But if you’re not a ‘Burg resident, finding a nearby dog bar can be a pain in the ass. Last year, after being locked inside with his restless German Shepherd pup during what seemed like a never-ending week of rain, Tampa resident Ross O’Bryan thought of a million-dollar idea.
“I was looking around for somewhere indoors for Hobbes to get some energy out. I kept Googling, but there was nothing around,” O’Bryan explains.
Launching an indoor/outdoor dog park and bar in Tampa was the obvious next step.
“I thought. what do people love as much as dogs? Beer.”
O’Bryan tapped long-time friend, fellow USF alum, and Australian Shepherd owner, Patrick Verdugo, to get the wheels turning and make Two Shepherds Taproom a reality.
The two secured an acre-worth of land in Drew Park at 4813 N. Grady Ave. near the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ stadium, and will soon begin construction on an indoor air-conditioned dog park (a solid Floridian move) which will house bathrooms and a bar. The outdoor dog park will be directly adjacent and will be prime for when the temperatures begin to drop.
Taking from the blueprint of dog bars that are thriving in St. Pete, Two Shepherds will be utilizing Gingr, an app that allows you to seamlessly upload your pet’s vaccination records before arriving at the bar.
“Everyone will need to upload vaccination records prior to coming and sign a liability form saying that they take full responsibility for their pet’s behavior,” Verdugo explains.
There will be employees in all areas of the park to monitor dogs’ play, but it will be up to the owners to keep their dogs on their best behavior.
This concept will be taking your experience a step further by offering up memberships — day pass, monthly and annual.
Owners will be charged per dog, but if you’re coming to hang dogless, you get in free.
Perks of having a membership include access to member-only events and free admission to events hosted by Two Shepherds.
Pass holders will also be able to get a free guest pass per month to allow their fellow pup-owners experience Two Shepherds without the price of admission.
Much better than a gym buddy.
Now let’s get to the bar details. Although the duo won’t personally be cooking up eats for two-legged guests, they will be putting out a bat signal for local food trucks to rotate. When it comes to booze, Verdugo says they want to support local through and through. “We want to boast as much local beer as possible. So we’ll have 16 taps, with the majority of them rotating for the latest pours by Tampa Bay breweries.”
Two Shepherds will also host a wine selection to make sure they have sips for all owners while they’re pups get the lead out.
Before the end of the year, we will be welcoming the first dog bar in Tampa.
Cheers to the beer-drinking dog lovers out there that refuse to compromise.
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This article appears in Aug 8-15, 2019.