Barkin' Blends Dog Cafe

"Everyone thinks they have the best dog and none of them are wrong." - W.R. Purche

School was really stressful. A lot of deadlines have to be met. Quizzes and exams that have to be studied for. It was a matter of priorities they say, you have to balance this and that. But sometimes the mental and physical exhaustion was already too much that you already have to say to yourself to pause and rest first. I am not complaining I am just saying what I felt for the past weeks and definitely we all deserve a time away from all these pile of work once in a while. 

So last March 5, 2016, Saturday, Joma and I planned to go to Barkin' Blends Dog Cafe at Katipunan, Quezon City. This is a very different cafe because aside from their milk teas, frappes, and their other meal offerings, their main attraction is their adorable dogs that customers can play with. And this what made Barkin' Blends really famous and became the fuss of the town. It was easy to go and to find the place. From UST, Joma and I rode the LRT 2 going to the Katipunan station. From there, we walked for about ten minutes but if you do not like to walk, there are tricycles there which you can ride going to the cafe. The cafe was in front of Ateneo De Manila but on the other side. The closest landmarks to it are Mcdonalds and Shakey's. When you reached it, you must turn left to enter the street between these two establishments and then you can quickly see and identify the building where Barkin Blends is located. The cafe is on the second floor of the said building. 

We arrived there at around 11:45 pm and we were a little bit early because their dog zone opens at 12:00 pm.  So we decided to eat our lunch first our Mcdonald's which is the closest fast food around the area. I was really excited to play with the dogs because I am really a dog lover given that we have five dogs at home. But Joma, on the other hand, was afraid of them but he said that he must face his fear and that made me proud of him. Haha! When we finished eating, we immediately head back to the cafe. Their cafe have two zones which are the human zone and the dog zone. Human zone is where the customers buy and consume their food and beverages and dog zone is where the cafe's fur babies which is the playground of the dogs and the customers. The interior of the human zone is just simple, having pictures of their dogs and the important dog zone rules. Surprisingly, there were almost fifteen people who registered before us. We paid P190 for the entrance fee of the dog zone that is good for two hours and which is already inclusive of a drink which you can choose from the menu. I got the Hazelnut milk tea and Joma had the Raspberry milk tea.

Dog Zone

Barkin' Blends Dog Cafe Menu:

They also have cute cupcakes.

Barkin' Blends fur babies

They told us that our milk tea will just be delivered in the dog zone area so we headed to the place and I was starting to feel so hype and elated when I saw all those dogs. They were really cute!! But first, the staff got our receipt and then he let our things be put in our respective lockers. We were also given slippers because shoes were not allowed inside. It was around 2 pm and almost all the dogs were sleeping so we had a hard time being playful with them plus there were many people because it was a weekend so heads up, it is better to go here during weekdays for you to enjoy more the place and the dogs. I was trying to get hold of a dog who was not sleeping but I think they did not want me and Joma I did not know why so I felt quite sad until there was this little dog who approached me and went on my lap to sleep and that was the moment where I became happy again. I asked Joma to gently rub the puppy and even though he was kinda afraid, I know he loved what he was doing. Minutes later, a small beagle went to Joma's lap and slept there and I could not help it but take pictures of them together. The dogs have different personalities, some were playful especially the big ones, some were definitely sweet, some were really snob, some were always angry, some kept on running, and there was this one who was only sleeping the whole time of our stay there. I kept on taking photos during the whole time because they were really such a cutie and I cannot contain the happiness I was feeling to be surrounded by so many dogs. It was like heaven for a dog lover like me. Joma pretty did a great job of getting along with the dogs even though sometimes I could see the  him being uncomfortable especially when dogs were barking, fighting or when he was being surrounded by dogs. 

The first dog who went to me that made me so ecstatic. Such a baby!

The staff also gave us the opportunity to have pictures taken together with the big dogs and it was really fun watching the dogs strike their poses, but of course, the staff were bribing them with food that's why they were pretty much in a good mood. The dogs were really fun to be with but they usually follow their caretaker wherever they were going which made it harder for us to play with them. Also, there would be times when they would be playing soft music to let their dogs sleep and relax. I understand this because a bunch of people roaming around, touching those dogs and kept on snapping pictures would really stress the dogs especially the small ones. 

Bubbles, the dalmatian, trying to stop the commotion. Haha

Meet Yuki, the maltese!!

Angels sent from above

Despite of the many customers during that day, it was still a one for the books experience for the both of us. I really enjoyed playing with these furballs. They really gave me extreme happiness that took away all my stress. This day was also special because I got to spend it with Joma and I was there with him as he conquered his fear. It was really memorable and I am very sure that he also had fun. I will definitely come back to this place mainly because I did not see their pug and I heard that it was really cute. Too bad it was not there during our visit. But above all, the service was good and the staff were accommodating and were always keeping their customers safe especially children. This is a must experience for all especially those dog lovers out there. Do not miss half of your life!