Overview
It's time to splash out on a new collar and tell that fur baby of yours to kiss their FOMO goodbye — Chapel Street is now the first permanently pet-friendly shopping precinct in Australia. The busy area is now officially a haven for four-legged friends, with a huge selection of its stores, cafes, bars, gyms and even health clinics welcoming pets with open arms.
At the moment, over 300 Chapel Street venues boast pet-friendly status and they're now even easier to spot following the introduction of special 'paw-on-the-door' window decals. The stickers will be displayed by any venue where pets are welcomed, making it a breeze to head out for a day of shopping, wining and dining, all with your best mate in tow. They'll get to indulge in some fashionable strutting and, who knows, with a few #DogsOfChapelStreet tags — or #CatsofChapelStreet, if you want to kick that off — under their belt a career as a fur-shionable style icon could be in the works.
Leo's by the Slice by Kate Shanasy.
If you want to plan your stops before you head out, the Chapel Street Precinct website also lists all of the pet-friendly businesses. It's a diverse lineup that includes the likes of fashion boutique Tibbs & Bones, beauty salon Bat Your Lash, eyewear store Oscar Wylee, hot dog joint Massive Wieners, St Edmonds cafe and NY-inspired all-day diner Gramercy Social. There's even a dog-friendly hotel, the Quest Prahran, in case you're planning a getaway or staycation with your bestie.
As Australia's health regulations prevent pets from entering supermarkets or being within ten metres of food consumption or prep areas, a heap of food spots have created specific dog-friendly areas (many of them outside), including Leo's by the Slice, Leonard's House of Love, Hawker Hall, Tokyo Tina and Betty's Burgers.
With research showing Aussies have one of the highest pet ownership rates in the world, with a hefty 62 percent of households owning a fur-baby, we're pretty sure Chapel Street is about to get a whole lot busier.
To check out the full list of pet-friendly spots on Chapel Street, head to the website.
Top image: St Edmonds