It's a warm, mid-week spring evening in Los Angeles, and the club is bumping.
Not the Hollywood dance club or even the ritzy beach or country club. I'm talking about a Santa Monica, California members-only club that is, primarily, a dog park.
Meet DOG PPL: A private dog park where members pay $80 per month for a clean environment with safety requirements and protections for dogs that is also a social club for dog owners. In addition to spay/neuter and vaccination requirements, pristine turf, and park monitors called "rufferees" on hand to keep things copacetic among dogs, there are human amenities, too. There's infused water, free events, lint rollers and poo bags, comfortable lounge areas, cafe lights, Tame Impala-esque piped music, and of course, a bar.
"There's something magical about taking a dog that had a horrible unlucky past, they get adopted, and they immediately get to spend the rest of their life in a private members dog park [...] That's a happy ending."
I first visited on an idyllic Wednesday evening around happy hour. Dog owners dressed in athleisure sipped from plastic glasses of rosé wine, blonde ales, and hard kombucha. They talked and laughed around the perimeter, while their dogs rough-and-tumbled to their joyous hearts' content in the center.
"I've definitely spent like, five hours here before," Isabel Washington, a consultant, said while golden retriever Charlie played at their feet. "Last week was Taco Tuesday and half priced margs. I brought a bunch of friends and we all were just here, vibing."
Dog Ppl opened in September of 2021, and has taken off. Co-founder Alexander Esguerra told me that they already have over 900 members, and Esguerra and co-founder Liam Underwood posted on Instagram that they were closing membership this week to make sure that the density of attendees remains safe. Previously, anyone could sign up for membership. But going forward, new members will have to submit an application, explaining who they are and why they want to be a part of the community.
"A lot of times people refer to us as the Soho House for dogs," Esguerra said. "Sometimes that's met with praise, and sometimes that's met with judgment. But the thing about this place is that it brings joy to your life. It brings joy to your dog's life."
Dog Ppl has in fact partnered with the actual Soho House, which is an exclusive entertainment members club. The partnership includes discounted memberships to Dog Ppl and events at the park. Esguerra attributed Soho House's interest in the partnership to the idea that dogs are a "social lubricant" that can help people meet each other in a way that a humans-only club just can't.
Five years ago, Esguerra and Underwood met at a dog park in downtown LA where they bonded over complaints about the park. They felt that it was unclean, potentially rife with health risks, and an unpleasant place for humans. That's how they came up with the idea for Dog Ppl. But it turns out there are private dog parks across the country, from New York City to Kansas City and beyond. With Dog Ppl's focus on hygiene and human creature comforts, they say it is a more "elevated" experience than clubs in other cities. The factors meant to elevate the experience include readily available dog poo bags, frequent spray-downs to fight doggy debris, and heavy cleanings by janitorial staff after hours. And it turns out, those efforts are a big draw for members.
"I joined Dog Ppl because it's a clean park with WiFi where I can watch her [the dog] but also do work, take calls, have coffee," said Romina Puga, a writer and TV host, and dog mom of border collie/lab mix Boots. Puga has multiple other dog parks walkable from her house, but says they're "basically dirt," which means Boots comes home from the dog park filthy. Puga goes to Dog Ppl equally to give Boots exercise and herself an excuse to get out of the house, and she describes the entrance of Dog Ppl into her life as "a gift."
That clean and comfortable elevated experience, of course, comes with a price tag not everyone can afford. Twelve months of membership cost $960, plus parking lot costs, and the $9 beers don't come free. As my sister observed when we checked out Dog Ppl for the first time, she felt there was a bit of a "keep your poor dog off my rich dog" vibe.
But Esguerra says the dues reflect the costs to maintain the environment and pay staff — not a desire to keep anyone out. In fact, while members are limited to bringing three dogs, they can bring as many human friends as they want to.
"The problem with membership clubs is they have a negative connotation for people who feel they can't afford them," Esguerra said. "All membership is really doing is creating a safe space where everyone is vetted. And by everyone we mean the dogs."
Of course, the human amenities are a big reason a person might shell out $80/month for membership, and Dog Ppl is a business trying to grow and make money like any other.
It's understandable that the exclusivity aspect (and the high price) might feel icky. Dogs have a long history as status symbols and wealth signifiers. In fact, even public dog parks are much sparser in lower-income areas than they are in richer neighborhoods. In a way, Dog Ppl is an extension of that pre-existing privilege, and paying for something that is already a somewhat exclusive public good — but better — reeks of yuppie excess.
"I think that we are seeing the ways in which increasing economic privilege is being displayed through pets," Julie Urbanik, an author and researcher who studies pets and society, said. "But on the other hand, you know, those people that are participating in it might think 'well, I want a cool, safe place to go hang out with my dog. So why are you attacking me for that?'"
But experts say the safety steps Dog Ppl is taking just might support the idea of a private dog park, or at least the parts of it that are meant to serve the dogs. Dr. Hunter Finn, a vet with a large social media following, has spoken out about the safety risks dog parks pose, from contracting disease to getting in fights. Finn thinks that, while any time you put dogs together there's a risk, the vaccination, behavior, and spay/neuter requirements Dog Ppl has put in place are positive and a good safeguard for owners who wish to protect their pets.
"I personally do like the idea of a more protected dog park that is not accessed by the general public," Finn said. "Having pet owners show proof of current vaccination and a negative fecal [test for worms], human monitors to help break up any altercations, and a trial visit is certainly a step in the right direction to make dog parks more enjoyable for everyone who visits."
Melya Kaplan, the founder of Santa Monica-based non-profit Voice for the Animals (VFTA) sees the spaying and neutering requirement as a boon. She is "not crazy about" the entrance fees for the people and dogs they might exclude, but hopes Dog Ppl will use its success to give back to the rescue community.
In fact, Dog Ppl partners with dog adoption agencies to connect them with club members. They have held donation drives at past events, and are working with rescue organizations to hold adoption events at the park. Esguerra said Dog Ppl is even working on a partnership that would allow people who adopt from the rescue to get free or deeply discounted park memberships.
"There's something magical about taking a dog that had a horrible unlucky past, they get adopted, and they immediately get to spend the rest of their life in a private members dog park," Esguerra said. "That's a happy ending."
While my own rescue mutt, a terrier-German shepherd mix named Meerie, ran around Dog Ppl for the first time during her trial visit to make sure she was well-behaved enough to become a member, I was strangely nervous. Would Meerie pass the test? Would we be allowed the "keys to the community" of "people who put their dogs first," as Esguerra put it?
"Putting your dog first" is most definitely a privilege, and just because you can't afford a private dog park does not mean you love and care for your dog less deeply than someone who can. That's why Urbanik sees the existence of Dog Ppl as proof of what the public sector lacks: More clean, accessible dog parks in zip codes of every income bracket.
"Companion animals are essential components to families in this day and age," Urbanik said. "The infrastructure needs to follow how people are living their lives across all of the areas."
As I considered signing up for Dog Ppl, I joked with my friends that I wasn't even a parent yet, and was already having trouble foregoing private school for the ideals of a public education. But with twinkle lights so inviting, turf so clean, free Wifi, crisp rosé, and nary a whiff of dog poo upon the air, who can resist? Especially if you are, admittedly, a "dog person."
UPDATE: Apr. 4, 2022, 10:53 a.m. PDT This article was updated to include photographs courtesy of DOG PPL.
Topics Animals
