A local man is on a mission to make Chilliwack the most dog-friendly city in the nation, and he's kicking things off with 'Doggo-Ween.'
Tre Feit, founder of K9 At Your Side Dog Training Co., is inviting people to dress up their dogs and head to his Halloween-themed event on Saturday, Oct. 26. It'll be a place where people can go and meet other dog owners, and have some fun and some bonding time with their dog.
Alongside Feit that day will be his dog Charlie, who's not just his companion, but also his service dog and his reason for launching K9 At Your Side.
Feit taught first aid through his for years until it was all taken away from him. He got sick last summer with a medical condition that caused paralysis and landed him in a wheelchair. It also affected his brain, so he wasn't able to teach first aid anymore.
"I put over 15 years into TTF. It was my life, and literally overnight everything was taken away 鈥� I lost the company, I lost my only source of income, everything I knew.
"I'm not that type of person not to work," he said.
While working to regain his strength, Feit and his wife Sonya began training Charlie as a service dog.
"This has been really good for my mental state," Feit said. "Dogs just do so much for people's mental health."
Feit's bond with Charlie soon led him to start up K9 At Your Side, and Doggo-Ween on Oct. 26 will be the official kick-off date for the new business.
The Halloween event runs from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Sardis Sports Field, located at Britton Avenue and Vedder Road. The day will start with a pack walk, followed by activities including a costume contest for dogs, agility course, ball pit, photo booth with props, plus dog-training advice.
Dogs will even have the chance to dive for treats. There will be a doggy pool filled with water and either apples or pig ears floating in it.
"The dogs will dunk their heads in and pick a treat."
Halloween can be a traumatizing time for dogs, not just due to the fireworks, but the constant ringing of the doorbell from trick-or-treating and kids in scary costumes.
"Why not make it dog friendly for the dogs to have some fun?"
Having lived through the physical and emotional challenges of disability, he understands firsthand how vital dogs can be in the lives of people like him.
"I want to work with people with disabilities, obviously, because training Charlie is helping pull me out of my depression," he said. "I want to help people train their own service dogs. Having someone who truly understands the specific needs of a service dog or companion animal is invaluable."
One of the goals of Doggo-Ween is to bring people together and offer dogs a place to be social and get some exercise. He said there's not a lot of things for dogs to do in Chilliwack and he wants to change that.
He envisions not just off-leash parks, but agility courses for dogs in the city. Feit wants to see more water dishes outside buildings and more businesses that allow dogs inside. And he wants to see far more spots where there are dog waste bags and garbage bins beside them.
"I want to make Chilliwack the most dog-friendly city in Canada."
With his new venture, Feit is not just training dogs, he鈥檚 training people to understand, communicate with, and truly bond with their pets.
In addition to Doggo-Ween, Feit is hosting monthly pack walks which will take place on the last Saturday of every month at 1 p.m. at Sardis Park (time will change in the summer months). He'll also host seasonal events throughout the year: Winter Doggo Fest on Jan. 25, 2025; Springtime Doggo Event on April 26, 2025; and Summertime Doggo Bash on July 26, 2025. All events are wheelchair accessible.
Both Doggo-Ween and the pack walk are on Saturday, Oct. 26 at Sardis Sports Field, starting at 1 p.m. Doggo-Ween is being held in partnership with United Way BC.
For more information on Doggo-ween, the monthly pack walks, or to learn more about K9 At Your Side Dog Training Co., visit .
