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Good Boy Collective

For the love of dogs and design.

Dogs are kinda Dayandra Elrod’s thing. Ever since she can remember she has been obsessed with them. Her favourite books as a child? Ones with dogs in them. Birthday gifts? Dog-themed anything. Her favourite Disney movie? Take a guess (hint: there were 101 dogs). Dayandra has always loved her canine friends and grew up surrounded by them. So, it’s not a surprise that today she is the owner of Good Boy Collective, a trendy and sustainability-focused dog boutique in Mount Pleasant.

Dayandra, even as a youngster, knew she wanted to work with dogs but knew that being a vet or a groomer was not the right fit for her. So, she did the next best thing to working with dogs. She went into the fashion industry. Because along with having a love for her four-legged friends, Dayandra loved design. During her 15 years in fashion, she became inspired by independent fashion brands and retailers who were as intentional about how their products looked as they were with how they were made.

However, it wasn’t until she adopted her late dog, Bowie, an adorable Boston Terrier, that her love of dogs and fashion would start to collide. Being a design-minded dog owner, Dayandra wanted to find dog accessories that would work for her new pup and fit her aesthetic—showing off her and Bowie’s personal style.

That’s when she started noticing similar gaps in the pet retail industry that she had seen in the fashion world. It was mostly big box stores filled with similar generic-looking products with little attention to sustainability practices. So, she went on a mission to find independent brands aligned with her style and values. On her search, Dayandra ended up discovering a lot of like-minded businesses around the world through social media that made the kind of quality dog gear she wanted to make Bowie one of the best-dressed dogs in Vancouver.

It was at that point that Dayandra realized she could use her fashion experience and apply it to the dog-retail world. At first, she started sewing dog beds (Dayandra quickly realized she was not a seamstress) then used her eye for design to curate a collection of fashion-forward yet functional dog accessories. If she wanted nice looking and unique dog items, surely other people she knew would too. And she was right. What started as an online side hustle in 2017 quickly took off. And in 2019, she opened her brick and mortar store on Main Street, in the heart of Mt Pleasant. The store sells a wide selection of independent brands and Canadian-made treats. Plus, bulk dog food that’s part of Good Boy Collective’s popular refill program. And in 2021, Dayandra expanded to include the Good Boy Collective studio—a space where the store produces its own line of collars and leashes.

Today, the shop runs with the help of Dayandra’s growing team and Good Boy Collective’s top employee, her dashingly handsome Chinese Crested dog, Rupert. An expert at customer service, Ruperts spends his days at work greeting everyone from his bed in the store window or making himself available for any head scratches while people browse. Most recently, Dayandra also got a new store trainee, a dalmatian puppy named Ronnie, who is quickly learning the ropes with Rupert’s help.

Dayandra was always meant to do something with dogs and has managed to carve her own path—combining her love of design, her values, and dogs into her dream job. Something the dogs (and humans) of Mount Pleasant are grateful for.