“I take pictures of dogs almost every day,” says Judith Thompson. She does this at Barn Nork, the Thai restaurant she co-owns in Whistler, where a lively mix of humans and canines gathers on the patio next to the Riverside campground. Dogs are central in Thompson’s daily life — and the surrounding community. They’re the tail-wagging, tongue-lolling glue of an interconnected and growing group of businesses in the Sea to Sky.
Dogs are what brought Thompson and co-owners and chefs Chanida Sriwantan (Janice) and Jay Nutamarn (O) together. They bonded over the dogs that frequented Barn Nork’s original Mount Currie location, and Thompson was there when Sriwantan and Nutamarn adopted their dog in D’Arcy. Today, that pup is Chewie (short for Chewbacca), who attends daily morning meetings (a.k.a. walks along Green River) with Thompson’s two dogs, Bear Dog and George. The human trio does everything with their dog trio, who are also regulars at Barn Nork. As their website says, “And dogs? Yes, dogs are allowed on the patio! Dogs are always welcome at Barn Nork!! Our love of dogs is equal to, if not more than, our love of food … and we’re not kidding!! Other than food, dogs are our life.”
It’s a sentiment Tina Smishny, who started WOW Treats and More with her husband Constantine, shares. “When we moved to Pemberton, we used to joke that there are more dogs than people in the village, because every person would have at least one dog. Some would have two or three, which was amazing,” she says. “It was really great seeing all those different dogs living their best life. In our community, there are so many amazing people and businesses that support dogs.”
The Smishnys bought their first place in Pemberton so they could get a dog. “We really wanted to have a dog together … and the rental pool was not dog-friendly.” (The lack of housing that allows pets is an issue in the Sea to Sky, making it harder for local adoptions.) Smishny found her “soul dog” at the non-profit animal shelter WAG (Whistler Animals Galore). Uma, with her “super serious eyes” and signature “huge ears,” is now the logo of WOW and has since gained two siblings — Akuma the dog and Ice the cat — from PAWS (Pemberton Animal Wellbeing Society).
But Uma had a rough start as a rescue, and it was her serious medical issues like mange that sparked Smishny’s husband, a former chef, to develop the pure-protein, no-carb dog treats that have become their work and passion. “She was everything behind this,” says Smishny of Uma. “We never had a plan to have this business. We just were making treats for her, and then we started giving them to our neighbours and friends.”
They signed up for their first Pemberton Farmers’ Market seven years ago, and now the treats are available throughout the Sea to Sky and even as amenities at the dog-friendly Four Seasons Whistler (see sidebar). Smishny is eager to acknowledge all these connections and give shout-outs to the community of growers and farms who have supported them and provided them with ingredients: carrots from Seed to Culture, pumpkins from Laughing Crow Organics and eggshells from North Arm Farm and Feathers and Fir in Birken. The Smishnys themselves have leaned into the homestead life and now live on a larger property in D’Arcy.
And Smishny has a longer dog-community list to share, from the volunteer-run PAWS to Pemberton-based vet Dr. Laura White, who helps with critical cases at local shelters, including Uma’s, and offers her services during annual vaccination and spay-and-neuter clinics and wellness checks run by WAG. Smishny keeps naming go-to dog places and people (Peaks Family Pets, Whistler Dog Nanny, Modern Dog Training, Firetail Pets and more) and says, “Honestly, it’s so many. I feel like almost every business in Whistler, Squamish, Pemberton does something.”
She also mentions Thompson (“She’s helped so many dogs,” says Smishny, “She’s just a wonderful human being”) and Uma’s foster, Denise Wood, who’s also the chair of WAG’s board of directors, raises funds by sewing dog bandanas and has a rescue pup named Benji. Wood was voted favourite volunteer for the last four years in Pique Newsmagazine, and WAG has also received community props as Whistler’s favourite charity.
“WAG and the support of animals — dogs and cats — is huge in Whistler,” says Thompson. And many restaurants and businesses are dog-friendly and support the shelters, she adds. “Everybody’s always doing bottle drives and donating daily proceeds,” like Zogs Dogs, which “donates incredible amounts of money to WAG and is so dog-active,” and the radio station, which gives airtime to dogs in need of adoption. “It’s a really, really strong community, especially within local businesses, supporting not just shelters but all dogs in general.”
There’s a generosity in the Sea to Sky community when it comes to dogs, Thompson says. People here just love dogs. Smishny’s theory is that the Sea to Sky attracts a certain kind of person: “People who love nature, people with kind souls, people who like adventure, people who have big hearts, and dogs are just an obvious choice as a companion in this beautiful place.”
Barn Nork highlights these furry companions on social media, and framed photographs of four-legged friends adorn the inside of the restaurant, as does this maxim: “Be the person your dog thinks you are.” In Barn Nork’s Instagram feed, there’s a photo of the three owners’ dogs amid Sea to Sky scenery with the message “When we’re not cooking … we’re doing this.” Another photo captures Chef Jay greeting an old furry friend who’s come by for a visit, and there’s a post of a sign — “In a perfect world every home would have a dog and every dog would have a home” — with the comment “Just like Pemberton!”
Working at Barn Nork, Thompson, Sriwantan and Nutamarn get to hang out with (and take photos of) dogs on the patio of the restaurant. Outside, there are dog mats and bowls and treats. “We get a dog visit from the campground once a day, if not two or three times a day. … Dogs just find their way to us,” says Thompson. And every dog who has visited Barn Nork over the years has created connections in this community. As Thompson says, “We kind of joke that the restaurant’s just the front so we can get to our real job, which is the dogs.”
Dog-Friendly Deluxe
Dogs bring people and businesses together across the Sea to Sky, and they’re also part of the resort scene at the Four Seasons Whistler, where they indulge in a new dog-stick library and complimentary luxe amenities, including WOW treats. “It’s a small but playful touch that makes our four-legged guests feel part of the adventure,” says general manager Chelan Goonetilleke.
The resort welcomes dogs (with no pet fee) in all its rooms and patios because “we see dogs as part of the family and want every member to feel at home,” says Goonetilleke. Dogs are front and centre here and at other pet-friendly accommodations, including Nita Lake Lodge (with a “dog bar”), Fairmont Whistler (with a canine ambassador) and Pemberton Valley Lodge (with a canine concierge and dog-wash station) because people want to be with their dogs.
Goonetilleke gets it; he has two rescue dogs himself. “As a family, we’ve always had rescue dogs, and they’ve travelled with us wherever we moved. I didn’t truly realize how much the outdoors meant to them until we came to Whistler. It’s been amazing to see how naturally they’ve adapted to the lifestyle here. In fact, our 15-year-old dog, Tessa, is healthier than ever and runs through the forest trails like a young pup.”
