Dog-friendly Vancouver patio serves cocktails, treats to pooches

A restaurant in Vancouver has stepped up its efforts to make its patio welcoming to dogs, offering free treats, a fenced-in play area and custom cocktails.

Uncle Abe's hosted their inaugural 'Yappy Hour' Sunday, something manager and life-long dog-lover Lindsey Drury says started with a simple desire to make the space an appealing one for customers who want to enjoy food and drinks without leaving their pups behind.

"We know how important dogs are to people so we wanted to make a safe space for them to come and enjoy. It's just a way to bring the dogs in and kind of let them know they're extra welcome here," Drury told CTV news.

"We came up with the idea sort of inadvertently. I suggested we put some lattice on the bottom of the patio just so the dogs couldn't get underneath and it just kind of snowballed from there."

There are two drinks on offer for pooches, the "Wagermelon" has coconut milk and watermelon chunks and the "Barkberry" is made of muddled raspberries and blueberries. Both are garnished with mint and ice. There are also two snacks – one savory and one sweet. All the menu items cost $4, but free treats are also on offer.

Drury says they received a number of phone calls in days leading up to Sunday's launch and said the mood on the patio was warm despite the chilly weather.

"It's been a wonderful kind of community-building response, which is exactly what we wanted," she said, adding the plan is to continue it through the summer.

"This is very much a work in progress. I'm sure it'll get bigger from here."

In 2020, B.C. published updated guidelines for allowing pets on restaurant patios.

"An operator is not required to allow pet dogs into their outdoor dining area. Also, an operator may choose to allow only certain types of pet dogs if this policy is followed," the guidelines say.

"Members of the public are increasingly requesting that pet dogs be allowed into outdoor dining areas of food service establishments. Other jurisdictions, such as New York City and the State of California, are used as models for B.C. in allowing pet dogs into outdoor dining areas."

 

 

 

 

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