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A Pawsome Encounter!

"Every once in a while a dog enters your life and changes everything."

I started the week right with a visit to one of the most stress-relieving places in Katipunan. Barkin’ Blends, the newest dog cafe in the Philippines is causing quite a buzz and is trending among students. Just an LRT away from UST, who wouldn’t be tempted to visit this dog haven everyone is talking about and sharing on various social media platforms.

Obviously, me and my friends would not let this chance slip given that this kind of week only comes once in a blue moon (chill week) before the dreaded preliminary examinations next week. We visited Barkin’ Blends with lots of expectations. After ordering our drinks, we were directed to the dog zone. We first put our things in a locker and had a change of slippers. Upon entering the dog zone, I noticed that all of the dogs were sound asleep. Being an owner of four lovely Shih Tzus, I somehow developed a familiarity with their attitudes and habits. And I know that even small footsteps are enough to wake them up so the idea of them being drugged/sedated crossed my mind. At first, we felt unfair since we paid more or less 300 pesos to play with the dogs and yet we were coldly welcomed by unresponsive dogs. We were informed that it was in fact their sleeping time so I thought that we really came at a wrong timing.

I am a certified dog lover so I was definitely happy with just seeing the dogs and caressing them but of course I still wish they were awake and hyperactive. After a few minutes, the drinks arrived and after a sip, I already knew that there was nothing extraordinary about what they offer there. The taste is very ordinary and honestly if not for the dogs I would not think of coming back. But obviously, everyone who visits Barkin’ Blends have the dogs in mind and not thedrinks they offer because if I only want to have a glass of frappe then I’ll just go to Starbucks. And that is their biggest edge from the other cafes out there.

Customers are given 3 hours to stay in the dog zone and I think that is plenty. Thankfully, after roughly 30 minutes, some of the dogs are already waking up and we started playing with them. I am definitely a sucker for small and lap dogs and I am not a big fan of the big dogs. I am also not very good with breeds and names. The only dog names that retained in my memory were Piolo, Martha, Robin, Ella, Smile, Marley and Skye. Dogs are definitely the cuddliest stress-relievers.

The staffs inside the dog zone are very friendly. They were very open to answer all our queries even if some of them are basically non-sense. They were also very accommodating and they also gladly took our pictures. They never complained even if we ask them to take our shots almost every minute. They also moved fast to clean up the mess made by dogs and that is a thumbs up for me. Three hours felt like minutes when you spend it with good company. Unfortunately, our time at the dog zone already ran out but we were still bargaining for more. We already developed an attachment with the dogs even with that short span of time. It was very nice of them not to rush us in leaving and we were still able to take lots of pictures and play more for a few minutes.

I am beyond satisfied with the service of Barkin’ Blends but I hope they would improve the taste of their beverages since we are also paying for them. It is definitely a place where I can be a frequent and loyal visitor. I actually don’t mind having a weekly visit at this dog cafe and I know my friends wouldn’t too.

NOTE: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR DOG LOVERS OUT THERE!