'Doggy Disneyland' pet hotel with spa, bar and live music to open in Iowa
Grace Altenhofen- Paws & Pints will offer a dog hotel, park, bar, food trucks and a live-music stage.
- It is one of the first businesses in the Des Moines area to combine multiple dog-related services with a human bar and social venue under one roof.
- The facility in Des Moines welcomes humans without dogs, and will offer dogs one-day access passes.
DES MOINES, Iowa – A 'doggy Disneyland' inspired by canine retreats across the country is set to open in Iowa this month.
Millions of pets found homes during the COVID-19 pandemic and spending on pets trended upward as more households adopted pets.
As many humans have since returned to in-person work, one business in Des Moines will offer a plethora of ways to still pamper and spend time with their pandemic pup – all under one roof.
Paws & Pints, a one-stop shop that will provide a destination experience for dogs and owners alike, broke ground last year. The 33,000-square-foot "ultimate canine retreat" sits on 4.5 acres.
When will Paws & Pints open? What will be offered?
Paws & Pints is set to open by Aug. 22. The facility will be an all-in-one doggy destination with four main businesses:
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- A 10,000-square-foot dog hotel and spa providing boarding, grooming and day care services.
- A 16,000-square-foot dog park attached to an indoor-outdoor coffeehouse, a full-service bar and kitchen (for humans and dogs alike) called Your Best Friend's Bar, food trucks and a live-music stage.
- 3,800 square feet of rental space for dog trainers.
- A 2,850-square-foot veterinary clinic.
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A 'doggy Disneyland'
Kyle and Megan Casey of Norwalk didn't always know they would run a dog utopia.
"I kind of jokingly say that the love for our beloved (dog) Porter changed the trajectory of our lives," Kyle said. "We were in corporate America and hated it. After 16 years of it, I had to do something. I was going crazy."
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During a road trip with their Bernese mountain dogs Porter and Kora, the Caseys discovered a dog park combined with a bar in Denver.
A few months later, the couple began working on Paws & Pints. For research, they took their pups to dog-friendly pubs and destinations across the United States, with stops in Kansas City, Denver, Florida, Dallas, Minneapolis and Seattle.
"The thought was, let's kind of pull 'doggy Disneyland' and everything fun for dogs and their owners under one roof, with also all of your less glamorous but necessary dog services," Megan said.
Paws & Pints is one of the first businesses in the Des Moines area to combine multiple dog-related services with a human bar and social venue under one roof, but dog park bars popping up across the country are proving to be popular.
Paws & Pints is still looking to fill available positions, jobs that include employees' biggest perk: bringing their dogs to work every day.
Humans without dogs are also welcome
The bar plans to serve cocktails and 20 craft beers on tap, with a small menu for humans and dogs on the way. The Caseys plan to serve turkey and sweet potatoes among the canine-friendly dishes and bagels for humans.
Though Paws & Pints is a membership-based facility, dogs can gain one-day access for $5. Humans without dogs are also welcome.
Grace Altenhofen can be reached at galtenhofen@registermedia.com or on Twitter @gracealtenhofen.