Second date planned as Liverpool’s first Cockapoo Café at Tempest on Tithebarn sells out

By Janet Tansley

City restaurant Tempest on Tithebarn is taking the lead to be transformed into Liverpool’s first Cockapoo Café ^TM.

There’ll be a bathtub ballpit, a Pupuccino Bar and freshly-baked pupcakes, as well as the chance to pick up the latest canine accessories, and more.

And the special  event for people and their pooches has been so popular, organisers have had to put on a second event.

The cute doggy day was originally planned for just Sunday, November 6 at Tempest on Tithebarn.

But after it sold out in just over an hour, it was decided to add an extra date for Saturday of the same weekend.

Tempest owner Iain Hoskins says: “The response to the first event was absolutely incredible, with the whole day selling out in about an hour, to an hour and a half.

“So they were really quick to put the second date on.”

Iain adds: “People think it’s just rural pubs that are dog friendly, but gone are the days when you tie your dog outside somewhere while you go in.

“I think the Cockapoo Cafe ^TM is a great idea.  There’s a lot of dog owners in the city centre and we have a good reputation of being dog friendly, at Tempest and at our other venue, Nova Scotia at Mann Island. 

“The feedback we get is that there are very few dog-friendly places in the city where you don’t feel like you’re the problem. So this is really exciting.”

When it’s transformed into the city’s first Cockapoo Café ^TM for the November weekend, Tempest will have:

* A bathtub ballpit, play-zone, and doggy-sized props offering plenty of photo opportunities 

* Pupuccinos from the world’s first and only Pupuccino Bar 

* Rudi’s Doggy Bakery with freshly-baked pupcakes, dognuts and more, and

* A pop-up Doggy Boutique for all the latest Autumn/Winter harnesses, collars and accessories for your pooch

And there’ll be food for human’s too with lunch, sharing plates, and coffee and cocktails from Tempest’s usual menu.

There are cockapoo specific time slots at 10am, 11:20am, 12:40pm and 2pm, as well as an all doodle/poodle time slot at 3:30pm for Cavapoos and other mixes.

The 80-minute off-lead socialising experience for cockapoos and their owners is the brainchild of James Morgan and partner, Anushka, from Pug Café who began the events a few years ago after they got pug, Bertie.

James says: “In 2017 after we brought Bertie home, he was paralysed suddenly overnight and diagnosed with Hemivertebrae (a rare congenital malformation of the spine).”

Bertie the pug

Bertie underwent life-saving surgery but, because he was crate-bound for much of his recovery, he missed out on socialising.

So, he adds: “When Bertie was well enough to go for walks, we set up a local pug meet up so that he could meet and play with other dogs – and Bertie flourished.

“Soon after growing this community of pug owners we decided to take the meet-up indoors to our local cafe in Guildford and there Pug Cafe was born. Our first event was incredibly popular, Bertie and pugs from around the UK all enjoyed a unique cafe experience, playing off lead and socialising in a safe space. The pug owners and dog lovers all loved being around their favourite little dogs and it was the most joyful and fun day so we decided to spread the love far and wide…”

Pug Cafe is now a successful dog events company organising breed-specific events including pop-up cafes, discos, and parties across the UK. 

Iain, who is already planning a monthly doggy brunch at Nova Scotia from Saturday, November 12 from 9-11am, says: “Dogs are part of people’s lives and people still want to do nice things and go to nice places, and fun events.

“The Cockapoo Cafe^TM is a really interesting event and, at Tempest, there’s a lot of space to spread out. It’ll be great fun – I don’t think we’ve ever had so many dogs in one place at one time!”

Cockapoo Cafe^TM on Sunday, November 6 is sold out, but to book for Saturday, November 5, click here.