PawFive: Dog Playdates & Parks

New in Metro Vancouver: fenced parks, small-dog areas and dog-friendly patios, mapped by owners who actually went. Know a spot we're missing? Add it in-app.

Your dog doesn't click with every dog.

But every once in a while they meet one they really do. Same energy, same play style. They run around like they've known each other forever.

Then you and the other owner swap Instagram handles, go home, and it never happens again. Because the person you'd have to text is the owner, not the dog. "Hey, our dogs played really well the other day" is a weirdly hard message to send to someone you met once.

PawFive is for those dogs.

• NO STRANGERS. THAT'S THE WHOLE POINT.

Most dog apps show you strangers nearby and hope something works out. PawFive doesn't. There's no browsing, no random matching, and no way to look someone up by name or location. Connecting takes a friend code, scanned from someone's QR or typed in. Nobody finds you unless you hand it to them.

• SEE YOUR DOG'S FRIENDS AGAIN

Scan a QR code at the park and you're connected. No phone number, no Instagram, no awkward text to a stranger. Just the dogs who already get along, and a way to reach their humans.

• PLAN A PLAYDATE WITHOUT THE GROUP CHAT

Not sure which day works? Propose a few dates and a few parks, and let everyone vote. Once all your friends have answered, PawFive turns the winner into a real playdate, with invites, location and a comment thread all set up for you.

• KNOW WHERE YOU'RE GOING BEFORE YOU GO

Is it actually fenced? Is there a small-dog area? Is there parking? Does that patio really allow dogs, or will you find out when you get there?

Filter dog-friendly parks, trails, beaches, patios and cafés across Metro Vancouver, all collected by owners who actually went. Find a spot we're missing? Add it, and earn PawFive points when it's approved.

• SUPER PAWFIVE

After a good playdate, give your friend's dog a title. Best Playmate. Stole My Heart. Love at First Sniff. They're collectible, they're a little silly, and they're a nicer way to say "our dogs really got along" than a text message.

• STARTING IN METRO VANCOUVER

PawFive is built for Metro Vancouver first. That's where the parks are mapped and where the dogs are. If you're somewhere else, you're welcome to join, but the map will be thin until we get there.