Bau House (Dog Cafe)

Today we decided to go to the Dog Cafe in Hongdae. Just as the name implies, it's a cafe that you may take your dogs to. Of course, we couldn't take Storm due to her natural dislike of other dogs so we just took ourselves. There are some resident dogs at the cafe so you are guaranteed to have some four-legged friends to keep you company while you drink your coffee. It was really cute, there were all sorts of dogs, both big and small, and they get an enourmous amount of attention from all the visitors. It was really busy when we arrived and we had to wait about half an hour to get a seat but it wasn't a problem because it is a very entertaining wait. We watched all the dogs wander around freely, some climbed on the tables to beg for some treats. Others were happy to sit on the leather sofas and receive some love from the person next to them. Talk about spoilt pooches. Brad ran around the cafe taking photos, as did all the other patrons.

When we eventually got a table, we realised that the only way to attract the attention of the dogs was to buy some doggie treats for them. We did this, and immediately we were surrounded by some dogs. Brad took a bit too long opening the packet though, and they quickly deserted us in favour of the other tables with better treats. After a while we did attract a few dogs to our table, they just stay for a few treats and some pats and then they wander off to the next table.

The staff are really friendly and they would come rushing over to put dogs between couples so that the couples could get a good photo. We had a labrador plonked between us for our photo.

Overall, it is a unique experience and a clever idea. Lots of people go there with their young children to expose the children to dogs. The staff are ready with the cleaning materials in case there's an 'accident' and the place is kept very clean. When we first arrived I joked with Brad and said we should bring a cat, and lo and behold, just as we were leaving we saw a cat. Not one dog paid it any attention and it didn't seem particulary perturbed by all the canine activity around it. All in all it was an interesting experience.