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Drink with your dog at Yappy Hours

There was the time the 90-pound lab knocked over the table and tried to follow the waitress into Catahoula pub.

Alex Landis talks on his cell phone while Tootsie the French bulldog stands on her chair during Yappy Hour, a dog-themed happy hour, with their owners, at the Bainbridge Street Barrel House.
Alex Landis talks on his cell phone while Tootsie the French bulldog stands on her chair during Yappy Hour, a dog-themed happy hour, with their owners, at the Bainbridge Street Barrel House.Read moreYONG KIM / Staff Photographer

There was the time the 90-pound lab knocked over the table and tried to follow the waitress into Catahoula pub.

Or when the Great Dane snatched a burger clear off a plate. Its owner realized it only after hearing lip-smacking sounds.

That's Yappy Hour for you, one of a series of like-themed events that run until September to offer like-minded dog owners a place to hang, hear neighborhood gossip, and sometimes meet adoptable animals, all in the company of their pets.

Last week was the first Yappy Hour of the season, organized by Queen Village K9, this one at Bainbridge Street Barrel House on South Sixth Street. About 20 pooches of varying breeds, shapes, and sizes chowed on the restaurant's homemade dog treats while their owners got a special menu of aptly named drinks - Ay' Chihuahua (whiskey), Pooch Juice (Belgian IPA) - and bites: Scooby Snax (pickles) and Rin Tin Tin (grilled cheese).

Siberian huskies Balto, 2, and Denali, 5, roughhoused while owners Justin and Alyssa Musciano and Aaron Stancik enjoyed dinner.

"It's a good opportunity for us to meet new people and have our dogs meet other dogs," said Balto's owner Justin, 32, who discovered the Yappy Hour on Facebook. In fact, he had already met Stancik while walking their dogs in their South Philly neighborhood.

Queen Village K9 will organize about a half-dozen other Yappy Hours this year at other dog-friendly bars and restaurants to promote community and raise awareness for the Mario Lanza Dog Park at 200 Queen St.

"We have them in places that have outside spaces so the dogs and people can interact," QVK9 board member Meghan Dearnley said. Not all dog owners can hang at dog parks regularly - but they can eat dinner.

While attendance varies according to weather, usually 10 dogs or more accompany their owners, plus dog-walking passersby are drawn in by the sights, and occasional confusion.

This is the fourth year that Elena Fetfatzes and husband Eric Paraskevas, owners of Bainbridge Street Barrel House, have thrown Yappy Hours. With five dogs of their own, they believe there's a need "for a clean and safe environment for dogs when it comes to city living," Fetfatzes said.

In September, Philadelphia Parks and Recreation sponsored events at the Water Works and Powers Park that each brought about a dozen dogs. The experience inspired the staff to build on the interest, said Marc Wilken, Parks and Recreation director of business and event development.

"Why don't we take that pop-up model to actual dog runs?" Wilken said.

And so, a series of happy hours called Barks on Tap will be scheduled throughout the summer through a partnership with the Fairmount Park Conservancy and FCM Hospitality. Initial plans involve mini beer gardens in four dog runs on most Friday nights, offering beer, wine and snacks.

The goal is to encourage people to be active, as well as to raise money and awareness for the dog runs, Wilkin said.

Seger Dog Park in Washington Square, which typically wouldn't be able to serve alcohol, hopes to host one of those happy hours. It would receive 10 percent of the proceeds from refreshment sales, probably only be a couple hundred dollars - but "then we can solicit people to become members to help support our efforts," said Andrew Freedman, Seger Dog Park board president. Running the park costs a minimum of $4,000 a year for liability insurance, wood chips, poop bags and general maintenance. Last year, with new lights installed, replaced and repaired fences and water fountain, and a fix to the drainage area, expenses ran $9,000.

Cat lovers need not despair. Caturday! comes one Saturday a month, when the Pennsylvania SPCA brings adoptable cats to the Philadelphia Brewing Company tasting room for drinking and petting. (Just to clarify, your cat is not invited.)

"It's been very successful in finding homes for cats," said Gillian Kocher, SPCA's director of public relations.

Partnering with Tria, Barks on Tap, Tito's Vodka and Morgan's Pier, the SPCA hosted a dozen dog events in 2016. This year, there will be the Bring-Your-Own-Dog brunch at Square 1682 restaurant to celebrate the Pennsylvania SPCA's 150th anniversary.

"Happy hours have always been a really social gathering, and we're hoping we add to that with these animals, allowing them to be social and hopefully make their way into somebody's heart," Kocher said.