At Least a Few of Your Utopian Dog Bar Dreams Will Come True at Fido’s

Perhaps you read about the "world's first dog tap room" opening in the Portland area and imagined a utopia: a strange new land where you could get tipsy while frolicking with tiny puppies that aren't actually yours. This dream comes only partially true at Fido's.

Nestled behind a Walmart in a Tigard strip mall, the spacious bar and dog adoption center has the exterior look of a PetSmart with a face-lift. Linoleum floors suggest easy frequent cleaning up of dog doo, and numerous portraits of earnest-looking rescue pups make your pet-free life feel like sad spectatorship. If you go seeking relief, note that there are framed dog adoption stories even in the restroom.

The 40-tap beer list—hung under a bold sign reading, "Eat. Drink. Adopt."—takes two large TV screens to display, and the waitstaff is overwhelmingly friendly. You might receive a hearty greeting from Fido's owner himself, if he's not busy attentively caring after the handful of dogs Fido's has up for adoption.

The only catch? Those pups aren't actually running around freely, pining for your attention while you sip your pint. The dogs are—probably wisely—kept in a separate room.

A $4 "donation" gets you entrance into this puppy den, where five or six rescue dogs roam, relieving themselves where they please. You can't take your drink in with you. But you can still watch the puppy playing action while sitting at the barstools lining the windows of the room.

"Is it bad that the smell of dog poop is making my cider taste bad?" one patron seated near a window inquired on a recent evening visit. Which, truthfully, is the type of question future dog owners must ask themselves. Because all the dogs are, after all, up for adoption.

GO: Fido's, 7700 SW Dartmouth St., Tigard, 503-941-5757, ilovefidos.com