Dublin restaurant is letting couples bring their dogs for Valentine’s Day dinner

Pye in Dundrum is offering an €80 per couple three-course meal, but their furry excited canine companions get to eat for free in what hopefully doesn’t turn out to be a Valentine’s Day massacre.

“We have a menu for the dogs, which includes pig’s ear, beef pawtare and brewski doggy beer.

"We want to have the dogs distracted when the couples are having their meals,” says manager Adam Farrell, who adds that the beer is a non-alcoholic drink from craft beer giant BrewDog.

Declan O’Keefe, from Dec’s Pets, has already installed a dog vending machine in the bar, which might seem like a gimmick but is doing good business.

“We met Dec a couple of years ago doing festivals in our sister pub Oscar’s and then we got a vending machine into Pye, which we stock up every week,” adds Adam.​

“The vending machine has a combination of everything from treats, to peanut butter for their bones, as well as poop bags. We are soon getting doggie ice-cream,” says Adam.

Pets have officially been allowed in pubs and restaurants in Ireland since a law in the Food Hygiene Act was revoked in 2018.

“We have let dogs into Pye since day one but we do ask the pooches to leave at 9pm, as it can get messy,” he says.

“The idea came along about looking for things to do for Valentine’s Day.

"We have a lot of dog owners in and we have a dog wall of fame, with pictures of a lot of dogs on it.

“A lot of people when asked what they were doing for Valentine’s Day said they’d go out for a meal but needed to be back soon after to look after their dogs at home.

“So, we thought of something to combine for to cater for both.

“We have a three-course dinner for €40 each for the humans (€80 per couple).”

"He adds the greatest number of dogs he’s seen in the pub at any one time is around 20, with the largest being a St Bernard.

“We have doggy stations with water, and we give out treats from behind the bar, to keep them happy.”