Dogs Days of Summer: Lap Up the Sun With Penny's Top Pup-Friendly Beijing Venues 2021

In some ways, dogs may have been one of the few to benefit from the COVID-19 pandemic. With people stuck at home and seeking companionship to give their curtailed lives new meaning, adoptions boomed worldwide. Not only did dogs solidify their standing as man's best friend during these uncertain times, they also provided friendship an excuse to get out of the house when socializing was at an all-time low.

Despite "normalcy" returning to life in China quicker than elsewhere, many venues and small businesses were still hit hard by the pandemic. Beijing's Penny's Food Studio, which specializes in producing high-quality fresh food for dogs and cats, was also forced to halt their regular operations. That included the release of their annual Dog Friendly Venue Guide, a nearly exhaustive list of Beijing's cafés, restaurants, and bars that welcome dogs and their owners to their indoor or outdoor spaces.

So we were then happy to see the release of Penny's 2021 guide last month, just in time for us to don our shades and head to our favorite summer hangouts, pooches in tow. You can browse the full guide, which is handily divided by area and all-access and outdoor-only access, here.

In the meantime, scroll down for our interview with Dan Christensen, co-founder of Penny's Food Studio, about what's in the works for the company as well as what he looks for in a dog-friendly venue.

What’s new with Penny’s since we last spoke? How are you weathering COVID-19?
Because of COVID-19, there isn’t much new going on to report. Penny’s adopted a trimmed-down operational style early in 2020, really focusing on producing food and order fulfillment. Content, events, all the usual marketing and activities you might associate with Penny’s were all put on hold.

We’ve been exceptionally fortunate in a number of ways vis-à-vis COVID-19. Most importantly, we are alive and well, and only faced minimal challenges during the heart of the crisis in China. The toughest thing has probably been the flight of many of our foreign customer community.

From your experience, are Beijing’s venues becoming friendlier towards dogs? Are there any examples where this hasn’t been the case?
Yes and no. Overall, yes. You’ll notice in the list, and if you compare it with 2019 (there was no 2020 list) you’ll find there are plenty of new locations, as well as some omissions due to policy changes. For the foreseeable future, it looks like more dogs means more dog-friendly locations.

What can dog owners do to ensure their visit to a dog-friendly venue is as comfortable as can be for themselves and others? 
Always use a leash, always pick up after your dog, and if your dog is likely to bark incessantly, shit on the floor, start fights or otherwise be a nuisance for other guests (canine or human) then probably best to leave them at home. If your dog is a muddy mess, don’t bring it inside a restaurant. Also, realize that restaurants and cafés were made for people, not dogs, so don’t put your dog on the table, don’t assume your dog should eat off the same plates or glasses as you, don’t give your dog your plate. Sounds like a lot of don’ts, don’t it? Dog owners need to park their notion of “it’s a dog, what do you expect?” and remember that “this is a food and beverage business, what did you expect?” The better behaved we and our dogs are, the more dog-friendliness we will see in the future.

What do you think Beijing’s dog-friendly venues can do in general to improve their doggy services?
I do feel a bit bad seeing single-use plastic being used to serve dogs in some of these places, whether just water or food. We’re happy to help source nice hardware for places that want to look better and be more Earth-friendly. Or they can just check Taobao, which is where we would start. Other than that, I feel quite fortunate that so many businesses in Beijing welcome dogs with us in the first place!

Are there any other resources that Beijing’s dog owners should know about?
Plug time… Penny’s sister business, SPACE, is a confinement-free, social hospitality concept. We are a cage-free boarding business, in a world where just about every boarding business says that. It’s an abused buzzword. SPACE is a home-like environment where dogs co-habit with other dogs freely, under supervision. It is a human-resource-heavy concept, but we feel it is the best way. The dogs seem to agree.

Read more about Penny's SPACE concept here or browse the full list of dog-friendly venues via this WeChat post.

READ: Find the Perfect Venue for Any Occasion With This Simple Dianping Function

Images: Uni You