Harvest For Hounds
Harvest For Hounds
After a fantastic first year, we’re bringing our dog-friendly harvest weekend back to the orchard, this time in support of the BC SPCA. Harvest has always been about community at Merridale. This October, we’re celebrating the four-legged members of that community with local vendors, orchard walks, pup photos, fall treats and plenty of reasons to bring your best friend along.
Harvest For Hounds
After a fantastic first year, we’re bringing our dog-friendly harvest weekend back to the orchard, this time in support of the BC SPCA. Harvest has always been about community at Merridale. This October, we’re celebrating the four-legged members of that community with local vendors, orchard walks, pup photos, fall treats and plenty of reasons to bring your best friend along.
A Harvest Celebration for You & Your Four-Legged Friends
Harvest for Hounds is back for its second year! October 3 & 4, 2026
Supporting the BC SPCA All October Long
Looking for a dog-friendly fall event in the Cowichan Valley? Bring your pup to Harvest for Hounds, then discover everything else happening during Harvest Season at Merridale. This year, Merridale is proud to support the BC SPCA and the work they do for animals in communities across British Columbia.
Learn More About the BC SPCA →
Throughout the month of October, $1 from every bag of Merridale Dog Biscuits and every Barkuterie Bowl sold in our Eatery will be donated to the BC SPCA.
So even if you can’t join us for Harvest for Hounds weekend, you can still stop by with your pup, enjoy a treat and help support animals in our community.
Supporting the BC SPCA All October Long
Looking for a dog-friendly fall event in the Cowichan Valley? Bring your pup to Harvest for Hounds and discover everything happening during Harvest Season at Merridale. This year, Merridale is proud to support the BC SPCA and its work protecting vulnerable animals through animal care, outreach, education and advocacy.
Throughout October, $1 from every bag of Merridale Dog Biscuits and every Barkuterie Bowl sold in our Eatery will be donated to the BC SPCA. You can also support the cause by bringing food, treats, toys and other much-needed items for our BC SPCA Pet Supply Drive.
Even if you can’t join us for Harvest for Hounds weekend, you can still visit with your pup, enjoy a treat and help support animals in need. Learn More About the BC SPCA →
A Harvest Celebration for You & Your Four-Legged Friends
Harvest for Hounds is back for its second year!
October 3 & 4, 2026 | Merridale Cidery & Distillery | Cobble Hill, BC
Supporting the BC SPCA All October Long
Looking for a dog-friendly fall event in the Cowichan Valley? Bring your pup to Harvest for Hounds, then discover everything else happening during Harvest Season at Merridale. This year, Merridale is proud to support the BC SPCA and the work they do for animals in communities across British Columbia.
Learn More About the BC SPCA →
Throughout the month of October, $1 from every bag of Merridale Dog Biscuits and every Barkuterie Bowl sold in our Eatery will be donated to the BC SPCA.
So even if you can’t join us for Harvest for Hounds weekend, you can still stop by with your pup, enjoy a treat and help support animals in our community.
Supporting the BC SPCA All October Long
Looking for a dog-friendly fall event in the Cowichan Valley? Bring your pup to Harvest for Hounds, then discover everything else happening during Harvest Season at Merridale. This year, Merridale is proud to support the BC SPCA and the work they do for animals in communities across British Columbia.
Throughout the month of October, $1 from every bag of Merridale Dog Biscuits and every Barkuterie Bowl sold in our Eatery will be donated to the BC SPCA.
So even if you can’t join us for Harvest for Hounds weekend, you can still stop by with your pup, enjoy a treat and help support animals in our community.
See What’s Happening at Our Dog-Friendly Event in the Cowichan Valley, October 3 & 4 and All Month Long
Wander the Pup-Up Market | October 3 & 4
Hot apple cider in hand, take your time wandering our Pup-Up Market, featuring local dog vendors, makers and more.
Discover something special for your pup, meet local businesses and enjoy a fall afternoon surrounded by the sights, sounds and smells of Harvest in the community.
Pup Photos for a Good Cause | October 3 & 4
On October 3 & 4, a professional photographer will be at Merridale capturing pups and their people in our Harvest orchard.
50% of proceeds from pup photos will be donated to the BC SPCA. Bring your pup, strike a pose, and take home a Harvest memory while supporting animals across BC.
An Apple Crate of Kindness | Pet Supply Drive
Help us fill our apple crate with much-needed supplies for animals in the care of the BC SPCA.
Bring along pet food or treats, new or gently used toys, leashes, collars, kitty litter, towels, flat blankets, pet beds or small-animal supplies. Every contribution helps care for animals in our community while they wait for their next chapter.
Leash Up & Explore the Orchard
Looking for the perfect fall dog walk in the Cowichan Valley? Our orchard loop takes approximately 25–30 minutes, making it just the right length to stretch those paws, take in the fall colours and experience a working orchard during the most exciting time of year. And what’s better than an orchard walk with your dog? An orchard walk with your dog and a hot apple cider in hand. All Dogs are welcome on leash.
Stay for a Meal
There’s no need to head home when your walk is over. Settle in for lunch or dinner at the Merridale Eatery and enjoy the flavours of fall on our dog-friendly covered patio.
Order a Barkuterie Bowl for your pup, something seasonal for yourself and spend a little longer enjoying the farm. Because some of the best Harvest days are the ones you don’t rush.
