By Karin Schimke
Every morning, Pogo trots alongside Michael Chandler from their city bowl home to their shop on Church Street. The miniature schnauzer bounces into Chandler House happily, greets everyone, making himself comfortable at the counter.
Pogo is the ultimate poster boy for the modern Cape Town city dog. He came to live in the CBD just after the first lockdown, when Michael was marooned in his Bree Street flat, and provided his owner with the joy and distraction so many people craved during the worst of 2020. Now, Pogo is a pure city dog, accompanying his owner everywhere, from home to work, and all the stops in between.
Pets are family
Cape Town’s CBD, meanwhile, has proven itself to be a welcoming space for the modern dog. Dog ownership increased all over the world during the pandemic, and Cape Town was no exception.
Michael Chandler and Pogo.
The owners of dog-friendly restaurants in the city report an increase in furry-customer numbers, with some of them now offering menu items for dogs.
Debbie Wynne, owner of Café Frank in Bree Street, which provides water bowls and homemade dog biscuits, shade in the heat and blankets in the cold, says the decision to make her restaurant dog-friendly was because she loves dogs ‘and there are plenty of others like me who want their dogs to go everywhere with them’.
Judi Fourie, owner of Pilcrow & Cleaver on Parliament Street, says she’s been pet friendly ‘since day one’ because ‘a pet is part of the family’, with some of her clients returning every weekend with their dogs.
Butter All Day’s Aninka van Antwerpen agrees: ‘Pets are family. It’s as simple as that. We love our doggo customers and they love us.’
Pet-centred city
Nura Suleiman’s life has been very city-focused, living as she does on the corner of Adderley and Darling streets and working in Spin Street. ‘It’s a very pedestrian life, and I’ve definitely seen an increase in dogs in the city.’
Her furry friend, Pepper, is a high-energy ten-month-old mixed breed that is walked mornings and evenings, and Nura says she’s felt blessed to have a dog in the city. ‘I’ve met so many great people. We go to a lot of restaurants and with the parks all around, and the mountain, I’d say it’s a ten out of ten for having a dog in the city.’
Michael agrees. When a business provides a water bowl for your dog without you asking, you immediately feel a connection, he says.
The move to a pet-friendly CBD shows that city centre entrepreneurs are resilient and agile, and able to adjust to trends to ensure their businesses not only survive but thrive, says City of Cape Town Improvement District CEO Tasso Evangelinos.
Marvellous menus for mutts
1. Pilcrow & CleaverA doggie menu is available daily, comprising steak with potato wedges, chicken chipolatas with carrots, tuna squares on brown rice, and “nice” cream, which is frozen yoghurt with peanut butter and banana. The doggie meals are served in Soenchie bowls made by a local ceramist.
3.2 Piazza, Parliament Street | pilcrowandcleaver.co.za
2. Café FrankCafé Frank’s menu includes bone broth and gluten-free peanut butter biscuits (starters), free-range chicken, liver and sweet potato potjie (main course) and kefir berry ice pops (dessert). The restaurant has freshly made food available for takeaway and sit-down service with dogs on Fridays but biscuits, which consist of free-range bone broth and three types of gluten-free flour, peanut butter and flaxseeds, are always available.160 Bree Street | cafefrank.com
Dog-friendly venues
Between Us176 Bree Street | 079 729 5316 | www.betweenus.capetown
Burger & Lobster105 Bree Street | 021 422 4297 | www.burgerandlobster.co.za
Butter All Day70 Loop Street | 082 853 1939 | www.butterallday.com
Clarke’s Bar & Dining Room133 Bree Street | 087 470 0165 | www.clarkesdining.co.za
Fideli’s3.2 Piazza Parliament Street | 064 301 6328 | www.fidelis.capetown
Mozart on Church37 Church Street | 021 422 1765 | www.mozartonchurch.com
Roamwork (co-working office space)50 Harrington Street (The Harrington) | 021 300 6677 | www.roam.work
Seed & Circus7 Constitution Street | 063 776 8662 | Instagram: @seedandcircus
Stellski Coffee Bar (named after the owner’s Staffordshire bull terrier, Stella)59 Loop Street | 072 135 2677 | www.stellski.com
The Company’s Garden Restaurant15 Queen Victoria Street | 021 423 2919 | www.thecompanysgarden.com
The Royal Oyster Bar17 Bree Street | 071 490 2834 | www.the-royal-oyster.com
Villa 47 (deck area)47 Bree Street | 021 418 2740 | www.villa47.co.za
Pictures: Supplied
ALSO READ
