JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – If you're dog-tired of taking your pooch pal to the same old places around town for fun, you're in luck.
Kanine Social, a unique venue that combines an indoor-outdoor dog park with a sports/coffee bar, is opening this spring in the Riverside area.
Owners Daniel Moffatt and Dustin Fries said they came up with the idea after taking their dogs to breweries that require them to always be on a leash. They said that, on the flip side, the dogs could roam freely and interact with each other at the dog park, but there was nothing there for their human companions to do.
"You go to the dog park, there's no TVs, there's no beer, it's hot outside and it's either raining or cold,” Moffatt said.
Enter the unique concept that combines the two spaces into one, inside a Riverside warehouse that's being renovated to create an inviting social gathering spot for pups and humans alike.
The 15,000-square-foot building in the Brooklyn neighborhood will have areas for leashed and unleashed pets and includes a doggy day care with adjustable dividers for different-size dogs. There's even a bar for the pups, with water on tap.
The humans will also have a bar -- with beer, wine and coffee.
"We'll have TVs if patrons want to watch sports while enjoying a cold beer and coffee with their dog,” Fries said. "We just wanted to bring something unique and fun into Northeast Florida."
How will they keep it clean inside?
"Indoor wet/dry vacuum system,” Moffatt said. “That system will have hoses all around the area that we can basically sanitize, steam and clean this place up and it will dry in seconds (with) no chemicals or mop buckets."
He said they know dogs will relieve themselves wherever they are, but the Kanine Social team will be prepared to jump in and clean it up fast.
Kanine Social will also have self-wash bathing stations if you want to clean up your pup on-site.
Moffatt and Fries believe the business will thrive because Jacksonville is a dog-friendly city filled with animal lovers.
The boutique doggy day care will be limited to 30 dogs a day, so staff can give more attention to the pups.
The facility will also have a concierge service that allows day care customers to drop off their dog without getting out of the car. A worker will also bring you your coffee if you order it when you reserve your day care spot.
“We are aiming to provide a higher level of service than what is typically associated with a dog day care facility,” Moffatt said.
Because of the dogs, Kanine Social will not serve food on-site.
The hours haven't been set in stone, but Moffatt said they're expecting to have the doggy day care open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. and for the bar to be open from 4 p.m. to about 9 or 10 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The bar will be open earlier on weekends.
“We can't wait to get our doors open,” Moffatt said. “The two of us have put a lot of effort into this project and are excited to bring such a unique concept to the Jacksonville dog-loving community.”
Once they get all the needed permits, Moffatt and Fries hope to begin construction in February and expect renovations to take two to three months.
For more information or to take a virtual tour of the facility, go to https://www.kaninesocial.com/.