MERIDIAN, Idaho — This week’s Made in Idaho features Idaho Pups & Ales in Meridian. It’s a dog park bar that doesn’t make you choose between a cold beer and your four-legged friend.
“I literally don’t think I’d be able to have her if this dog bar weren’t here,” said Eva, a Meridian resident.
WATCH: Dog park bar builds community in Meridian
After fostering and then adopting her dog Rio, ICOM student Eva often visits IPA as it’s a short ‘tail-wagging trot’ from her nearby apartment.
“I came here to introduce her to other dogs, and it turned out to be the [most] favorite part of her week. So I come, and since I’m in school I study and bring my iPad. I’ll sit at the tables and do work and she gets her exercise out and we both sleep at night,” said Eva.
Since opening in December, this bark-and-bar concept has become a local ‘treat’ for Idaho dog lovers - thanks to the dogged determination of owners Michelle and Shawn Johnson, who once ran a dog boarding business and decided it was time to let this dream off-leash.
“This was always the dream,” said Michelle Johnson. And it seems their dream has fetched a ‘paws-itive’ community response.
“They get wet right? And they’ll run past people and nobody cares because they know that the place was built for dogs and people get to come too,” said Johnson.
While the pups are running through the fire hydrant splash pad, their humans can cool off with local beers, ciders, wine, and even non-alcoholic options like Boise Booch kombucha.
“Our client base - We do have people from Emmett that drive out and they have passes or memberships and they enjoy it,” said Johnson.
To keep tails wagging, IPA offers monthly and annual memberships—helping maintain the off-leash dog zones with trained staff. Plus, they host live music, food trucks, movie nights, and even mixer events.
