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    Members-only canine club coming to NYC touts DJs, cocktails and could cost $1,400 a year

    By Katherine Donlevy,

    5 hours ago

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1nTyvO_0w02UH8G00

    This place is off the leash.

    An exclusive, members-only canine park touted as the “Soho House for dogs” is coming to Williamsburg, The Post has learned — but Brooklyn dog lovers are turning up their cold, wet noses.

    Dog PPL — whose California members pay $1,400 a year in dues — will offer DJ sets, cocktail nights, a full kitchen and more for yuppies and their puppies on the corner of McCarren Park, just steps away from the public dog run.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=30VZbE_0w02UH8G00
    A bird’s eye view of the Dog PPL social club. @dogppl/Instagram

    “It’s very conducive to this neighborhood: building a ‘bougie’ version of something that’s free,” local dog owner Scott Gary, 31, told The Post.

    Dog PPL signed a 10-year lease to open an 18,000-square-foot private, rooftop dog park at 12 Berry St., with an anticipated opening date of summer 2025, according to Richard Babeck of Tri-State Realty, who helped broker the deal.

    The private doggie park — which would ban outside toys and pups that haven’t been fixed — will sit atop what will soon be the new pickleball hotspot, Padel Haus.

    Babeck described the trendy combination as an “adult playground” aimed at drawing in young people — but sees no concerns with the location just 1,500 feet away from the public McCarren Park Dog Run.

    “You can get a cheeseburger from a halal cart on the street, but it’s a very different experience when you go to Shake Shack, right?” Babeck, a dog owner, said.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4XkvRl_0w02UH8G00
    John Legend and Chrissy Teigen appeared in a social media post for DOG PPL Canine Social Club. @dogppl/Instagram

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    McCarren park dog owners on Tuesday told The Post they felt the pickleball-dog park combo was capitalizing on too many buzzwords.

    “I don’t understand the connection of drinks and DJs and a dog park. Seems like dogs wouldn’t be into that,” said Sunnyside resident Molly, 35, who makes daily visits to the public dog park with her greyhound, Hank.

    Richa Mischra, 27, of Williamsburg pointed out that the idea sounds similar to local joint Boris & Horton, a dog-friendly cafe, that shuttered in May after just one year.

    Dog PPL appears to be more of a “society thing,” she said

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3Uq6lv_0w02UH8G00
    Dog PPL will offer DJ sets, cocktail nights and a full kitchen. @dogppl/Instagram

    “Boris & Horton was cool because it was more of a community place where you can bring your dog to socialize but you don’t need to pay for a subscription,” Mischra said. “It was very chill.”

    The trendy canine hotspot will be the second location for Dog PPL, which opened its original Santa Monica location in 2021.

    Representatives for Dog PPL declined to confirm any details or pricing for their new location, but according to its website, California members are shelling out $120 per month to be part of the exclusive club.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3WJbAy_0w02UH8G00
    California members pay $120 per month to be part of the exclusive club. Gregory P. Mango

    Prices jump to $75 for each additional dog, with a maximum of three dogs per owner allowed.

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    Although Babeck promised the trendy hotspot would be far from “elitist,” Dog PPL has a strict set of guidelines for pooches trying to get in.

    All dogs must be up to date on their vaccines, must pass a behavior assessment and must be “fixed” to avoid pack setting or dog fights, according to Dog PPL’s website .

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3ylr3i_0w02UH8G00
    Scott Gary with his Golden Retriever named Leo. Gregory P. Mango
    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=21eTrB_0w02UH8G00
    Michael Laudenslager with his Blue Heeler named Valerie. Gregory P. Mango
    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0L7QLP_0w02UH8G00
    Katie Booth with her Golden Retriever named Tula. Gregory P. Mango

    Personal dog toys and outside treats are also not allowed inside the grounds to “minimize possession aggression.”

    Humans have a set of rules to follow as well: no laptop usage is allowed after 6 p.m. to “foster socialization” and children under the age of 16 are not permitted entry.

    Although new Golden Retriever owner Gary said the incoming dog park seems stereotypical for the trendy neighborhood he admitted he wasn’t completely turned off by the idea — but only because the McCarren dog run is in bad shape.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1nM5rO_0w02UH8G00
    The dog run at McCarren Park in Williamsburg, NY. Gregory P. Mango

    “This is free, but it’s kind of gross,” Gary said, gesturing to the barren and dusty dog run.

    “The gross-to-cost threshold has to be very skewed in a very positive direction.”

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    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3doizA_0w02UH8G00
    This image is from a social media post showing a woman working in the dog club, @dogppl/Instagram

    Katie Booth, 33, of Greenpoint said she wished that McCarren’s dog run was maintained well enough so that there wouldn’t be a need for a luxury dog park in the neighborhood to begin with.

    “I think something that a lot of neighbors feel is that this neighborhood needs more resources for public space for off-leash dogs, like enclosed dog runs,” Booth said, adding that Dog PPL appears to only be for those with disposable income.

    The McCarren Dog Run falls under the Parks Department jurisdiction but is mostly maintained by the dog owners who use it, she said. Under the “honor system,” dog owners fill in holes their pooches dig up and supply their own chairs to the community for lounging.

    “It’s almost like we’re at two different extremes,” said Booth, who brings her Golden Retriever, Tula, to the run daily.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2t9B62_0w02UH8G00
    NYC has a series of rules and regulation for people who brings dogs to public parks, Gregory P. Mango

    Several dog owners also shot down the question of whether Dog PPL could provide a community for dog lovers — which they said is already thriving organically at public dog runs.

    Michael Laudenslager, 35, Cara Forgione, 40, and their Blue Heeler Valerie moved to Greenpoint from the East Village three years ago but the pair still make the trek to Tompkins Square Park to see the friends they have made at what Laudenslager called the best dog park in the city.

    “The nicer the park, the more there is interaction,” Laudenslager said, adding that McCarren is “depressing and gloomy.”

    “I just wish the city would work a little bit more on the dog parks like this,” he added. “I think it’s simple so they can make them nicer, but it kind of seems like an afterthought.”

    As for Dog PPL’s “whole cocktail thing,” Laudenslager barked a one-word response.

    “Whatever” he said.

    For the latest metro stories, top headlines, breaking news and more, visit nypost.com/metro/

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