Dogs allowed

Golden Retrievers, Sharpeis, Belgian Groenendael, a Pekingese, Poodle and Welsh Corgi," rattles off Coh Salazar, owner of Chockoy’s Pets, the first restaurant that serves meals for people and dogs, too. "I have been around dogs for 35 years. And, I have lived with almost all breeds there are."

Not only that. Coh has bred champion dogs. She boasts 75 grand champions and 21 Hall of Fame dogs. "We have lots of ribbons and trophies at home. We have had to put most of them in boxes," says Coh.

Coh says with pride that she has 40 dogs in her kennel. And that’s not all, Coh shares a home with another 40 dogs. Matter of fact, 12 of them are allowed to sleep with her in the room. "I choose the best behaved dogs to sleep with me," quips Coh. "They are the ones which are best trained by Kaylin Q."

A place where people and their dogs could get together and talk about dogs is what Coh says about opening Chockoy’s Pets. Both Coh and Kaylin Q, who do volunteer work with the Dogscouts, noticed that pet lovers love to talk about their dogs – and they can go on forever. "We really felt that dog owners needed a place where they could hang after taking their dogs for a walk," says Coh.

Eating is Coh’s passion next to dog loving, so she opted to open the restaurant. Apart from being a place where dog lovers could have good food, their pets could also get a unique meal and dog talk could go on and on and on. "When it comes to talking dogs, we don’t notice the time and we don’t mind if people stay here for hours," adds Kaylin Q.

Although the establishment is dog-friendly the management (that is Coh and Kaylin) reserves the right to refuse entry to dogs that are not "friendly," says a sign posted on a wall of the resto.

"But doesn’t this resto welcome all dogs?" we ask.

"We want to make sure that there are no dogfights here. We also check the dogs to make sure that they have no skin problems. We ask the owners to bring the dogs’ vet papers with them to make sure that they have complete shots," says Coh. "We want the owners to be responsible for their pets and by being strict with the owners we teach them how to be good dog owners."

By the way, there is also a fine for dogs who pee or poop inside the resto – P50 is what Coh tells us. There is a place behind the resto where the dogs can do their thing before they enter.

Coh points out that after having raised and bred dogs for 35 years and then having shown them as well, the time has come for her to teach people about responsible dog ownership. This is why she founded ABCD – the Association of Breeders for Canine Development. ABCD aims to train owners to have dogs that are socialized and can walk around with other dogs and people and not get into fights.

The advice that Coh and Kaylin share with their diners are based on their own experiences with dogs. "When people come in and ask for our advice we give it to them and ask them to try it out for a week," shares Kaylin. "We check on the dog’s behavior when they come back and try to find out if there is any improvement in their dog’s behavior. Of course, the desire to encourage more people to get a dog and become responsible dog owners is also at the top of their agenda. "I am sick of hearing about bad dogs," growls Coh. "There are no bad dogs. Only bad owners."

Coh and Kaylin believe that fear of dogs is a hand-me-down thing. If the parents of a child are afraid of dogs then chances are so will their kids be.

After all, dogs are really man’s best friends regardless of their breed, says Coh. Dogs have virtues which they can share with their humans if we let them do just that. Coh admits that when she is sad it is to her canine companions that she turns because they are always there for her. "When I cry they lick my face and they love to listen to my woes," shares Coh.

Chockoy’s Pets has a double meaning to it. Coh says that they could mean the dogs that she owns or Chockoy’s pets could also refer to the people who come in to the resto and take time to learn a thing or two about dog ownership from Coh and Kaylin.

"I hope that more people will allow their kids to grow up with dogs. The lessons kids learn from owning dogs are very important," says Coh. "Dogs teach people about responsibility. They teach us what the simple pleasures in life are really worth."

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Chockoy’s Pets is located at 125 Kalayaan Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City.