This is the story of The Dog Pound – that cute little yellow take-out that popped up on Church Street this summer – owned by Darrin and Sandra Baker.
Darrin grew up in Amherst but he eventually moved to Ontario where he worked for years in the construction industry. It was there that he met his wife, Sandra, and the two started their family together.
“We were in the market to buy a home and we were looking in Ontario, but it was way too expensive,” Darrin shared. “It was my wife’s idea (to move to Amherst) – she wasn’t born here, but I was. We were looking at houses down here and I saw a house for sale that I had history with – that I worked on in my early years. We bought it. It happened really quick.”
Although everything happened quickly, Darrin said it just felt like the right time to move back to Nova Scotia. That was four years ago.
“I decided to take up and drive cab,” Darrin said. “I got to know the area again and meet some people and decide what kind of business would be nice to see in town. Fast-forward three years; when I saw this building being painted and saw the ‘For Lease’ sign on it, my mind stated elevating to my life experiences and my imagination and cuisine.”
Darrin went ahead and pitched his idea for a take-out to the building’s owners, Casey Realty, and it was exactly the type of business they were looking for to fill the space. That was in October of 2023, and a lot of work took place in the months that followed, allowing Darrin and Sandra to open The Dog Pound back on June 30 of this year.
Mayor David Kogon was joined recently by members of Council to present Sandra and Darrin Baker with a
New Business Certificate, welcoming their new take-out restaurant - The Dog Pound - to downtown Amherst.
“This is an investment for me and Sandra and our family. It’s a take-out. It’s meant to be a positive, happy place for townsfolk and people coming to the downtown core with a whimsical atmosphere.”
Darrin wants people to have good memories, like he had growing up.
“I’m looking at a lot of the younger folks, the kids, thinking ‘What would bring a smile to these kids’ faces?’ To come into this happy little building and enjoy themselves, that was my whole premise. I have an outdoor bubble machine that spreads bubbles through the air. It’s an atmosphere – it’s meant to be something fast food but good food, and just a happy place to be in. That was my whole concept.”
Darrin and Sandra feel that their little yellow building in downtown Amherst is the only place the business could possibly be.
“My idea wouldn’t have worked anywhere else in town but here. If it wasn’t for this brick and mortar building and the uniqueness of it, my idea wouldn’t have worked. It’s the character. This building suited my idea and it worked out perfectly.”
At The Dog Pound, all of the hot dogs are deep fried and knife-cut with an X pattern on top, creating an exterior crust while remaining soft in the middle. The biggest sellers are the House Dog and the Donair Dog – all served on a stick. Customers have a number of add-on items to choose from for each order, and Darrin has a wide variety of condiments and other toppings at the ready, allowing for someone to customize and have a different hot dog experience every time they come in.
Amherst’s Mayor and members of Town Council recently met with Darrin and Sandra at their take-out to present a New Business Certificate and officially welcome them as downtown business owners.
The Dog Pound will be open year-round, and Darrin plans to change up the menu slightly with the shift in seasons, saying “I’m going to be adding bagels, breakfast sandwiches, donuts – winter food – if people want to pop in and grab a breakfast sandwich and a coffee. I’m going to start that later in the fall.”
Contributing to the business’s uniqueness are the number of specially-selected candy products and other treats on offer. “I don’t want to have anything that other people have,” Darrin explained. “We have a lot of imported candy – fudge is a big thing here; I brought in some stuff that goes with the store.”
When asked what surprised him most about opening the take-out, Darrin responded “People’s attitudes – they have big smiles on their faces. People who’ve never been here, they’re making special trips. Word of mouth is big. They’re coming from everywhere. Word of mouth means a lot.”
The Dog Pound is located at 25 Church Street in downtown Amherst, open Wednesdays through Mondays from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. (11 a.m. opening on weekends). Find more information on Facebook: @TheDogPound.
