Bone Appétit!

Dog Diaries visits the Sydney Café that lets you enjoy a meal out without having to leave your furry friend at home!

Like many dog owners, Mary-Anne Danaher and Lynne Blundell met in 2000 while their dogs were playing in a Sydney park together. Little did the two women know that chance meeting would be the start of a thriving and unique business relationship that would stretch a decade into the future.

The two women, both freelance journalists, became fast friends and soon began having champagne picnics (dogs in tow) to celebrate special occasions in each others’ lives.

As it the case with most successful business, the pair saw a niche in the market. After months lamenting the absence of a café where your dog could join you for a refreshment and have room to play, Danaher and Blundell realised they were literally sitting on the perfect idea. The dog park they had met in was also home to a small shed, housing toilets, a kiosk and the equipment used by the local dog obedience training school. The women obtained approval from the local council and before you could say ‘Sit!’ Café Bones, Sydney’s first dog café was born.

Food for thought
The café, located in Leichhardt in Sydney’s inner west, caters for the appetites of dogs and their owners, with open-air tables and plenty of room for pooches to play off-leash away from the main road. Furry customers can indulge in treats like the trademark ‘Puppacino’ – a bowl full of broth complete with a frothy top sprinkled with fresh herbs, or perhaps some ‘bone-bix’. For the non-furry demographic, there’s a wide range of choices as well, including ice-cream, sandwiches and sausage-rolls.

Internationally, the concept of ‘doggy dining’ has caught on as well, with one restaurant in Singapore offering patrons the opportunity to eat at the same table with their dogs and even share dog-and-human-friendly meals!

For more opening hours and more information of Café Bones, head to www.cafebones.com.au