People, pets meet at unique cafe

A canine-themed cafe has opened in Los Angeles where people can pet, play with and even choose to adopt dogs.

Sarah Wolfgang, founder of The Dog Cafe, had considered opening such a place in Los Angeles since 2014. But the idea first occurred to her while volunteering at a shelter in South Korea when she was 14. She thought about opening a cafe where guests could come and meet adoptable dogs.

"The Dog Cafe is going to put a spin on the way people adopt, by totally reinventing the way we connect with homeless dogs. We want to provide you with the opportunity to see these highly adoptable pooches in their true light," Wolfgang told LAist, a Los Angeles-area news and information website. "And even if you're not looking to adopt, you can still enjoy all of the sloppy kisses you've ever wanted," she added.

Wolfgang checked with the Los Angeles Health Department, which told her such a cafe would be legal as long as the areas where patrons buy coffee and pet the dogs were kept separate.

In Shanghai, a dog-themed cafe was opened in 2014 and has since been frequented by dog lovers. More than 10 people-pleasing dogs surround each visitor as soon as they walk into the shop, which has a good reputation on dianping.com - a Chinese equivalent of restaurant review publisher Yelp.

However, cats seem to be more popular than dogs among those wanting to open a pet cafe in China. Based on information available on the Internet, there are cat cafes in Handan, Hebei province; Shenyang, Liaoning province; Nanjing, Jiangsu province; and Fuzhou, Fujian province.

Tian Xiaofei, an office worker in Beijing who has two dogs, said she loves the idea of a dog-themed cafe and hopes that one might open in Beijing.

"I know there was at least one dog cafe in Beijing several years ago, but it closed for reasons I don't know," she said. "It would be great if there was such a place in Beijing, because we dog lovers can meet up there and make friends and share our joy and experience. Moreover, our dogs will have a happy time as they can meet other dogs."