside, we were actually looking for places to take Christmas photos with Markus and some of his dog friends and we had heard that McArthurGlen had put up festive lights on trees and a giant ornament throughout the mall. Since it was an outdoor mall and dogs were allowed, we thought why not go there? We waited until it was near closing time for the mall and we made our way to McArthurGlen where we took some photos with Markus, but also managed to squeeze in a bit of shopping.
Since this isn't the typical type of post we like to do at The Markus Project, we'll keep this one shorter and about the photo opportunities that you can take with your dog.
About McArthurGlen Outlets
Markus sitting neatly in front of a Christmas tree so tall that we couldn’t include the star!
Well, I don't want to go too far into the stores that are available at McArthurGlen and you can find the brands that they carry here. I will say that it is an outdoor outlet mall so you're allowed to bring your dog to the mall to discover great deals, but you can't go into each individual store with your dog. If you're planning to shop here, then go with two people at the very least so that one person can stay outside with the dog or you won't be able to go into the store.
Christmas Decorations at McArthurGlen
Markus and friends trying to get in line inside a giant Christmas ornament
Aside from the lights throughout, the mall was decorated with a small tree scene, a massive tree in the middle and a giant ornament. Each of these areas were great for Christmas photos, but we would definitely recommend coming towards the end of the night when the mall is closing and not nearly as busy. For one reason, the photos just don't look as good with other strangers in the background and it's also hard to get a good shot off with people walking around.
We had come to the mall to take photos with some of our dog friends and while getting them lined up was already quite difficult, the number of people stopping to take photos made it even harder! At the end of the night, we successfully managed our way to taking a number of Christmas photos, got them printed as cards and sent out to some of our friends. If you're in the area next Christmas and looking for a good place to take photos with your pup, consider coming to McArthurGlen next time!
My Recommendation for Reactive Dogs
Surprisingly, there were a lot of other dogs at the mall, but they were all leashed up. With all the stores in the area and the number of people at the mall, it's quite risky to have a dog off-leash so it normally doesn't happen. For us, we haven't had an issue with other dogs at the mall, but there are crowds of people and we often get strangers coming up to Markus asking if they can pet him. If you're planning on going to the outlet mall with your dog, be prepared for the crowds, people wanting to meet your dog and for other dogs being there as well.
Our dog Markus developed reactive tendencies in his years as a street dog and living in a rescue shelter in South Korea. He went unadopted because he was unfairly labeled as aggressive. Now given a second chance, Markus has made incredible strides towards reintegrating into the dog world in Vancouver, Canada.
We want to make the distinction that Markus is reactive, but not aggressive. He allows dogs to approach him - to smell and do the dance and he gets along with most, but there are triggers that’ll set him off into a growling, barking or, at the worst, a snapping frenzy. We understand the stress of not knowing what to expect. That feeling of being accused of being aggressive when he isn’t or being on an on-leash trail and an off-leash dog approaches us with their owner yelling from a distance that their dog is friendly? We get it.
In our Parks & Trails and Overnight Adventures series, we’re creating a guideline for reactive dogs to the parks and trails (even hotels and Airbnbs) that we explore in the Pacific Northwest. We want to equip you with things to look out for (do other dogs tend to be off-leash on the trail, does it get overwhelmingly busy, are the paths wide or narrow, etc.). Ultimately, there are varying levels of a dog’s reactivity and only you can decide what you think is appropriate for yours. Our hope is that our experience allows you and your dog to explore the beautiful Pacific Northwest we call home.
