Dog Friendly Patio? We Got That – and More!

When it comes to “dog friendly,” any patio’ed establishment can stake that claim. But a dog friendly brewery/arcade? A jewelry store? Visit Downtown Mesa to check these locations off your pooch-loving list!

First Stop: B.R.I. Taproom & Arcade

Full disclosure – unlike the poker playing puppers on the famous velvet painting, dogs don’t actually play arcade games here (and they don’t drink craft beer so much, either). But they do chaperone while their humans sure play a mean pinball. For example, the endearingly patient English Bulldog Bear rests on his own pallet while Mike wields his crazy flipper fingers. “Bear is 100% good boy and is always welcome here,” says BRI owner Matt Trethewey. “If Bear showed up without Mike, I’d let him in!”

(B.R.I Taproom & Arcade, 213 W Main St.)

 Next Stop: Dickson’s Jewelers

This woman-owned, 75-year-old Main Street mainstay shop invites canine customers, greeted by royal hounds of their own: three King Charles Cavaliers. Bexley (youngest at 1.5 years but the largest of the trio), Bailey (4.5 years), and Bella, the grande dame at a stately 11.5 years. “People love that our dogs come to work with us; people even stop in just to say hi to them!” says owner Michelle Skaarup.

(Dickson’s Jewelers, 54 W Main)

Last Stop: Organic Bean Cafe/Beetle Bodega

Before swinging into this tucked away café, one must first greet good dog Envy sunning on the OBC patio, and baby Angelina, peering at the world from her doggy-stroller. Inside, OBC owner Rachael McKenzie is all about showing off her gallery of (wo)man’s best friends. There’s Whiskey, a bulldog mix who comes along when his human Vinnie needs his regular caffeinated coffee drink, a quad shot of espresso. Rachael boasts not one but two “spokesdogs,” her daughter’s puppy, Cowboy and her son’s wee Chihuahua, Dumpling. Not to be outplayed, Beetle Bodega, a specialty store located in the café, also has a spokesdog: Romy, the huggable Schnoodle of owner Karen Kempton and her daughter, Isla.

(Organic Bean Café and Beetle Bodega, 40 N Macdonald)

Not to worry – Downtown Mesa has its share of the aforementioned “dog-friendly patios” – Oro Brewing Co, Chupacabra Taproom, Worth Takeaway, The Salted Knot, 12 West Brewing Co, Outcast Doughnuts to name a few – check www.DowntownMesa.com to find more. And if you’re really on the hunt for downtown dogs, keep your eyes open. You might just see one casually strolling past, say, a velociraptor near the AZ Museum of Natural History. 

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BY KATE SCHWAB, DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS ENGAGEMENT | DOWNTOWN MESA ASSOCIATION

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