We also live in Calgary, Alberta.
I buy all my food and treats from 3 different specialty stores near my house. I try to only buy foods that are "natural and grain free". Orijen Regional Red is Dooie's favorite food out of all 7 different brands I've tried. He even likes it better than human food. (He's super picky for some reason...) Orijen is made in Alberta too, so that's always nice.
As for pee pads, I work for a medical supply company and I find that Vets and breeders are always purchasing their "pee-pads" though us. But what we in the medical industry call them are "Underpads". They are apperently exactly the same thing, only called a different name and cost less than "Dog Training Pee Pads". Ours are sold in bags of 300 for $56 I think.
They say pee pads have a scent so your dogs know to always pee on them, but somehow, dogs also know to always pee on the underpads too. Hmmm. I don't know what it is.
Lastly, I have found that most of the smaller, more quaint specialty pet stores will have a larger variety of Dog clothing and better quality products.
The more comercialized the store (Petsmart, Petland etc), the less they care about the pet.
