Who Let the Dogs In
Boo’s Ice House & Dog Bar has been open for one year. One year of dogs dressed in Halloween costumes and bands crooning ’90s cover songs, backed up by a cacophony of barking and laughter. One year of the aroma of wood-fired pizzas and the buzz of cocktails with whimsical names. One year of Bingo games enhanced by dad jokes and trivia games enhanced by dog facts. One year of camaraderie on slow nights and joy on busy days. One year of neighbors mingling with tourists and “Pawleash Officers” monitoring the interactions between shy Great Danes and feisty chihuahuas.
The owners of Boo’s are a charming couple, Owners Mindy Kauffman and Bobby Boivin, who named this leashless dog paradise after their bully/pitbull mix rescue, Boo. Mindy and Bobby embody the idea that “opposites attract.” Mindy is a compact, organized, nurturing powerhouse; Bobby is a larger-than-life, circumspect, gregarious teddy bear. The couple created Boo’s to be what they feel that it has finally evolved into: a community hub for good food and good times and not merely a place to bring your dog.
You don’t have to bring your dog—or even own a dog—to enjoy hanging out at Boo’s, but you must love dogs to enjoy Boo’s (or at least like them a little). Dogs are great icebreakers for social interaction and Mindy describes watching people relax as they enter the front doors: “Their shoulders drop. They get to play with, and be a part, of this instant community.”
In its first year Boo’s has amassed a fierce and loyal following among Sarasota’s dog owners and it’s not unusual to see such cute furry faces as Steve Phelps’s dog, Mabel, running around with Mica Minero’s dog, Astro, and Kathryn Brass-Piper's dog, Blue. People are more likely to be greeted by their dog’s name than their own. Then there’s the dogless crowd that comes for the ever-changing live music lineup (from jazz to rock and every genre in between) or the excellent cocktails (concocted by Bobby himself) or the tasty menu of what I like to call “bar food plus,” which caters to dietary restrictions and taste buds alike.
Mindy and Bobby believe that to truly be a part of the community you have to give back to it, and in that spirit they have a special cocktail and “Scooby Snack” designated every month for which a percentage of the sales go to their chosen charity of the month.
There’s an adage that declares that “all dogs go to heaven.” There’s a Belinda Carlisle song that insists that “heaven is a place on earth.” I’ve spent the past year with my husband, Will, taking our bulldog, Georgia, to Boo’s and I’ve decided that both of those notions are true: All dogs DO go to heaven and heaven IS a place on earth. That place is called Boo’s Ice House & Dog Bar, so go check it out for yourself. I promise it will make you “Smile like someone left the gate open.”
Boo’s Ice House and Dog Bar: 1314 10th Street, Sarasota; boosdogbar.com
