Urban Blessings

Urban Blessings

Some blessings are readily identifiable-- the health of our family; the birth of our children; and the presence of good friends. I count Bailey as one of my many blessings in life. The blessing of having his companionship and learning his simple, yet powerful life lessons for 13 years was most certainly both a blessing and a gift from God.

The blessings that are harder to identify are often called blessings in disguise. Whenever I heard this term I always thought it was an overly optimistic way of describing a bad situation. Not anymore.

Life at the Blue Jays was like a boy’s dream come true. There is a certain romance that is tied to baseball. It makes us think of a simpler time and place—about playing a game of catch with your Dad out on the front lawn. In many ways I was living that dream. I was working in Major League Baseball side by side with my father and mentor—and to top things off I was bringing my dog to work. Who could ask for anything more?

But working with your Dad at a large public company (Rogers Communications) also had its drawbacks. Those who know me would understand when I say that very little of what I did was done quietly. Everyone at the Blue Jays took notice when I was on the field for batting practice or traveling with the team on the road. More importantly everyone noticed that I was the only one who brought his dog to work every single day. I had become a target and by default, Bailey had become a target too.

Some of the staff at the Blue Jays had been there since the mid-1980’s or even earlier. From the birth of the team in 1977 through the strike-shortened year of 1994 the Blue Jays enjoyed great success both on the field and particularly at the box office. What many people do not know is that the Blue Jays were a success at the box office in spite of themselves. Tickets were sold because the people of Toronto were hungry for baseball and especially hungry for Blue Jays baseball. After the strike in 1994 attendance declined every year until just after Ted Rogers bought the team. New people were brought in to stimulate sales and revamp the team’s lackluster marketing. Many of those that remained didn’t understand the need for a more marketing and sales driven culture. They hated the personnel changes and found themselves harkening back to the good old days when they didn’t have to work hard to sell baseball in Toronto. Ahhhhhh, the “good old days”—a time when management wouldn’t notice just how useless they were because the stadium was sold out and the team was winning.

When a few members of the team’s “old guard” got together to complain about “a dog in the workplace”, Rogers had to take action. As a first step, my father was notified that the office was no place for a dog and Bailey could not be on the premises during business hours. Dad knew that I would not take this news well, so before telling me he employed the help of my assistant Jacey to find a suitable alternative.

Urban Dog Fitness & Spa is located at 37 Parliament Street, just a short drive from the Rogers Centre. There are two large rooms for dogs to run and play, an outdoor area and even a doggie spa for baths and pedicures. This was to be Bailey’s new hangout during business hours.

Not surprisingly, on the day Dad told me the news I was angry. To be clear, nobody complained about being allergic to dogs or that Bailey was a nuisance—this was purely about taking a shot at me. Naturally, I resisted the idea of sending Bailey to doggie day care. I didn’t care how nice Urban Dog was because it meant that Bailey and I wouldn’t be together. But I was left without a choice. It was either Urban Dog or home.

As angry and hurt as I was, I am thankful to those useless and heartless people that complained about Bailey. Urban Dog was truly a blessing in disguise. Bailey loved it there so much that he would begin to bark as the car approached the day care. Beyond their facilities, Urban Dog’s ownership, management and staff were simply fantastic. They treated Bailey as if he was their own. Bailey became the King of Urban Dog. When new dogs arrived for their behavioral assessment, Bailey was always first in the room with the new dog. If he was tired, he was permitted to sit behind the reception desk, just as he did at the Blue Jays. When the media came to do one of several television or newspaper stories on doggie day cares in Toronto, Bailey was always front and centre. And when there was an over-abundance of puppies in the facility, Bailey was the only older dog that got to play with the puppies.

In Bailey’s later years, Urban Dog kept him active and stimulated. It kept him young and puppy-like right up to the very end. I believe that if it weren’t for Urban Dog, Bailey may not have been with us for 13 years. For that, I am forever grateful to Eric, Susan, Stacy and the entire staff. If Bailey were here today I know he would tell you how much he loved you and how you provided him with the time of his life.

I guess in the end, everything seemed to work out just fine. Rogers had said that Bailey couldn’t be on premises during business hours. Fortunately, Dad and I took this to mean the hours between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm. As a result, Bailey still attended all 81 home games each season—watching the games from a private box while trying to eat as many hot dogs, chicken fingers and crab cakes as he could get his mouth on.

When I close my eyes I can still see Bailey proudly grabbing his own leash and marching into Urban Dog. Thank goodness for blessings in disguise.