When this column comes out, the Ortonville Downtown Development Authority and resident girl scout Madi Waatti will be unveiling the new pet-friendly initiative during the Farmers Market.
I have to say, I’m a fan of this initiative. I love dogs, and having a dog friendly downtown is great for pet owners. I see several dogs a day as they walk by our office, like Diesel, the bulldog who is usually walking a few feet behind his owner, and Barney, who has charmed almost every business owner in downtown into daily treats.
Our office is also right across the street from the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Brandon substation, so we even occasionally see Woody, the Brandon Comfort K-9 officer, through their door. Or, more accurately, we see his tail and the top of his head, since he’s shorter than the bottom frame on the door.
Plus, my own dogs accompany me to Ortonville on occasion. Cosmo loves seeing all the people, and recognizes them. His face and wiggling tail in our front window is a source of amusement for passers-by. And when I’m down at the Farmers Market or other vendor events selling my books, I usually have Wanda with me. She’s less social, but she’s sweet and hangs out under my table and greets people when prompted.
I chatted with Waatti about her initiative, which is part of her girl scout gold award project. It’s a big undertaking for a Brandon high school senior, and she started the project in 2023.
“The journey itself was a little chaotic, doing it my senior year,” she said. “It’s going smoothly now, we just have to install everything.”
The program would follow the better cities for pets program principals of Mars, Inc, the maker of pet brands such as Acana, Royal Canin, Cesar, Greenies, Iams, Eukanuba, Nutro, Pedigree and much more. As a fun fact, I worked through college at a pet store, and am so incredibly familiar with these brands and their principals. They believe pets help people and cities thrive, and this initiative would be a huge step to certify Ortonville as pet friendly through the organization. Businesses will receive requested water bowls, leash hooks, treat jars, and ‘pet friendly’ window clings. There will also be signage downtown about current leash ordinances and other pet-related rules.
Some benefits to being certified pet friendly are increased downtown visitors, adding diversity, promoting economic growth, bettering physical and mental health for residents, fostering increased social connection, and encouraging investment in green spaces.
“It doesn’t feel real,” she said. “I have lots of big ideas, and this is the first one I followed through with and it’s all thanks to the DDA and Leanne Claxton for partnering with me on it. That’s why I joined girl scouts, to help people, and I wanted to make people’s lives easier and their walks downtown easier.”
In my experience, you can talk to anyone about pets. I’ve been to many meetings that get derailed by all of us showing off dog photos, swapping pet stories, and giving or getting advice on pet problems. And I’m excited to see Ortonville become certified pet-friendly, though I and many other people know just how welcoming the downtown is for pets already.