A new daycare meant to pamper Langley’s four-legged friends sparked some debate during a public hearing at Langley Township council on June 18.
The dog daycare, proposed for an industrial complex at 19875 96 Ave., would provide daytime care for up to 25 dogs and, should the Township approve zoning changes, would provide overnight care as well.
The biggest concern, for both neighbours and members of council, is the potential noise of barking dogs.
The bylaw that restricts dog daycare hours from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., was previously amended in 1998 for that very reason.
Overnight boarding of dogs is only permitted in rural RU-2 zones.
The proposed facility is located in an industrial area, split zoned service industrial M-1A and general industrial M-2, behind a Wendy’s/Tim Hortons, and close to a tune up/auto brake centre and collision centre.
During the public hearing, nearby property owner Nancy Jenkens told council that noise is her “only concern.”
A dog owner herself, Jenkens says that whenever she drops off or picks up her dog from other care centres, “the noise is a cacophony. It is incredible,” she said .
She believes that even with most of the care taking place inside the building, rather than outdoors, the sound will still carry.
The business owner, Adam Smith, says he recognizes the noise concern, but is sure he can mitigate barking through the way he and his staff care for the animals.
Instead of a traditional kennel, the dog daycare will be more like a “YMCA for dogs,” he said.
“We’re not looking to come in and house dogs to make money, we’re looking to have a premier place where dogs can come and become better, whether it’s mentally, physically … and a portion of that includes the overnight boarding.”
This will be done by keeping the dogs in small groups, rotating them through different sections of their 6,000 square-foot facility, and keeping them occupied so that “barking doesn’t become a problem.”
“Our main goal is that the dogs leave us in a better state of mind. It does us no good if we allow them to bark and get into a higher energy.
“Everything we do will be designed for the betterment of the dogs,” Smith said.
The landlord, Plutosa Enterprises Ltd., has also stated they will complete necessary improvements to ensure the building is acoustically sound.
“We understand the primary reason for the exclusion of overnight boarding from these zones may have related to potential noise concerns from nearby residential areas,” Plutosa CEO Ali Sadat Hosseini wrote in a letter to the Township.
“However, this is primarily an industrial area and the nearest residential house is more than 750 metres away, across a major arterial roadway (96 Avenue).
“A large-dog bark has been measured at approximately 100 decibels (dB) from a 1.2 m distance. Considering ambient noise levels and barriers, such as buildings, the 100 dB level is projected to attenuate to less than a 40 dB level, which is equivalent to a normal office environment.”
A representative for the owner, Lisa Jones, was also present at the public meeting and told council that some of their other tenants run loud machinery in their shops, and they have yet to receive a noise complaint about that.
“So I think that this will probably have no impacts on the neighbours whatsoever,” she said.