Barks and bites: New Bark, A Rescue Pub features food (for humans) and animal adoptions

Animal lovers are looking for a different type of bite at Bark, A Rescue Pub, a new restaurant in Spokane that allows dog and cat adoptions. The barks go right along with the bites at the pub, which officially opened Thursday.

Paws are up since an 11-month-old husky-Labrador combination named Sheldon was adopted just minutes after the doors opened.

Chris Sievert, of Enumclaw, visited the Spokane Humane Society on Wednesday and caught a glimpse of Sheldon.

“I only saw his tail,” Sievert said after having lunch at Bark with two of his friends who live in Spokane. “He was being taken out of the shelter and I asked where he was going, and they told me about the pub and I immediately made a reservation for 10:50 (a.m.) today.”

After Sievert, 31, who plans to move to Spokane next year, met the rest of Sheldon, he signed on for a partnership.

“I was looking to adopt a dog, but the truth is that Sheldon picked me,” Sievert said. “It worked out since I fell in love with him. He kept coming back to me after laying in my lap. He would hand me a ball and wanted me to toss it to him, and then he laid down next to me. It was meant to be.”

More than 50 guests visited the adoption area within the first two hours at Bark, which is open daily from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. A cat, Crash, also was adopted by Cullen Lonigan of Cheney.

“It’s been super exciting,” said Adrienne Dartha, Bark’s adoption care manager. “There’s lots of energy, and it’s been so upbeat. It’s so cool that the adoptions have already started.”

The daily quota was met by lunchtime Thursday, which is appropriate since many of the 50 visitors stopped in to dine, as well.

“Our goal is to have one cat and one dog adopted every day,” Bark owner Josh Wade said while sitting at a pub table. “We’re excited about opening a unique restaurant experience in Spokane.”

Wade, who also owns Nectar Wine and Beer in Kendall Yards, is an animal lover who has adopted two dogs and a cat over the last half decade from the Spokane Humane Society.

“My fiancee and I are huge dog and cat lovers who want to make a difference,” Wade said. “We love what the Spokane Humane Society is doing, and we’re excited to see how things go here.”

Fido’s, which is marketed as the world’s first dog taphouse, inspired Wade. The Tigard, Oregon, bar, which features craft beer and bar food and brokers dog adoptions, opened in 2019.

“Fido’s grabbed my attention, and so did a young man I heard speak in November (in Spokane) who said that he wanted to open a brewery and have pet adoptions,” Wade said. “I started obsessing over the idea, and I did my research.”

Wade looked at the Kitty Cantina, which opened in June on Nevada Street and partners with SpokAnimal, where you can adopt a feline and have a drink.

With his background with Nectar, Wade has taken it a step farther in his comfortable and airy space that was once the Blackbird Tavern. The grub will grab the attention of foodies, and there are 38 drafts on tap from the Pacific Northwest.

“The concept is to serve up what we call elevated pub food,” Wade said. “We have beer from Idaho, Montana and, of course, Washington. We have a wine list that’s better than average.”

Some of the menu highlights are a pizza burger, fried pickle burger and chicken and waffle burger. “We’re trying to make it fun,” Wade said.

Before or after having a drink and a bite, you can schedule a time to visit some furry friends in the kennels. Reservations are recommended, and many were made for the weekend. There’s a space in which you can hang out with the dogs and cats to see if there’s a match.

“My fiancee and I are excited about supporting the Spokane Humane Society,” Wade said. “This is a very different venture than what I do with Nectar. This is about helping out more than anything else.”

Wade is certainly doing his part for the Spokane Humane Society – 100% of all sale proceeds from SHS-branded products, 100% of donations collected for SHS, a portion of sales from house red and white wines, Tito’s Vodka drinks and on various give-back days and events, such as their weekly Wednesday Yappy Hour, is revenue, which is funneled directly to the Spokane Humane Society.

It’s not surprising that new Spokane Humane Society Executive Director Ed Boks is pleased with Wade and Bark, A Rescue Pub.

“The Spokane Humane Society is thrilled to partner with Bark, A Rescue Pub on this life-saving pet adoption program,” Boks said while hanging out at Bark. “At SHS, we create happiness by bringing pets and people together, and what better environment to do that than an innovative, happy eatery filled with animal-loving patrons.”