It's a "Ruff" Job, But Someone Has to Do It

When Dawn Curnes walked down Higuera St. a year ago, she noticed that something was missing. There were plenty of happy dog-owner couples strolling around town, but no place for them to go. “Downtown felt like an uncomfortable place for owners to take their dogs," Curnes says. But uncomfortable they are no more, for just two months later, she opened up the “Waggin' Tail Cafe and Barkery.”

Curnes, an Iowa native who has resided in San Luis Obispo for 25 years, got the inspiration to open a barkery from her own dog, Ruby. As an avid animal lover who has always dreamed of working with animals, working for animals seemed like a great idea. Curnes took some business classes to get the ball rolling, and it hasn't stopped ever since. “I just love to see the dogs and their owners happy,” she says. And happy they are, as demonstrated by an entire wall covered in dozens of polaroids of the shop's furry fans. “When dogs come in, we take their picture for the wall. In 10 months we have covered it ceiling to floor,” Curnes says.

Although the dogs themselves vary in breed, color and palate, Curnes says that her typical customers are “young couples without kids and older empty-nesters.” But there was one demographic Curnes did not expect her local business to attract: tourists. “We have a lot of out-of-towners come into the shop especially from Fresno and Bakersfield. If they came on a vacation or business trip, they are looking for a treat for the pet they left at home. They feel guilty for leaving them,” she says.

But from near or far, Curnes loves to hear the doting of the owners on their dogs. Every week, she holds socials for the owners and their pets. The dogs and their owners get to nosh on puppy and people pizza while they make new friends and participate in fun activities such as freestyle dancing, photo shoots and charity events. She even makes doggie daquiries! This coming weekend, the barkery will offer doggie psychic readings, which will cost $25 for 25 minutes-- the proceeds, of course, will benefit the Woods Humane Society. This past Halloween, the barkery held its first annual Halloween costume contest, where owners and their dogs got to compete for prizes and treats. Never a dull moment at the barkery.

Curnes loves San Luis Obispo for its “fun community” and its “love for animals.” She enjoys hearing the stories of the pets and their owners, especially when they are odd or unusual. One such account came from a man who came into her store asking if she had any Irish Setters. When she told him that no, she didn't, he proceeded to tell his tale. Sixteen years ago, he had been walking in a meadow, when he saw four feet up in the air. He thought it was a rodent, but it turned out to be an Irish setter puppy. He pucked up the apparently lost puppy and took it home to be his companion. Years later, he was walking down the street when a woman called out “That's my dog!” When he assured her, “No, it is not,” she kept insisting that it was. Since he had found the dog abandoned, it could very well have been her dog, but after raising it himself, he felt it was unfair to reclaim the pet, if it was even hers. So the two decided to let the dog choose which one he would go home with. It seemed democratic enough. (Though I still think it would have been funny to solve it in the Biblical way and split the dog in half). The two adults stood in front of the dog and called to it, each hoping that the pup would come bounding into their arms. But since the dog was familiar with the man, it obviously ran to him. Thus was how the pup was won. The owner and dog shared a lasting bond until the latter passed away. The man decided to bury him near his (the dog's) favorite rock near Morro Bay. He then told of how one of his closest friends had criticized his burial of a pet, and that he has not spoken to that friend since. Curnes herself seemed touched and also a bit appalled at this story. But mostly about the part when the man's friend asked why he would bury a dog.

At the barkery, Curnes is devoted to meeting the dietary, emotional and spiritual needs of both pets and their owners. One tale—er, tail at a time.