Barkside

Tl;Dr this is an amazing place to bring your furry friend. There are refs in the yard to make sure safe play is possible. They have super fun events weekly and monthly. It is a great place to work remotely too.

In depth: Atmosphere: Absolutely 10/10 no questions asked. Everyone is extremely nice. The staff go out of their way to talk to you and know your name and your dogs. They begin to know each dog temperaments, or in my case, my dogs love to play with little dogs (he's 42 lbs and doesn't get it). They have great Internet, so I have been able to work remotely there while my puppy plays. The yard is pretty well picked up of dog poop and marked areas get sprayed down pretty quickly. The yard outside is mainly wood chips but the chairs and picnic tables provide a lot of fun tracks for the dogs to take. The inside is warm and pretty chill but a great place for trivia night with the dog.

Drinks: they have a great selection at the bar, while also having sodas and coffee for the non drinkers. They have special mix cocktails and a wide selection of different beers. You can order from the counter or from the app which will be brought to your table.

Food: they partner with amazing Detroit based companies!! The pizza looks really good (yet to have it) and they often have a taco truck that comes on Tuesday during trivia. I recommend the chicken and pork tacos.

Events: this group goes way out of their way to make fun and enjoyable events for both the dogs and the people. They had a singles night, which they had bingo to be an ice breaker. Trivia and themed trivia on Tuesday. I will admit I went to the Friends trivia thinking I was pretty good at facts from the show. They completely stumped me. Photo booths and tennis ball nights. It's always something new and exciting. It's really helped me as a person to make new friends and to talk to other dog owners. My dog even met his best friend (Mister) at an event and now me and their owner chat while they play.

Dog safety: this is my number one worry. Dog parks aren't really my jam anymore due to other owners not watching or knowing their dogs temperament. I was sick of constantly stepping in poop at public dog parks. Here at Barkside, they clean and rack the outside yard, it's all fenced in. The refs are always out there looking after the dogs and helping the owners. They have rules in place to keep dogs safe like vaccines. The clean atmosphere prevents dogs from eating trash. No snacks are allowed, which helps monitor what is fed to your dog. They also don't have toys, which is sad in my book, but it's meant to prevent territorial play from happening.

Suggestions: I wish they would put in a $5 pay for people who don't have dogs. That way people having a rough day but can't own a dog themselves could come and pet the puppy's and get that dog serotonin boost.