Dog-Friendly Cafés at UBC.
On UBC campus you can bring a dog to café patios, not indoors — BC food premises rules keep non-service animals out of indoor food service areas. Great Dane Coffee at 6011 Walter Gage Rd has a covered patio with an outdoor fireplace, keeps water bowls out year-round, and puts regulars’ dogs on its Dog Wall. It’s a short walk from Pacific Spirit Regional Park, which is where most people are coming from or heading to with a dog.
The short version of our own policy.
- Dogs are welcome on the patio, which is covered and has an outdoor fireplace.
- Water bowls are out year-round — you don’t have to ask.
- Your dog can go on the Dog Wall. Send a photo through the Dog Wall page and we print new ones in batches.
- Service dogs are welcome inside, as required by BC law.
- We are named after a Great Dane. Lady belonged to Toni McKee and Andrew McKee, who opened the shop in 2012, and she’s the dog in the logo.
What to know before you walk over.
- 01
Patio, not indoors
BC food premises rules keep non-service animals out of indoor food service areas. Plan to sit outside, and check the weather before you commit to it.
- 02
Covered seating matters more than you think
Vancouver being Vancouver, an uncovered patio is unusable with a dog for a good chunk of the year. Covered patios are the ones worth knowing.
- 03
Water is the tell
A café that actually wants dogs there keeps bowls out without being asked. One that tolerates them makes you ask for a cup.
- 04
Go off-peak with a big dog
Patios tighten up at the lunch rush. If your dog needs room, the stretch between the morning rush and noon is the calm window.
- 05
Service dogs are different
Service animals are permitted indoors by law in BC, and that isn’t at the discretion of the business.
Finding us with a dog.
- Address
- 6011 Walter Gage Rd, Vancouver, BC V6T 0B4
- Weekdays
- 7:30 AM – 6:00 PM
- Weekends
- 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Patio
- Covered, with an outdoor fireplace
Full directions and transit notes are on the visit page, and the menu lists every drink and price.
Questions people ask.
Can I bring my dog to a café at UBC?
On patios, generally yes. Great Dane Coffee at 6011 Walter Gage Rd welcomes dogs on its covered patio and keeps water bowls out year-round. Indoors is a different question: under BC food premises regulations, live animals other than service animals are not permitted in areas where food is served, so most campus cafés are patio-only for pets. Service dogs are allowed inside by law.
Is Great Dane Coffee dog-friendly?
Yes. Dogs are welcome on the covered patio, there are water bowls out year-round, and regulars’ dogs go up on our Dog Wall. The shop is named after Lady, the founders’ Great Dane, so this is not an afterthought.
Is there covered outdoor seating for rainy days at UBC?
Yes. Great Dane Coffee’s patio is covered and has an outdoor fireplace, which makes it usable with a dog through most of the Vancouver year rather than only in summer.
Can I leave my dog outside while I order?
You can, but you don’t have to at Great Dane Coffee — the patio is right there, so most people sit down with their dog and order from the patio side rather than tying up outside a door they can’t see.
Where can I walk my dog near UBC campus?
Pacific Spirit Regional Park borders the campus and has an extensive trail network where dogs are permitted, much of it off-leash. Wreck Beach is reachable by the trail staircases. Great Dane Coffee is a short walk from the main campus core, which makes it a practical coffee stop before or after a park walk.
What is the Dog Wall at Great Dane Coffee?
It’s a wall of photos of customers’ dogs inside the shop. Anyone can submit a photo of their dog with their name and birthday through the Dog Wall page on this site, and we print new photos for the wall in batches.
Put your dog on the wall.
Photo, name, birthday. That’s all we need.
Submit a dog