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After a long day at the office, you may need a drink. The last thing you want to do is take your dog out for exercise.
Enter a new trend: the dog-park bar.
Load Charlie in the car and head to one of three new private dog parks where you can buy a beer or sip some wine and watch your pup socialize with fellow canines. You’re allowed to socialize, too; these parks have already gained thousands of human members who are thrilled to get out of the house with their pets and meet fellow dog-lovers.
Most sites offer day passes but encourage monthly memberships for better pricing. All require pets to be vaccinated and spayed or neutered. Here’s a look at three South Florida parks that are showing that play time for the dogs and alcohol for the adults are not incompatible.
817 NW 1st St., Fort Lauderdale
Setup: An outdoor turfed park that opened in July near Broward Boulevard between the Salvation Army and the Brightline station. There are tents and umbrellas for shade and Adirondack chairs for relaxing and observing dog play. You can order food from a rotating roster of food trucks and eat at an indoor area with dining tables. Food is not allowed in the dog play area, although drinking is permitted.
“We came up with the idea after seeing local dog parks, which we thought were dirty and sandy,” co-owner Stacey Kennish said. “We wanted to hang out in the park with people we were meeting, but everyone was saying they wished there was a place where their dogs could play and not get dirty.”
Drink: Beer costs $5 to $10. There’s also wine, coffee, tea, hot chocolate and espresso.
Hours: Monday to Friday, 3-10 p.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m.-9 p.m.
Cost: Walk-ins are $10. There are memberships for $30 a month or $125 for the year for unlimited play time. Kennish said 2,000 dogs are enrolled.
1510 SW 8th St., Boynton Beach
Setup: The park/bar is inside Inn the Doghouse 2, a dog and cat day care/boarding site near the Home Depot off I-95 at Woolbright Road. The day care converts into the bar on weekend evenings. Owners bring their drinks into air-conditioned, colorful indoor play areas, which have steps and slides and backyard-style play equipment. Food trucks are invited outside each weekend; you have to eat your dinner in the lobby but you can carry your drinks into the playground for closer canine monitoring.
The center opened last year; the bar opened about three weeks ago, manager Katie Glazier said.
“This is a great concept for the summer,” said Ryan White, a golf course manager from Boynton Beach who drank a Budweiser as he played with his chocolate Labrador, Brutus. “You can hang out with your dog on a Friday night and have a drink.”
Ryan White plays with his chocolate labrador retriever Brutus while enjoying a drink at INN The Dog House 2 in Boynton Beach. (John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Wendy and Walter Quito of Boynton Beach were playing nearby with their 9-year-old English bulldog, Lola.
“We would normally leave work and go out for a beer,” Wendy said. “It’s good to be able to take her with us now, especially since she’s getting older.”
Drink: $8 for wine, $5 to $11 for beer, $2 for soda. There are also “Puptails,” such as the Barktini, with honeydew, celery and mint, and the Murphy’s Irish Snout, with beef, cinnamon and butternut squash ($3).
Hours: Fridays, 5-10 p.m; Saturdays and Sundays, 4-10 p.m.
Cost: $13 for a day pass, $39.99 for a month or $399.99 for the year.
521 Clematis St., West Palm Beach
Setup: Right in the middle of rollicking Clematis Street, BRK Republic attracts crowds of young office workers and apartment dwellers who live in the trendy downtown. Visitors can sit at the indoor bar with their dogs or head outside to a turf-covered enclosed play area, where there are chairs and tables. You can eat anywhere on the property, although the owners encourage diners to eat at high tables so dogs can’t access your supper.
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The site has been open since 2020 and has more than 3,000 registered dogs, managing owner Lindsay Lipovich said.
Maggie Sackrison of West Palm Beach said BRK Republic has become the center of her social life. She moved to the downtown a year ago from New York and knew no one. She walked into BRK and immediately loved the atmosphere.
“I met every one of my friends that I now have,” said Sackrison, who brings her 8-year-old Chiweenie, Dobby. “I now have a crazy group of 15 people. I usually show up after work for an hour and one of my friends is always there. I feel forever indebted.”
Drink: Beer and wine, ranging from $8 to $14.
Hours: Monday to Thursday, noon-10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
Cost: Day pass is $10, package of 10 is $70, $20 for a monthly membership or $220 for the year.
