Bark Bar
is straining at the leash, shooting for a mid-June opening, co-owner Elizabeth Michael says. She and business partner Kara Fowler have decided on a menu: 10 kinds of gourmet hot dogs to woof down, including the Dijon Bichon and, she said blushing through the phone, the Red Rocket, a spicier hot dog. There will also be a tofu dog and a Bahn Mi dog, and for the gluten-free cynophilist, dogs will come wrapped in lettuce. Michael and Fowler have been advised to keep it simple, and they are.

The bar, opening at 1201 S. Spring St., has also gotten its provisional permit from the Alcohol Beverage Control Board to serve alcohol, and Michael said she’s hoping to partner with a local brewery to come up with a Bark Bar Beer (ask for more than one, and you’ll start sounding like your dog, she said).

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Bark Bar really is for the dogs: There will be a double-gated entrance to the bar and both indoor and outdoor play areas (with an upstairs area for small dogs). The outdoor play area, in the lot next to the bar, will, of course, be fenced and will include a bone-shaped pool and an agility course, as well as rocks placed strategically among the turf to keep things green. Dogs will be members of the bar — either for a day, a month or a year — which is really just a way for Bark Bar to keep records on Fido’s shots and meet regulations required of boarding facilities, though the bar will not board animals.

Fowler has been handling the hiring, and Michael said “tons of people” want to work at the bar. All kinds of folks have been applying, including those who ask, “I don’t have to pick up dog poop, do I?” Michael said. Well, doggone it, you might.

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Check out Bark Bar’s Facebook page for a peek at construction progress. Below is an architectural rendering of the bar’s interior.

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