The Dog Penn: Where Happy Hounds Meet Happy Hour

Picture it: you’re sipping a cocktail while your Goldendoodle makes friends with a Great Dane, and they’re just two of the Very Good Dogs that are keeping you company while you stay cool at the bar. Welcome to The Dog Penn, where “ruff” days get a whole lot smoother.

From Alaska to Allegheny: A Love Story That’s Got Legs (Four of Them) (Okay Technically Eight)

Travis and Alissa May’s journey to opening Pittsburgh’s first dog bar reads like an adventure tale. Once seasonal nomads, they spent years splitting their time between Seward, Alaska and Chiang Mai, Thailand, living the remote work dream. But when COVID grounded the globe-trotters, something awesome happened: they realized they didn’t want to go anywhere their dog couldn’t join them. Their social circles, Travis told me, shifted from tourist hot spots to dog-friendly bonfires on the beach, and no outing felt complete until they found the perfect spot not just for themselves but for Sabre, the four-legged member of their family.

The Great Cross-Country Quest

When Alissa (and a few scouting trips) finally convinced Travis that Pittsburgh was the perfect place, they embarked on an epic road trip from Alaska in their mini-Winnebago in October.

Wait, October?

In the Yukon?

“Yeah, we were heading to the Tetons, and we just redirected,” Travis laughs about being derailed by the weather, having learned the lessons of The Oregon Trail the hard way.

But that’s not the only reason their trip got interesting. At every stop along their journey, they sought out dog-friendly spaces. Seattle had a bunch. Oregon had some similar concepts. Montana, Idaho, Utah…

They found dog parks, but nothing quite like the dog bar concept they’d fallen in love with in the Pacific Northwest. “We got here and talked about it the whole time,” Travis went on. “Like, well, you know. This doesn’t exist here. We should figure out how to make it happen.”

More Than Just a Bar with Dogs: Building Community, One Pooch at a Time

What started as a business idea has blossomed into something neither Travis nor Alissa fully anticipated. It’s become a genuine community hub.

“The dogs have best friends,” Alissa beams, talking about how regular customers coordinate visits so their pups can play together. There’s even a group chat with nearly thirty dog parents (though Travis admits he says out of it: “I can’t have my phone go off that much.” Understandable, Travis).

And that community spirit extends well beyond playdates. When one Dog Penn patron regularly travels for work, others step up to pet sit. It’s mutual aid with a distinctly dog-centric twist.

Events That Make Tails Wag

The Dog Penn’s event calendar reads like a fever dream of wholesome fun. They’ve hosted drag shows with dogs, burlesque performances, professional pet photography sessions, and a Halloween costume contest. They’ve even thrown their own Puppy Bowl, complete with a painted turf football field and inflatable end zones.

“We did a live adoption event the day before the Super Bowl. We brought in eight adoptable dogs and that same day, six out of eight of them received applications for adoption. Within two weeks all of them were,” Travis shares proudly.

A Perfect Storm of Location and Timing

Nestled in the Strip District in a former sausage factory (some say the dogs can still smell the history in the walls), The Dog Penn fills a genuine need. With new pet-friendly apartments popping up throughout the area but nary a dog park to be seen, The Dog Penn has become the neighborhood’s unofficial backyard.

The timing of their winter opening, initially frustrating, turned out to be a blessing. While fellow dog bar entrepreneurs at Hound House in East Liberty are navigating their first few months during peak construction season, Travis and Alissa spend eight much colder months building their community and perfecting their approach. Now they’re ready and rarin’ to make the most of the summer and fall with outdoor events and expanded programming. As they’ve recently won Pittsburgh Magazine’s award for Best Dog Park, it sure seems like they’re on the right track.

Beyond the Bark: It’s Actually Just a Really Great Bar

Here’s what might surprise you: you don’t need a dog to go to (and certainly not to enjoy) The Dog Penn.

“We get that question a lot, and it’s wild how many people will be like, ‘I’ve walked past fifteen times, and I thought I had to register a dog to come in,’” Travis notes. The reality? It’s a full-service bar with craft cocktails (try the French 412, with butterfly pea flower gin – I did, it’s great), food partnerships with local spots like Pane e Pronto, and a welcoming atmosphere whether you’re there for the dogs or just a good drink. They’ve been nominated for multiple City Paper Best of PGH bar awards, including Best New Bar, Best Dog Friendly Bar, Best Bar to Day Drink, and Best Place to Drink Outside (as well as being written in for Best Place to Drink for Cheap), so it’s not just me who thinks they’re great.

The Secret Ingredient? Just a Hint of Invest PGH

Travis and Alissa built most of The Dog Penn themselves, quite literally, from the fences and decking to the sound system. But they credit Invest PGH with helping them navigate the business side of their dream.

The day they came to the Invest PGH offices to close their loan had been a stressful one, Alissa remembers, and she almost didn’t come. But: “When we walked out of there, we were both just so happy,” she said, describing how the IPGH team and their vibe turned the day around.

Travis and Alissa are well-seasoned in the hospitality business, and there’s no replacement for that, but for entrepreneurs with unconventional concepts, having experienced guidance can help make all the difference between a beautiful pipe dream and a thriving gathering place for a whole community.