Wander the Pup-Up Market | October 3 & 4
Hot apple cider in hand, take your time wandering our Pup-Up Market, featuring local dog vendors, makers and more.
Discover something special for your pup, meet local businesses and enjoy a fall afternoon surrounded by the sights, sounds and smells of Harvest in the community.
Pup Photos for a Good Cause | October 3 & 4
On October 3 & 4, a professional photographer will be at Merridale capturing pups and their people in our Harvest orchard.
50% of proceeds from pup photos will be donated to the BC SPCA. Bring your pup, strike a pose, and take home a Harvest memory while supporting animals across BC.
An Apple Crate of Kindness
Help us fill our apple crate with much-needed supplies for animals in the care of the BC SPCA.
Bring along pet food or treats, new or gently used toys, leashes, collars, kitty litter, towels, flat blankets, pet beds or small-animal supplies. Every contribution helps care for animals in our community while they wait for their next chapter.
Leash Up & Explore the Orchard
Looking for the perfect fall dog walk in the Cowichan Valley? Our orchard loop takes approximately 25–30 minutes, making it just the right length to stretch those paws, take in the fall colours and experience a working orchard during the most exciting time of year. And what’s better than an orchard walk with your dog? An orchard walk with your dog and a hot apple cider in hand. All Dogs are welcome on leash.
Stay for a Meal
There’s no need to head home when your walk is over. Settle in for lunch or dinner at the Merridale Eatery and enjoy the flavours of fall on our dog-friendly covered patio.
Order a Barkuterie Bowl for your pup, something seasonal for yourself and spend a little longer enjoying the farm. Because some of the best Harvest days are the ones you don’t rush.
Because every dog deserves a place to call home.
Dogs have always been part of Merridale.
They come with their people to the courtyard and the back deck. We make treats for them. We created our own Barkuterie Bowl just for them. And, honestly, we think a farm is a better place when there are dogs wandering around it.
But this year, our love of dogs has grown into something bigger.
Throughout our harvest season, we are proud to support the BC SPCA—an organization doing extraordinary work for animals right here in British Columbia. They rescue, protect, educate, advocate and help animals find the safe, loving homes they deserve.
I didn’t fully understand the breadth of their work until recently, when I brought home an eight-month-old Golden Retriever through the BC SPCA.
Mika.
Mika is a beautiful reminder of what can happen when a dog who needs a second chance or home finds a family. She isn’t just a rescue dog. She is part of our family, part of our everyday life, and part of the story we tell at Merridale.
That is what we want Harvest for Hounds to be about.
Not just loving dogs. Helping them.
Throughout September and October, we will be raising both awareness and funds for the BC SPCA. We hope you’ll join us.
Buy a Barkuterie Bowl or our house-made dog treats, bring food or pet supplies for our donation drive, or have your dog’s harvest portrait taken—50% of the photo fee will go directly to the BC SPCA.
And while you’re here, bring your dog.
Because at Merridale, we believe harvest is about more than apples, cider and the changing season.
It’s about community. And every member of the family is welcome. – Jan Docherty, owner of Merridale Cidery & Distillery.
Because every dog deserves a place to call home.
Dogs have always been part of Merridale.
They join us in the courtyard and on the back deck. We bake treats for them, created a Barkuterie Bowl just for them, and believe a farm is simply better with dogs around.
This year, that love has become something more.
I recently brought home an eight-month-old Golden Retriever through the BC SPCA. Her name is Mika, and she has quickly become part of our family and part of life at Merridale.
Mika is a beautiful reminder of what can happen when an animal who needs a home finds a family.
That’s what Harvest for Hounds is about. Not just loving dogs, but helping them.
Throughout harvest, we’re supporting the BC SPCA through Barkuterie Bowls and house-made dog treats, our pet supply donation drive, and harvest dog portraits, with 50% of the photo fee donated directly to the BC SPCA.
Because harvest is about more than apples and cider. It’s about community, and every member of the family deserves a place to belong.
– Jan Docherty, Owner, Merridale Cidery & Distillery
– There’s More to Harvest –
Harvest for Hounds is just one chapter of Harvest Season at Merridale, running from September 27 through October 31.
For a few short weeks each year, the orchard is completely alive. Apples are picked and pressed, fresh juice begins fermenting, fall colours move through the trees and another Merridale vintage begins.
Explore Harvest Season at Merridale →
Come for the BC Cider Harvest Festival, return with your pup for Harvest for Hounds, gather around the table for Thanksgiving Dinner, explore the orchard, sip hot apple cider, take on a Harvest scavenger hunt and join us for a little Halloween fun before the season comes to an end.
Come once and experience Harvest. Come back and make it a tradition.
– There’s More to Harvest –
Harvest for Hounds is just one chapter of Harvest Season at Merridale, running from September 27 through October 31.
For a few short weeks each year, the orchard is completely alive. Apples are picked and pressed, fresh juice begins fermenting, fall colours move through the trees and another Merridale vintage begins.
Explore Harvest Season at Merridale →
Come for the BC Cider Harvest Festival, return with your pup for Harvest for Hounds, gather around the table for Thanksgiving Dinner, explore the orchard, sip hot apple cider, take on a Harvest scavenger hunt and join us for a little Halloween fun before the season comes to an end.
Come once and experience Harvest. Come back and make it a tradition.