THE BARKERY DOG CAFÉ SET TO SERVE ITS LAST PUPPUCCINO

A Christchurch dog haven is frothing its last puppuccino, but the owner says there’s an opportunity for someone with a passion for pooches to take it over.

Jack Penniket, owner and creator of The Barkery in New Brighton, said it was with a “heavy heart” that he had to walk away from the business he no longer had the resources for, financially, physically, or mentally, while also holding down a full-time job.

It will close its doors on October 31, he confirmed via Facebook on Monday.

Penniket said he was passionate about finding dogs a home, and hoped another dog lover could take it on because “it’s certainly got legs, and it’s loved around NZ”.

A cafe with a difference, The Barkery serves snacks and drinks to both dogs and people, while also offering dog lovers the opportunity to meet pooches that are up for adoption from local rescue homes such as Dog Watch Sanctuary Trust, CHCH Bull Breed Rescue and Greyhounds as Pets NZ.

It has had backing from across the country.

In 2019, Penniket had the idea before crowdfunding in 2020 to get it off the ground – and the support was “amazing”, he said.

People from around the country contributed to the $50,000 goal, enabling him to “bring the vision to life”.

“That’s why it’s such a difficult thing to acknowledge today, this is as much the community’s as it is mine.”

Within six hours of posting the news of the closure on social media, nearly 500 people had offered their sympathies and more than 70 had left comments and well-wishes.

Penniket said the community was “pretty rocked by the news”.

The Barkery has been open less than eight months, but in that time has managed to help home more than 20 dogs, he said.

At least seven were adopted in a single Greyhound as Pets event.

“It was unbelievable, which really validated we were in it for the right reasons, and what we were doing was working,” Penniket said, adding that that that was “the most heartwarming aspect” of the business.

And while he saw that as a great achievement, a great bonus was having the adoptees return with their new families.

“To have them come to The Barkery with their new owner was incredible, and there was a sense of pride from the owners in being able to say, ‘See, here we are, we did it thanks to you’.

“A big part of it was them being able to show what adopting a dog looked like – ‘Here I am with my new family mate, look how happy he is, look how happy we are’.”

Hanging up The Barkery’s lead will allow Penniket to spend more time with his own rescue dog, Albus, who was the inspiration behind the concept.

“I became super passionate about how beautiful that relationship is with a rescue dog, and there’s a sense of the dog rescuing you,” he said.

“From there I thought, ‘How can I leverage my passions in a way that can support these rescue dogs and help more dogs get homed?’

“That’s a little bit of a silver lining, knowing I’ve got a bit of time to spend with him – he was the reason we started all this.”