Dog Bar Sarasota celebrates one-year anniversary

David Shapiro often looks for the chance to see his "granddog" Toby. 

His daughter, Melissa Shapiro, frequently takes Toby to Dog Bar Sarasota, so he often ends up spending time there as well. 

They were in attendance at One Year Cooler: Dog Bar Sarasota Anniversary Party, which celebrated the anniversary of the dog bar and restaurant since its re-opening in 2025.

The Saturday event, open to non-members with pre-registration, featured a foam party and was co-hosted with Donte's Den, a local nonprofit animal sanctuary, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting its rescue dogs.

Melissa Shapiro said they are grateful the bar reopened last year.

"Dog lovers get to gather and dogs get to gather," said David Shapiro, who said they want to support the business as it is "great for the dogs."

He noted it offers the chance for dogs to spend time inside during the summer, while she noted dogs do not have the same freedom in the parks. 

Visitors could also see some changes to the establishment made since its newest partner, Mark "Sharky" Coxson, arrived in January. 

These include moving a fence inside the building to make the bar area reachable from the other side while adding plexiglass. Fourteen arcade machines are also coming soon, machines Coxson says will help keep kids occupied, as the minimum age for the off-leash yard is 16. 

"The amount of thank-yous that I personally get is amazing, from people that are so happy to have it back, to have it running," he said.