Dogs Are Perfect.
Direct quote from Fred Metzler, owner of Dog Bar St. Pete during a recent interview with Anna Cooke. Photography by Laura Allen Studios.
Describe who you are. You know that saying? Find something you love and you’ll never work a day in your life? I’m the happiest person you’ve ever met. I love what I do here, every day.
You’re the owner of Dog Bar St. Pete, but, what is it that you actually do for a living? I’m a barback - I sling alcohol for a living. And, I help people learn how to let their dogs be dogs. We have a lot of helicopter pet parents who are worried, at first, about how their dogs will interact with other dogs. With the help of Nikki, our head wooferee (aka referee stationed throughout the property, observing dogs and their body language) we have developed a really cool system to help people understand how to socialize their dogs. Nikki, who co-runs the rescue group Ruff Beginnings, has 20 years experience as a Vet Tech. Dogs are having discussions with
one another. Sometimes the discussions are a little louder than others. “Hey I wanna play with you.” While another one responds, “Well, I don’t really want to play with you.” Some dogs play badminton, some
dogs play rugby. Definition of play is balance, a back and forth. I don’t believe dogs see size, they feel energy.
What’s your favorite time of the day? Well, it’s not early a.m., that’s for sure, since I get home from the bar late. But, when I wake up I realize what I do for a living and how much I love it. And, any problems from yesterday are part of yesterday, which is gone. And, guess what? I own a bar!
Other than Dog Bar St. Pete, where is your favorite place in the Tampa Bay area to spend time with your dogs? Lassing Park on Beach Drive. It’s a quiet waterfront park; not a lot of amenities;
46 THE NEW BARKER
just the bay, grass and beach. Fort DeSoto Dog Beach. Our Malinois, who can never come to Dog Bar, loves both places.
happy, the people will come back. That’s why the dogs are the members not the people. Sure, we try to make it fun for the people, but all decisions are based on - how will this be good for the dogs? The membership criteria was designed to be a threshold for people.
What is your strongest skill set? I was a Navy brat, moving all the time. So, I was always the new kid on the block. When you’re always the new kid, you either have to figure out how to fight or how to get along. I was a crappy fighter. So, I learned how to get along. That’s what I bring to the business and my life, in general; to get along with people and connect with them. Look, people don’t want to hear your story unless it bolsters their story. Once you learn that, you become a better listener. Our customers are truly our village.
Fred & Tiger Lily.
Why does Dog Bar St. Pete exist in the first place? I believe with all my heart that dogs are perfect. Dogs live in the moment. They don’t sit around thinking about the time they spent in a kennel at the shelter. They don’t know that tomorrow even exists. If we could learn to live just one-tenth of the way dogs live, I believe this world would be a much better place.
Dog Bar St. Pete has been so successful. Have you considered opening a second location? Honestly, I’m not done, here, yet. And, getting rich is not my goal.
Describe who your customers are. My only demographic is dogs. We have a very diverse group of people - single, married, gay, different ethnicities and from different socio-economic back- grounds. The one thing they all have in common is a dog. We make the dogs
We’re all like-minded and that’s a common thread inside this establish- ment, which I’ve never seen in another restaurant or bar. It’s not uncommon for single people to come here by themselves, with their dogs, and feel immediately comfortable.
What is a typical day for you? Since we’ve expanded our hours, it seems that, lately, I’m here seven out of seven days. When I wake up, I enjoy the feeling that I have my own bar. Then I make a pot of coffee. While I’m drinking my coffee, I think about how I’m going to make this a good day and spend quite a bit of my morning thinking about how to improve the Dog Bar. Tiger Lily, our Great Dane, was recently diagnosed with Wobbler Syndrome, a disease of the cervical spine. So, that’s really changed my way of thinking about priorities. I have to make sure, throughout the day, that she gets home for some quiet time and rest.
www.TheNewBarker.com
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